A. Prerequisite to
performance of services
All individuals not exempt from licensure are prohibited from
performing services for compensation, for which licensure is required by these
Regulations. They are also prohibited from holding themselves out to the public
by any title or description of services set out in these Regulations or by any
title or description of services likely to cause public confusion with any
title or description of services set out in these Regulations.
B. General Requirements
An applicant for social work licensure shall meet the
following general requirements:
1. Is
at least twenty-one (21) years of age;
2. Is of good moral character, as defined in
these Rules and Regulations;
3. Has
on file a fingerprint criminal history information record check acceptable to
the Board.
4. Has on file a
Mississippi Sex Offender Registry check acceptable to the Board;
5. Holds United States citizenship or status
as a legal resident alien;
6. Is
free of conviction of a felony related to the practice of social work within
the last ten (10) years;
7. Is
mentally competent with no decree of mental incompetence still standing in any
court;
8. Is currently free from
dependency on alcohol or drugs, other substances or any other type of
addiction;
9. Has no pending
disciplinary action;
10. Has an
acceptable social work degree for level of licensure requested.
C. Specific Requirements
Application shall be made on forms provided by the Board and
available on the Board's website. Payment of application fees must be included
with an initial licensure application and other supporting documentation as
required. (See Schedule of Fees: Part 1902, chapter 4, Rule
4.3, B)
1.
LSW
Level: An applicant for LSW designation must submit the
following to the Board:
a. An Initial
application;
b. Verification of a
baccalaureate degree in social work from a college or university accredited by
the council on Social Work Education) (CSWE) or the Southern Association of
Colleges and Schools (SACS);
c. A
current fingerprint criminal history record information check conducted by the
appropriate governmental authority or authorities within one-hundred eighty
(180) calendar days of the completed application. This criminal history record
information check must be received by the Board directly from the appropriate
governmental authority or authorities, not from the applicant;
d. An acceptable Sex Offender Registry check
conducted by the Board;
e. Passing
scores on the examination from the ASWB basic exam;
f. Full licensure fee (See Part 1902, Chapter
4, Rule
4.3, B).
2.
LMSW Level: An applicant for LMSW
designation must submit the following to the Board:
a. An Initial application;
b. Verification of a master's degree from a
school of social work accredited by the Council on Social Work Education (CSWE)
or a doctorate in social work (D.S.W. or Ph.D.);
c. A current fingerprint criminal history
record information check conducted by the appropriate governmental authority or
authorities within one-hundred eighty (180) calendar days of the completed
application. This criminal history record information check must be received by
the Board directly from the appropriate governmental authority or authorities,
not from the applicant;
d. An
acceptable Sex Offender Registry check conducted by the Board;
e. Passing scores on the examination from the
ASWB intermediate exam;
f. Full
licensure fee (Part 1902, Chapter 4, Rule
4.3, B).
3.
LCSW
Level: An applicant for LCSW designation must be a current
LMSW in good standing who has completed the Supervision process as outlined in
Part 1902, Chapter 2, Rule
2.3 as verified by Board
records
, and must submit to the Board:
a. An Initial application for LCSW
license;
b. Supervision Plan and
Contract for Supervision as outlined by the MS Board of Examiners for Social
Workers in the LMSW Guide for Supervision;
c. Four evaluations (1 approximately every
six months for 24 months) not to exceed thirty-six (36) months for the
supervision process to be completed;
d. Termination of Supervision
Contract;
e. A current fingerprint
criminal history record information check conducted by the appropriate
governmental authority or authorities within three-hundred sixty-five (365)
days of the completed application. This criminal history record information
check must be received by the Board directly from the appropriate governmental
authority or authorities, not from the applicant;
f. An acceptable Sex Offender Registry check
conducted by the Board;
g. Three
(3) acceptable letters of professional reference from licensed mental health
professionals who have known the applicant for at least one year within the
supervision period, sent directly to the board by the professional. The persons
documenting the clinical experience and supervision may NOT be used for the
letters of professional reference, but at least one (1) must be from a_LCSW
other than the applicant's supervisor; and,
h. Passing scores on the ASWB LCSW Clinical
examination;
Note: All licensees are required to inform the Board,
through submission of a Change of Status Form, of a change of address, name,
and etc.
4.
Licensure by Reciprocity/Endorsement:
Applicants for licensure by reciprocity/endorsement who hold
a valid license from another state may be eligible for licensure in Mississippi
provided:
a. The examination completed
for licensure is the same examination endorsed or prescribed by the Association
of Social Work Boards (ASWB) for the license level for which
reciprocity/endorsement is being requested.
b. The applicant has a comparable license in
good standing or registration from another state or territory of the United
States that imposes qualifications equal to or greater than the current
requirements of the Mississippi Board of Examiners. Exams administered by
individual states are not considered equal.
c. Applicants, who have complaints or
disciplinary action pending against them in another state, will not be granted
a Mississippi license until such complaints are resolved to the satisfaction of
the Board.
d. The applicant has the
required degree for licensure according to the current Rules and Regulations of
the Board.
D.
Abandonment of Application
An application for licensure as a LSW or a LMSW shall be
considered abandoned if the ASWB exam has not been attempted within six (6)
months from the date on which the application was received by the Board.
An application for licensure as a LCSW shall be considered
abandoned if the ASWB exam has not been attempted within six (6) months from
the date on which termination of supervision was approved by the Board and the
applicant was approved to take the ASWB exam at the Clinical level.
Any subsequent application shall be treated as a new
application with all applicable fees.
E. Exemptions from Licensure
No provision in the law or these Regulations shall be
construed to:
1. Prevent individuals
licensed or certified by this state, whose activities overlap with the practice
of social work, from carrying out the functions covered by their respective
licenses or certificates, or to prevent duly ordained or licensed members of
the clergy from carrying out the functions for which they have been trained,
provided that such clergy or individuals shall not hold themselves out to the
public by any title set out in these Regulations.
2. Apply to or in any way interfere with any
office, officer, agency, or employee of the United States, while such office,
officer, agency, or employee is engaging in the performance of official duties
within the course and scope of such employment or duties.
3. Apply to or in any way interfere with an
individual who performs services described by these Regulations solely for the
benefit of a member of that individual's immediate family without
compensation.
4. Apply to or in any
way interfere with the activities and services of a student while pursuing a
course of professional education qualifying as education under these
Regulations, if these activities or services constitute a part of such
student's supervised course of study and such activities are supervised by an
individual licensed under these Regulations.
Notes
30
Miss. Code. R. 1902-2.2
Miss. Code
Ann. ยงยง
73-53-1,
73-53-5,
73-53-7(1),
73-53-11(1)(c),(d), (k), (l), (u) and
(3),
73-53-13 and
73-53-15(2) and
(6).
Amended
2/10/2020
Amended
11/17/2022
