Scope of practice

258 CMR: BOARD OF REGISTRATION OF SOCIAL WORKERS

258 CMR 12.00: SCOPE OF PRACTICE

Section

12.01: Scope of Professional Practice - Licensed Independent Clinical Social Worker (LICSW) 12.02: Scope of Professional Practice - Licensed Certified Social Worker (LCSW) 12.03: Scope of Professional Practice - Licensed Social Worker (LSW) 12.04: Scope of Professional Practice - Licensed Social Work Associate (LSWA)

12.01: Scope of Professional Practice – Licensed Independent Clinical Social Worker (LICSW)

An individual who holds a license as a Licensed Independent Clinical Social Worker (LICSW) issued by the Board may properly perform or provide any or all of the following functions or services:

(1) Practice social work autonomously in any clinical or non-clinical setting, utilizing consultation whenever appropriate;

(2) Provide clinical social work services, as defined in 258 CMR 8.03: Definitions, autonomously in any practice setting to individuals, couples, families or groups for the purpose of improving, restoring or enhancing their social and/or psychosocial functioning;

(3) Provide case management services which involve the application of clinical diagnostic, assessment or treatment knowledge or skills autonomously in any practice setting;

(4) Provide non-clinical social work services, as defined in .03: Definitions, including case management services of a non-clinical nature, autonomously in any practice setting;

(5) Provide clinical or non-clinical supervision to individual social workers or groups of social workers;

(6) Provide consultation on clinical or non-clinical issues to individuals, groups, members of other professional disciplines, agencies, health care facilities or institutions; and

(7) Perform or provide any other social work function or service which may lawfully be provided by a social worker licensed at the Licensed Certified Social Worker (LCSW), Licensed Social Worker (LSW) or Licensed Social Work Associate (LSWA) level.

12.02: Scope of Professional Practice – Licensed Certified Social Worker (LCSW)

An individual who holds a license as a Licensed Certified Social Worker (LCSW) issued by the Board may properly perform or provide any or all of the following social work functions or services:

(1) Provide clinical social work services, as defined in .03: Definitions, as an employee of an agency, health care facility or unrelated individual, under the clinical supervision of another social worker who is licensed or eligible for licensure as a Licensed Independent Clinical Social Worker (LICSW) and who provides at least one hour per week, or equivalent pro rata amount for part-time employees, of face-to-face individual clinical supervision. An individual who holds a license as a Licensed Certified Social Worker shall not provide clinical social work services as an independent practitioner; Proration of Required Supervision Hours. The Board will allow for the proration of supervision hours to work hours at a rate of not less than one hour per month for social workers. A licensee must obtain at least one hour of supervision per 35 hours worked.

(2) Provide case management services which involve the application of clinical diagnostic, assessment or treatment knowledge or skills as an employee of an agency, health care facility or unrelated individual, under the clinical supervision of another social worker who is licensed or eligible for licensure as a Licensed Independent Clinical Social Worker (LICSW) and who provides at least one hour per week, or equivalent pro rata amount for part-time employees, of face-to-face individual clinical supervision. An individual who holds a license as a Licensed Certified Social Worker shall not provide clinical social work services as an independent practitioner;

(MA REG. # 1355, Dated 12-29-17)

258 CMR: BOARD OF REGISTRATION OF SOCIAL WORKERS

12.02: continued

(3) Provide non-clinical social work services, as defined in .03: Definitions, including case management services of a non-clinical nature, autonomously in any practice setting;

(4) Provide non-clinical supervision to individual social workers or groups of social workers;

(5) Provide consultation on clinical or non-clinical issues to individuals, groups, members of other professional disciplines, agencies, health care facilities, or institutions, as long as any consultation on clinical issues is provided under the clinical supervision of another social worker who is licensed or eligible for licensure as a Licensed Independent Clinical Social Worker (LICSW) and who provides at least one hour per week of face-to-face individual clinical supervision; and

(6) Perform or provide any other social work function or service which can properly be performed or provided by a social worker licensed at the Licensed Social Worker (LSW) or Licensed Social Work Associate (LSWA) level.

(7) A LCSW may not provide clinical supervision to any other mental health practitioner. Violation of this provision will subject the licensee to discipline for practicing beyond the scope of professional practice.

12.03: Scope of Professional Practice – Licensed Social Worker (LSW)

An individual who holds a license as a Licensed Social Worker (LSW) issued by the Board may properly perform any or all of the following functions or services:

(1) Provide non-clinical social work services, as defined in .03: Definitions, as an employee of an agency, health care facility or unrelated individual, under the supervision of an individual who is licensed or eligible for licensure as a Licensed Independent Clinical Social Worker (LICSW) or as a Licensed Certified Social Worker (LCSW) and who provides at least one hour per week, or equivalent pro rata amount for part-time employees, of face-to-face supervision, which, if provided in a group format, may include no more than four supervisees; Proration of Required Supervision Hours. The Board will allow for the proration of supervision hours to work hours at a rate of not less than one hour per month for social workers. A licensee must obtain at least one hour of supervision per 35 hours worked.

(2) Provide case management services of a non-clinical nature as an employee of an agency, health care facility or unrelated individual, under the supervision of an individual who is licensed or eligible for licensure as a Licensed Independent Clinical Social Worker (LICSW) or as a Licensed Certified Social Worker (LCSW) and who provides at least one hour per week of face-to-face supervision, which, if provided in a group format, may include no more than four supervisees;

(3) Provide administrative, but not clinical, supervision to individual social workers or groups of social workers who are licensed or eligible for licensure as Licensed Social Workers (LSWs) or Licensed Social Work Associates (LSWAs);

(4) Provide consultation on non-clinical issues only to individuals, groups, members of other professional disciplines, agencies, health care facilities or institutions; and

(5) Perform or provide any other social work function or service which may properly be performed by a social worker licensed at the Licensed Social Work Associate (LSWA) level.

258 CMR: BOARD OF REGISTRATION OF SOCIAL WORKERS

12.04: Scope of Professional Practice – Licensed Social Work Associate (LSWA)

An individual who holds a license as a Licensed Social Work Associate (LSWA) issued by the Board may properly perform any or all of the following social work functions or services, provided that all such functions or services are performed as an employee of an agency, health care facility or unrelated individual, under the supervision of a social worker who is licensed or eligible for licensure at the Licensed Independent Clinical Social Worker (LICSW), Licensed Certified Social Worker (LCSW) or Licensed Social Worker (LSW) level and who provides at least one hour per week of face-to-face supervision, which, if provided in a group format, may include no more than four supervisees may be prorated so that the supervision hours to work hours are at a rate of not less than one hour per month for social workers. A licensee must obtain at least one hour of supervision per 35 hours worked.

(1) Obtain information from agency clients and/or applicants for services to determine their service needs and/or the availability of appropriate resources;

(2) Assist individuals or groups in identifying and making use of resources and services which are available to resolve day-to-day problems (e.g., employment, housing, health care, child care, financial assistance problems, etc.); and

(3) Gather factual information and data for use in conducting social services research including, but not limited to, working with the community to identify unmet service needs.

REGULATORY AUTHORITY

258 CMR 12.00: M.G.L. c. 13, § 84.