There is still a great deal of work to be done if a licensing law for professional social workers in New York State  is to become a reality in the current legislative session.

Please contact your State legislators and communicate your support for social work licensing. A sample message, right, may be incorporated in telephone calls, faxes or letters; the italicized material should be modified as appropriate. Lobbying your legislators in their district offices is also important.

Communication with Assembly Member Ed Sullivan, Chair of the Assembly Higher Education Committee, and Senator Kenneth La Valle, his counterpart in the Senate, is crucial.

Mr. Sullivan can be reached at 212 866-3970, or 245 West 104th Street, NYC 10025, and Mr. LaValle at 516 696-6900, or 325 Middle Country Road, Selden, NY 11784.
 

As a professional social worker/social work student and NASW member, I am call/writing to urge the Assemblymember/Senator to support Assembly 6059A/Senate 1123-A in 1998. This legislation will restrict the practice of social work to those licensed by the State Education Department.

New York State law currently provides title protection for MSW practitioners, using the title "Certified Social Worker." The law does not restrict the practice of social work, nor use the title "social worker" to those licensed by the State. This places the public at risk from unqualified or unethical practitioners, who hold themselves out as "social workers" without the education and training required for a BSW or MSW practitioner. Furthermore, so long as these individuals do not use the protected title "certified social worker," the Attorney General's office is unable to prosecute them for illegal practice.

Social workers often work with the most vulnerable populations including: victims of child abuse and neglect, victims of domestic violence, welfare recipients, people with mental illness and developmental disabilities, the chronically and acutely ill, the frail elderly, rape victims, and others who may not be able to advocate for themselves and are in great need of competent, professional help. Licensing social work, defining a scope of practice, and restricting the use of the social work title to those who have been professionally educated and trained in the field will offer better services and protections to vulnerable populations with whom social workers interact.

Thank you very much for your time. Can I count on you to support A6059-A/S1123-A in the current session?