21 NCAC 63 .0401. CONTINUING EDUCATION REQUIREMENTS

(a)  Continuing education for certification or licensure renewal is required to maintain professional knowledge and technical competency.  Renewal of certification or licensure requires 40 contact hours of continuing education credits approved by the Board within each two year renewal cycle.  However, if a certification or licensure is for less than a full two-year period, then 30 contact hours of continuing education credits are required.  One unit of credit is equal to one contact hour.  One academic course hour of credit is equal to 15 contact hours.  Credit for auditing an academic course shall be for actual clock hours attended during which instruction was given with one clock hour equal to one contact hour of credit.

(b)  During each renewal period all certified and licensed social workers shall engage in a minimum of four contact hours of continuing education focused on ethics related to social work practice and ethical decision-making.

(c)  The following activities may be approved for continuing education:

(1)           academic social work courses taken for credit or audit;

(2)           agency-based staff development, seminars, institutes, workshops, mini courses or conferences oriented to social work practice, values, skills and knowledge;

(3)           cross-disciplinary offerings from medicine, law and the behavioral/social sciences or other disciplines, if such offerings are related to social work practice, values, skills and knowledge;

(4)           distance learning activities including online courses and home study courses which have been pre-approved by the Association of Social Work Boards (ASWB) or the North Carolina Chapter of the National Association of Social Workers (NASW-NC).  The maximum continuing education credit granted for distance learning activities is one half of the required hours, up to a maximum of 20 contact hours per renewal period; 

(5)           study groups focusing on social work practice if the following can be documented:

(A)          study topic;

(B)          study material;

(C)          facilitator; and

(D)          date and hours of attendance.

(d)  Credit shall not be granted for:

(1)           identical programs completed within the same renewal period;

(2)           job orientation;

(3)           on the job training; or

(4)           supervision and case consultation.

 

 History Note:       Authority G.S. 90B-6; 90B-9;

Eff. August 1, 1987;

Amended Eff. September 1, 1993;

Temporary Amendment Eff. October 1, 1999;

Amended Eff. January 1, 2009; September 1, 2005; April 1, 2001.