Abstract
Social work regulatory rules and practices should balance the social values of promoting consumer safety and workforce equity. As the two values often compete, the balancing act should be guided by empirical evidence about the effects of regulations on consumers and the workforce. Unfortunately, however, empirical studies investigating the relationships between various regulatory rules and practices and consumer safety and workforce equity are rare in the existing literature. This paper identifies critical gaps in the current knowledge base and proposes a series of future research agendas that call for empirical evidence, including detailed data on jurisdictional regulatory rules and practices, the measures of consumer safety, and licensed social workers’ demographic, employment, and practice characteristics. The paper concludes by calling out to all social work stakeholders about the need for empirical evidence on the effects of social work regulatory rules and practices.
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This research was funded by the Association of Social Work Boards (ASWB). However, the opinions expressed in this manuscript are those of the author and may not reflect the ASWB’s official position.
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Kim, J.J. The Art and Science of Social Work Regulations: How Values and Data Should Guide Regulatory Practices. Clin Soc Work J (2023). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10615-023-00910-1
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10615-023-00910-1