Recasting Licensing in Social Work: Something More for Professionalism

Abraham Flexner contended that "something more than a degree or claim" is needed to make a profession. He further asserted that the definitions of a profession require recasting over time. This article critically considers recasting licensing as something more for social work. Analysis of...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Journal of social work education 2016-07, Vol.52 (sup1), p.S126-S133
Main Authors: Grise-Owens, Erlene, Owens, Larry W., Miller, Justin Jay
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Advocacy
Competence
Discourse
Discourse analysis
Licenses
Licensing
Professional training
Professionalism
Professionalization
Scrutiny
Social work
Social work education
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Summary:Abraham Flexner contended that "something more than a degree or claim" is needed to make a profession. He further asserted that the definitions of a profession require recasting over time. This article critically considers recasting licensing as something more for social work. Analysis of past and present discourse on licensing in social work revealed three overarching themes: (a) advocacy and rationale for licensing, (b) scrutiny and critique of licensing, and (c) the disconnect and dissonance between professional licensing and social work education. Moving forward, we suggest recasting social work's professional paradigm in the common framework of competency, with licensing part of the continuum of professionalization. This recasting can promote critical congruence between social work education and ongoing professional competency.
ISSN:1043-7797
2163-5811
DOI:10.1080/10437797.2016.1174641