7006 CONTINUING EDUCATION REQUIREMENTS

7006.1 To qualify for a license by examination, an applicant shall:

1. (a) Be a graduate of a social work program accredited by the Council of Social Work Education at the time the applicant graduated;
2. (b) Receive a passing score on the required level on the national examination or on another examination determined by the Board to be equivalent;
3. (c) Meet the training requirements for the level of licensure sought; if any, and
4. (d) Meet any other requirements as set forth by the Board.

7006.2 To apply for a license by examination, an applicant shall:

1. (a) Submit a completed application to the Board on the required forms and include:
2. (1) The applicant's social security number on the application. If the applicant does not have a social security number, the applicant shall submit with the application a sworn affidavit, under penalty of perjury, stating that he or she does not have a social security number; and
3. (2) An uploaded high-resolution digital color image of the applicant's face that complies with any requirements specified in the application form;
4. (b) Submit to the Board a certified transcript from an education institution which shall appear in the edition of the "List of Colleges and Universities with Accredited Social Work Degree Programs", published by the Council on Social Work Education applicable to the year in which the degree was conferred;
5. (c) Submit to the Board the applicant's certified or validated national examination results;
6. (d) Submit to the Board the name, address, telephone number, email, and license number of two (2) professional references and the name and email of one (1) personal reference;
7. (e) Submit any other required documents; and (f) Pay all required fees.

7006.3 An applicant for a license as an independent social worker or independent clinical social worker shall submit with the application the following:

(a) Proof satisfactory to the Board that:

(1) The applicant has completed the applicable supervised practice requirements of the Act under the supervision of a qualified supervisor as set forth under § 7013;

(2) At least one hundred (100) hours of the applicant's three thousand (3000) hours of supervised practice was completed under the immediate face-to-face supervision of a qualified supervisor as set forth under § 7013 of this chapter; and

(3) That the three thousand (3000) hours of supervised practice were completed not more than five (5) years prior to the application date;

(b) The name(s) of the applicant's supervisor(s);

(c) A statement detailing the nature and locations of the applicant's experience; and

(d) A signed statement from each supervisor during the required period of supervised practice on a form approved by the Board, which sets forth the following:

(1) The location at which and period of time during which the supervised practice took place;

(2) The hours of supervision of the applicant;

(3) The hours of immediate supervision of the applicant;

(4) The specific nature of and responsibilities included in the applicant's practice;

(5) A rating of the applicant's performance; and

(6) The qualifications of the supervisor to act as such pursuant to the Act and this chapter.

7006.4 The performance of an applicant subject to § 7006.3 during the required period of supervised practice shall at all times have been rated as satisfactory or better.

7006.5 An applicant for licensure in the District of Columbia who has obtained his or her required three thousand (3000) hours of post-master's or postdoctoral experience outside of the District of Columbia:

(a) Shall submit proof satisfactory to the Board that the hours were valid or legally recognized in the jurisdiction in which they were obtained; and

(b) Shall submit proof satisfactory to the Board that the applicant's supervisor met one of the following requirements:

(1) The supervisor was licensed in good standing in the United States as an independent social worker or independent clinical social worker, as applicable;

(2) The supervisor was licensed in good standing in the United States at a level equivalent to that of an District of Columbia independent social worker or independent clinical social worker, as applicable; or

(3) The supervisor was qualified for licensure, in good standing, as an independent social worker or independent clinical social worker in the District of Columbia, as applicable, regardless of whether or where the supervisor was licensed.

7006.6 If the applicant has obtained less than the required thousand (3000) hours of post-master's or postdoctoral experience, the applicant must obtain the remaining hours in or out of the District of Columbia before he or she will be granted licensure. If the applicant elects to complete the hours in the District of Columbia, the applicant must first obtain licensure under the Act at the next lower level, for which the applicant is qualified, in order to engage in supervised practice within the District.

7006.7 The Board shall recognize the hours validly or legally obtained outside of the District of Columbia and apply the hours toward the applicant's required total for licensure.

7006.8 An applicant for licensure by examination who has completed the required three thousand (3000) hours of supervised post-master's or postdoctoral experience more than five (5) years prior to the application date shall be required to obtain licensure under the Act at the next lower level, for which the applicant is qualified, and complete an additional three thousand (3000) hours of supervised post-master's or postdoctoral experience before qualifying for licensure at the licensed independent or licensed independent clinical level in the District of Columbia.

7006.9 An applicant for licensure as a graduate social worker shall inform the Board in writing either that:- (a) The applicant is applying for licensure pursuant to the national examination; or

- (b) The applicant seeks to be licensed without examination and intends to obtain fifteen hundred (1500) hours of supervised practice, in accordance with § 7012, before the first renewal of their graduate social worker license.7006.10 A person licensed as a licensed graduate social worker without examination shall obtain fifteen hundred (1500) hours of supervised practice before the first renewal of their graduate social worker license. If the licensee fails to obtain these hours before the first renewal, renewal of their license shall be denied. The fifteen hundred (1500) hours of supervised practice shall:- (a) Meet the requirements of the Act and be conducted under the supervision of a qualified supervisor as set forth under § 7013; and

- (b) Include at least one (1) hour of every thirty-two (32) hours of supervised practice completed under immediate face-to-face supervision of a qualified supervisor as set forth under §§ 7012 and 7013.7006.11 An applicant for the first renewal of a graduate social worker license issued without examination shall submit with the application the following:- (a) Proof satisfactory to the Board that the applicant has satisfied the requirements of § 7006.10;

- (b) The name(s) of the applicant's supervisor(s);

- (c) A statement detailing the nature and locations of the applicant's supervised practice; and

- (d) A signed statement from each supervisor during the required period of supervised practice on a form approved by the Board that sets forth the following:

(1) The location at which and period of time during which the supervised practice took place;

(2) The hours of supervision of the applicant;

(3) The hours of immediate supervision of the applicant;

(4) The specific nature of and responsibilities included in the applicant's practice;

(5) A rating of the applicant's performance; and

(6) The qualifications of the supervisor to act as a supervisor pursuant to the Act and this chapter.

7006.12 To be eligible for license renewal, the performance of an applicant subject to § 7006.10 during the required period of supervised practice shall at all times have been rated as satisfactory or better.

SOURCE: Final Rulemaking published at 35 DCR 1059, 1062 (February 19, 1988); as amended by Final Rulemaking published at 36 DCR 8281 (December 8, 1989); as amended by Final Rulemaking published at 52 DCR 10686 (December 9, 2005); as amended by Notice of Final Rulemaking published at 59 DCR 4209, 4210 (May 4, 2012); as amended by Notice of Final Rulemaking published at 73 DCR 003199 (March 6, 2026).