H 5299
An Act to ensure parity in social work licensure
Jurisdiction
Massachusetts
Session
194th General Court (2025-2026)
Last updated at
Jun 14, 2026, 9:24 PM
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Sign in to take action- Introduced
- Passed House
- Passed Senate
- To Governor
- Became Law
Bill overview
Chapter 112, as appearing in the 2018 Official Edition, is hereby amended by inserting after section 132 the following new section:- Section 132A: (a) A provisional Licensed Social Work Associate license shall be granted to those applicants who have taken the Associates examination for a Licensed Social Work Associate license no less than two times and failed within 10 points. The provisional Licensed Social Work Associate license shall be valid for a maximum of one year. The Licensed Social Work Associate licensee shall complete professional development, supervisory and educational requirements within no less than one year. Upon completion of the provisional license requirements, the licensee shall be exempt from the Associates exam testing requirement within section 132 and granted a full license. (b) A Licensed Social Work Associate licensee operating with a provisional license shall maintain a professional portfolio that shall include items the following: i. Affidavits of understanding regarding the provisional licensing process and requirements; ii. Eleven separate 3-5 page typed, double spaced papers, each one covering a separate, specific core content area of social work practice; iii. A daily journal of the probationary licensee’s activities and supervision for the probationary period; iv. A 7-10 page typed, double spaced case analysis covering the probationary licensee’s work with a typical client during the probationary period; v. A 3-5 page typed, double spaced self-evaluation completed by the probationary licensee which includes an analysis of the licensee’s professional knowledge, skills and abilities; vi. Quarterly evaluations completed and submitted to the board by the supervisor regarding the probationary licensee’s development; vii. An evaluation of the supervisor’s supervision skills completed by the probationary licensee; viii. A notarized affidavit from the supervisor attesting to the readiness of the probationary licensee’s ability to perform as a professional social worker based on the knowledge, skills and abilities observed during the supervision period. (c) Licensees whose caseloads require proficiency in a language other than English must be allowed to submit items ii, iii, iv, v, and vii in the secondary language that they use for daily work. (d) Any information that the Licensed Social Work Associate licensee is required to document pursuant to the requirements in subsection (b) shall be maintained as personnel records, the disclosure of which will constitute an unwarranted invasion of personal privacy and are exempt from public records law.
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Primary sponsor
Families and Persons with Disabilities Joint Committee on Children
Cosponsors
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