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Continuing Education Providers

Continuing Education Provider Approval under Section 74.10(i) of the Regulations of the Commissioner

An organization must comply with the applicable requirements of Section 74.10(i) of the Regulations of the Commissioner of Education (Commissioner's Regulations) to obtain State Education Department (SED) approval as a provider of continuing education for Licensed Master Social Workers and Licensed Clinical Social Workers. Approved providers are expected to meet or exceed the standards detailed below.

To apply for approval, you must complete and submit an Application for Approval as a Continuing Education Provider for Licensed Master Social Workers and Licensed Clinical Social Workers (Form 1SB, along with a $900 check or money order made payable to the New York State Education Department, to the address listed at the end of the form, with any required supporting materials. The fee is for evaluation and consideration, not approval, of the application and is non-refundable.

The application for approval as a provider and the $900 fee must be submitted to SED at least 90 days prior to the date of the commencement of the continuing education programs.

Approval of continuing education providers is for a three-year term and must be renewed. To renew approval as a provider of continuing education, you must submit a renewal application, along with the $900 fee, no less than 45 days prior to the expiration of your current approval.

If you have any questions concerning the requirements for continuing education provider approval, please contact the Office of the State Board for Social Work, 89 Washington Avenue, 2nd Floor, Albany, NY 12234-1000 or by calling 518-474-3817 ext. 450 or by e-mailing swbd@nysed.gov.

Standards

Standard 1 - Organizations

Entities eligible to apply for approval

Section 74.10(i)(2) of the Commissioner’s Regulations defines the entities that are eligible to apply for approval as a provider of continuing education to Licensed Master Social Workers (LMSWs) and Licensed Clinical Social Workers (LCSWs). Eligible entities include, but are not limited to:

  • a higher education institution that offers programs that are registered pursuant to Part 52 of the Commissioner’s Regulations as leading to licensure as a LMSW or LCSW in New York State,
  • a higher education institution in another jurisdiction that is accredited by the Council on Social Work Education (CSWE),
  • a higher education institution in New York State or another jurisdiction that is accredited by an acceptable accrediting agency and that offers graduate coursework that is directly related to the enhancement of practice, skills and knowledge of LMSWs or LCSWs,
  • a psychotherapy institute, chartered by the Board of Regents, that offers coursework that is directly related to the enhancement of practice, skills and knowledge of LMSWs or LCSWs,
  • a national social work organization or other professional organization that promotes and protects the health, safety and welfare of the public and fosters good practice in the social work professions, including specialty boards,
  • a New York State social work organization that is incorporated or otherwise organized in New York State that promotes and protects the health, safety and welfare of the public and fosters good practice in the social work professions in New York State as a whole and/or a region of New York State,
  • a national organization of jurisdictional boards of social work that promote and protect the health, safety and welfare of the public and fosters good practice in the social work professions,
  • an entity operated under an operating certificate appropriately issued in accordance with articles 16, 31 or 32 of the New York State Mental Hygiene Law, or
  • an entity, hospital or health facility as defined in section 2801 of the New York State Public Health Law.

The documents submitted with the application must demonstrate that the organization will offer courses of learning or self-study programs in one or more of the subjects prescribed for acceptable continuing education as listed below.

Standard 2 - Courses/Educational Activities

Courses/educational activities are offered in appropriate subject areas.

Section 7410 of the Education Law limits acceptable educational programs for continuing education to "courses of learning" which contribute to the professional practice of social work. Under Section 74.10(c)(2) of the Commissioner’s Regulations, providers must offer courses in one or more of the following subject areas:

  • theories and concepts of human behavior in the social environment;
  • social work practice, knowledge and skills;
  • social work research, programs, or practice evaluations;
  • social work management, administration or social policy;
  • social work ethics;
  • clinical interventions, evidence-based models, and principles of clinical social work practice, psychotherapy, and clinical social work diagnosis;
  • client communications and record keeping;
  • administrative supervision of licensed master social work and clinical supervision of licensed clinical social work practice;
  • pedagogical methodologies or other topics which contribute to the professional practice of licensed master social work and licensed clinical social work; or
  • cross-disciplinary offerings from medicine, law, administration, education and the behavioral sciences are acceptable if they are clearly related to the enhancement of social work practice, skills and knowledge, and the health, safety, and/or welfare of the public.

Educational activities that may count for continuing education credit are:

  • formal courses of learning including, but not be limited to, university and college credit and non-credit courses;
  • professional development programs and technical sessions offered by national, state and local professional associations and other organizations acceptable to SED ; and
  • any other organized educational and technical programs related to the practice of social work that are acceptable to SED.

Other educational activities that may be acceptable continuing education include the following:

  • preparing and teaching a course offered by a provider of continuing education to LMSWs and LCSWs, approved by SED, but such teaching will not be acceptable where the licensee has taught the course on more than one occasion without presenting new or revised material. Continuing education hours that may be credited for this activity may include actual instructional time plus preparation time, which may be up to two additional hours for each hour of presentation;
  • preparing and teaching a course, acceptable to SED, at a higher education institution or psychotherapy institute, as defined in section 74.10(i)(2) of the Commissioner’s Regulations, relating to the practice of professional social work, but such teaching will not be acceptable where the licensee has taught the course on more than one occasion without presenting new or revised material. Continuing education hours that may be credited for this activity may include actual instructional time plus preparation time, which may be up to two additional hours for each hour of presentation;
  • making a technical presentation at a professional conference sponsored by an organization that is an SED-approved provider of continuing education to LMSWs and LCSWs, but such presentation will not be acceptable where the licensee has presented the topic on more than one occasion without presenting new or revised material. Continuing education hours that may be credited for this activity include actual presentation time plus preparation time, which may be up to two additional hours for each hour of presentation;
  • completing a self-study program, meaning structured study, offered by an SED-approved provider, that is based on audio, audio-visual, written, on-line, or other media. Such coursework does not include live instruction, transmitted in person or otherwise, during which the student may communicate and interact with the instructor and other students. Self-study may comprise no more than twelve hours of continuing education in any three-year registration period, or one-third of the hours for a registration period other than three years;
  • authoring a first-time article published in a peer-reviewed journal or a chapter in a published book. Two hours of continuing education credit will be awarded for such activity; and
  • authoring a first-time book in the practice of licensed master social work or licensed clinical social work. Five hours of continuing education credit will be awarded for such activity.

SED may, pursuant to section 74(i)(2)(c) of the Commissioner’s Regulations, in its discretion and as needed to contribute to the health and welfare of the public, require the completion of continuing education courses in specific subjects to fulfill this mandatory continuing education requirement.

Any continuing education designed for the sole purpose of personal development, marketing, business practices, and maximizing profits for the practice of a licensed master social worker or licensed clinical social worker will not be considered by SED as acceptable continuing education.

Standard 3 - Instructors

Instructors are qualified to teach the courses/educational activities which will be offered.

Section 74.10(i)(3)(ii)(c) of the Commissioner’s Regulations requires providers to use course/educational activity instructors who are qualified to teach the courses/educational activities which will be offered, including but not limited to, faculty of a licensed master social work or licensed clinical social work program offered by a higher education institution; or instructors who are specially qualified authorities in activities that are directed at developing and enhancing a licensee’s practice as a LMSW or LCSW, as determined by SED with assistance from the State Board for Social Work, to conduct such courses.

In addition to assuring that providers meet this standard, providers must:

  1. maintain and use written criteria and procedures to select instructors, including job descriptions, intended to assure that every instructor is qualified by training and/or experience to teach the course/educational activity assigned to them; and
  2. maintain and use written procedures to evaluate instructors' performance. Both attendees' written evaluations and assessments by course/educational activity monitors may be part of the evaluation of instructors' performance.

Standard 4 - Assessment of Learning

Provider has a method of assessing the learning of participants.

Section 74.10(i)(3)(ii)(d) of the Commissioner’s requires providers to have a method of assessing the learning of participants.

Pursuant to this requirement, providers must develop and maintain assessment methods that: (1) are appropriate to the course/educational activity objectives and educational methods; and (2) measure the extent to which the objectives were accomplished. These methods may include, but are not limited to, post-tests, questionnaires, and participants' evaluations. Course/educational activity monitors may also be effective components of a method of assessing learning.

Standard 5 - Records

Provider will maintain records for at least six years from the date of completion of coursework/educational activity.

Section 74.10(i)(3)(ii)(e) of the Commissioner’s Regulations requires providers to maintain records for at least six years from the date of completion of coursework, which must include, but are not limited to, the name and curriculum vitae of the faculty, a record of attendance of LMSWs or LCSWs in the course if a course; a record of participation of LMSWs or LCSWs in the self-instructional coursework if self-instructional coursework; an outline of the course, date and location of the course, and the number of hours for completion of the course.

Providers must create and maintain for at least six years the following records for each course/educational activity:

  1. the date and location of the course/educational activity;
  2. the name and curriculum vitae of the instructor/presenter;
  3. the objectives and learning methods of the course/educational activity;
  4. the outline of the course/educational activity, the assessment methods used, and the number of contact hours of the course/educational activity;
  5. a summary of any evaluation of the course/educational activity;
  6. copies of all promotional materials used in a course/educational activity;
  7. any evaluation of the need for the course/educational activity; and
  8. the list of licensed practitioners in attendance at a course or participating in an educational activity, including the profession(s) in which each is licensed.

Providers must have policies and procedures for the storage, confidentiality and retrieval of records for a six-year period.

In the event an approved provider discontinues operation, the governing body of such provider must notify the Department and transfer all records as directed by the Department.

Providers must provide a Certificate of Completion/Participation to licensed practitioners who have completed a course/educational activity for continuing education hours. A Certificate of Completion/Participation must contain the following information:

  • the organization’s name;
  • the name of the participant;
  • the date and location of the course/ educational activity;
  • the course/educational activity title;
  • the educational method used (e.g., lecture, self-study);
  • the number of contact hours; and
  • a statement indicating that the organization is recognized by the New York State Education Department's State Board for Social Work as an approved provider of continuing education for licensed social workers.