All credit goes to Ashley Merriman (NYU ‘18) for putting together this guide. We thank her for her generous contributions to the Silver community!

General Tips

• Join Facebook to get in some social worker groups. Ashley has found these to be super helpful. If you decide to join, add her: https://www.facebook.com/ammerriman/. She'll add you to the groups that she’s in.

• ASW application

• It can take awhile for the BBS to process applications. It is recommended to follow the BBS on Facebook. They post updates about application processing times, law changes, and occasionally have a FB live FAQ session. Right now, it seems that they are 2-3 months behind. So, she recommends you apply as soon as possible.

Step-by-Step Guide

• 1st step: Take Law & Ethics course required before you submit your registration application (it is advised that you do not register until you are about to be employed): 

  • The course Ashley took, which was about $90: California Law and Ethics Coursework for Out of State Applicants (12 Hours)
    
    

• 2nd step: Get fingerprinted

  • Apparently, you can get fingerprinted while you are still in New York. You have to get something called a "hard card." Ashley didn't go through this process, so she is not familiar but, there are instructions on pg. 15 of the ASW application.

  • In California: https://oag.ca.gov/fingerprints/locations

    • Ashley completed pg. 21 of the ASW application before she went to the appointment and brought it with her.
      
      

• 3rd step: Submit application via mail, along with your transcripts (can be sent electronically to the email located on pg. 4), certificate of completion of the Law & Ethics course (above), and a check/ money order

  • She recommends getting a tracking number and postal insurance, just in case

  • You should register for BreEZe, where you can manage some of the process going forward.

After the 3rd step is when you become an ASW.

• 4th step: Get a job and find a supervisor

  • Once you get a supervisor, you and your supervisor complete the Supervision Agreement before you start accruing hours.

  • If your supervisor is not employed by your employer, they have to complete a separate oversight agreement on your employer's letterhead. This is hers for reference along with the sample from the BBS website.
    
    

• 5th step: Start accruing hours

  • Each week/ month, you need to have your supervisor sign off on your hours. This is the required form.

  • She recommends using trackyourhours.com. It will keep track of your hours and generate the weekly log and most other forms that you have to get signed. You can pay monthly or do a one time fee (which is cheaper, since you will use this for 2 or more years while accruing hours).

• 6th step: Renew your registration at the end of your first year by taking the Law & Ethics exam (within 1 year of your registration date). Note: Within your first year of becoming an ASW, you must take the Law & Ethics exam (but don’t have to pass).

  • Register for the exam here: https://bbs.ca.gov/exams/initial_lawethics_app.html or via BreEZe

  • You don't have to pass it, you just have to take it. So, if you fail you can retake it and still have an active registration. You just have to pass by the time you complete your hours.

  • She recommends this book to study by Ben Caldwell. He updates it yearly, so make sure you get the most updated one, as the laws sometimes change year to year. There is an online course you can take through the Therapist Development Center, but she doesn't have experience with it.
    
    

• 7th step: Complete required coursework

  • Required coursework is outlined on pg. 4 of the LCSW application.

  • You can have the school certify that you met the requirement for these courses in the process of obtaining your degree. 

  • So far, she has taken these courses on my own, even though many of them were covered at Silver. She takes a lot of CE courses to bolster her hours and for her own professional development, so it seems a bit easier for her to do it this way. Here are some places she uses:

    • PESI, TDC, NASW
      
      

• 8th step: Apply for licensure

  • Once you have completed your 3,000 hours and all required coursework, you submit your application for licensure.

  • Along with verification of your hours and your coursework, you also have to submit W-2's for all jobs you have had while accruing your hours. (You cannot be a 1099 contractor.)
    
    

• 9th step: Take the exam

  • Once the BBS approves your application, you can register for the ASWB exam. Once you pass that, you can request a license to be issued. (I believe this can be done via BreEZe).