Becoming Woke by the ASWB Pass Rates: A Closer Look at Racial Inequities in Social Work.

There has been widespread outrage within the social work profession regarding racial disparities in pass rates of licensing exams developed and administered by the Association of Social Work Boards (ASWB). The most supported remedy has been to eliminate testing for some categories of licensure with Connecticut, Illinois, and Rhode Island leading the way. Standardized testing has historically been a gatekeeping practice criticized for its exclusionary nature with no empirical evidence linking it to more competent mental health and other social work practice. Thus, the profession is correct in questioning an exam's relevance in social work regulation. However, the licensure test has become a lightning rod issue preventing more substantive analyses, debate, and antiracist reforms within the profession's policy, practice, and education arenas. This article uses the disparity in ASWB pass rates as the impetus for a more critical look at systemic issues in social work adversely impacting Black individuals entering the profession. The authors acknowledge that an anti-racist agenda in social work requires tackling long-standing problems that will not be as easily solved as eliminating multiple choice testing.

Social Work Licensure Portability: A Necessity in a Post-COVID-19 World.

COVID-19 highlights the need for portability of social work licensure to be a priority. The Association of Social Work Boards (ASWB) spearheaded some initiatives, such as the creation and promotion of the Social Work Registry and Model Social Work Practice Act, with the hope that these efforts would enhance the ability of social workers to be licensed in multiple states. Neither has solved the portability problem. Licensure endorsement, an approach historically supported by ASWB, does not have the advantages of mutual recognition that is being supported by other professions to facilitate interstate practice. This article, the first written on licensure portability in the social work scholarly literature, examines existing licensure portability models and supports the establishment of a social work interstate compact to overcome barriers to social work mobility and access to client care.

Using Mixed Methods to Assess the Coping and Self-regulation Skills of Undergraduate Social Work Students Impacted by COVID-19.

Developing coping and self-care strategies has always been important for social work students as they prepare for work that can take a psychological, emotional, mental, and physical toll and adversely impact their health and well-being. The COVID-19 pandemic is unprecedented in its impact on social work education as it forced students to quickly transition to online learning and leave field sites abruptly to do remote activities. The degree to which and how social work students effectively coped with these changes has not been adequately studied, despite recognition that understanding how personal experiences and affective reactions influence professional judgment and behavior is a critical social work competency. To help fill this void, a mixed-methods study was conducted using video narratives and survey data to assess the coping and self-regulation skills of a cohort of undergraduate social work students. Findings indicate that these students experienced multiple stressors in all aspects of their biopsychosocial functioning due to COVID-19. Many coping skills learned for use with clients were demonstrated by students themselves. Self-sufficient, avoidant, and socially-supported coping mechanisms were frequently used and relied on by students. Use of self-distraction and active coping increased, while denial decreased within the first month after transitioning to remote learning. Implications of the findings for social work education, practice, and research are discussed.

Longitudinal changes in adaptive behaviors of movers and stayers: findings from a controlled research design.

Reviews of research on deinstitutionalization show that investigators have focused primarily on adaptive behavior changes of "movers," while paying minimal attention to "stayers." Analysis of their research also revealed some methodological problems. We assessed 150 movers and 150 stayers in 1994, before deinstitutionalization began in 1997. We matched samples on seven distinctive variables, which were again assessed at similar intervals of 3, 15, and 27 months after movement. Movers made significant gains in independence and household skills, while stayers incurred losses in social skills and cognitive competencies. Teaching domestic skills and high autonomy were the best predictors of final self-care and multicognitive competencies, after controlling for initial baseline scores.

Deinstitutionalization and mortality: findings of a controlled research design in New Jersey.

In previous studies of the mortality of deinstitutionalized persons with disabilities in California and Pennsylvania, investigators failed to employ a prospective controlled research design. We identified a sample of 150 "movers" scheduled for placement from an institution and a matched sample of 150 institutional "stayers." The matching and other risk variables were measured in 1994. Visits to all residences occurred between 1997 and mid-2000 at specified intervals after movers left the institution. Logistic regression analyses identified the 1994 preclosure risk variables of age, low self-care, medical conditions, and epilepsy/seizure disorders as the best ones for explaining all deaths. Adding mover/stayer status and community/institutional placement to the analyses did not enhance the model. Nursing home placements emerged as a postclosure risk variable.