Protect Social Work standards in Massachusetts

This is the letter we will send to your lawmaker on your behalf:  

I respectfully urge you to reject any legislation that removes examination requirements, including the anti-exam provisions found in H.279, S.135, H.4650, and S.2590. Instead, please support H2899, which provides meaningful retention incentives for currently licensed social workers. 

Licensure exists for one reason: to protect the public. Social workers serve people facing crisis, trauma, and complex challenges. They make decisions that affect safety, wellbeing, and access to life-saving services. The licensing exam is the only objective way to verify that every applicant, regardless of where they earned their degree, has demonstrated the minimum competence necessary for safe and ethical practice. 

Just as physicians, nurses, EMTs, and attorneys must demonstrate competence before entering their professions, social workers should also meet consistent, evidence-based standards. Education and supervised experience are vital, but they are not substitutes for an objective measure of readiness. 

Eliminating the exam would weaken the integrity of the licensure system, erode public trust, and put vulnerable residents at risk. This is not a responsible approach to workforce challenges, and it is not in the best interest of the Commonwealth. 

I respectfully urge you to reject any legislation that removes examination requirements, including the anti-exam provisions found in H.279, S.135, H.1423, and S.218. 

Thank you for your time and for your commitment to protecting Massachusetts residents.