Substitute House Bill No. 7198
Public Act No. 19-164
AN ACT CONCERNING SO CIAL WORKERS.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives in General
Assembly convened:
Section 1. Section 20-195q of the general statutes is repealed and the
following is substituted in lieu thereof (Effective October 1, 2019):
(a) No person shall (1) use the title "licensed master social worker"
or any initials associated with such title, or (2) advertise services under
the description of a licensed master social worker, as defined in section
20-195m, unless such person is licensed as a master social worker
pursuant to this chapter.
(b) No person shall (1) use the title "licensed clinical social worker"
or any initials associated with such title, or (2) advertise services under
the description of a licensed clinical social worker, as defined in section
20-195m, unless such person is licensed as a clinical social worker
pursuant to this chapter.
(c) No person shall (1) use the title "social worker" or any initials
associated with such title, or (2) advertise services under the
description of "social worker", unless such person has earned a
baccalaureate or master's degree in social work from a social work
program accredited by the Council on Social Work Education, a Substitute House Bill No. 7198
Public Act No. 19-164 2 of 3
doctoral degree in social work or, if educated outside of the United
States or its territories, has completed an educational program deemed
equivalent by said council.
[(c)] (d) Nothing in this chapter shall prohibit: (1) A student enrolled
in a doctoral or master's degree program accredited by the Council on
Social Work Education from performing such work as is incidental to
his course of study, provided such person is designated by a title
which clearly indicates his status as a student; (2) a person licensed or
certified in this state in a field other than clinical social work from
practicing within the scope of such license or certification; (3) a person
enrolled in an educational program or fulfilling other state
requirements leading to licensure or certification in a field other than
social work from engaging in work in such other field; (4) a person
who is employed or retained as a social work designee, social worker,
or social work consultant by a nursing home or rest home licensed
under section 19a-490 and who meets the qualifications prescribed by
the department in its regulations from performing the duties required
of them in accordance with state and federal laws governing those
duties; [(5) for the period from October 1, 2010, to October 1, 2013,
inclusive, a master social worker from engaging in independent
practice; (6)] (5) a social worker from practicing community
organization, policy and planning, research or administration that
does not include engaging in clinical social work or supervising a
social worker engaged in clinical treatment with clients; [(7)] (6)
individuals with a baccalaureate degree in social work from a Council
on Social Work Education accredited program from performing
nonclinical social work functions; [and (8)] (7) a person who holds a
professional educator certificate issued by the State Board of Education
pursuant to section 10-145b, with a school social worker endorsement,
from using the title of school social worker to describe such person's
activities while working in a public or nonpublic school in the state; (8)
any person employed by a municipality prior to July 1, 2019, under the Substitute House Bill No. 7198
Public Act No. 19-164 3 of 3
title social worker from using such title to describe or perform duties
in the course of such employment with the municipality; and (9) a state
employee with the title social worker from using such title to describe
or perform duties in the course of such employment with the state. On
and after October 1, 2019, the state shall specify on any job posting for
a title in the social work series of classified service, in which a license
pursuant to this chapter is not required, that a preferred qualification
for employment in such title is completion of a baccalaureate or
master's degree in social work from a social work program accredited
by the Council on Social Work Education or a doctoral degree in social
work.
Sec. 2. Subsection (a) of section 20-195s of the general statutes is
repealed and the following is substituted in lieu thereof (Effective
October 1, 2019):
(a) An individual licensed as a master social worker pursuant to
section 20-195n may: (1) Practice clinical social work under
professional supervision; and (2) offer a mental health diagnosis
provided such diagnosis is offered in consultation with a physician
licensed pursuant to chapter 370, an advanced practice registered
nurse licensed pursuant to chapter 378, a psychologist licensed
pursuant to chapter 383, a marital and family therapist licensed
pursuant to chapter 383a, a professional counselor licensed pursuant to
chapter 383c or a clinical social worker licensed pursuant to this
chapter. [Except as provided in subsection (c) of section 20-195q, a] A
licensed master social worker may not engage in independent practice.