Mississippi Social Work CE Requirement Statutes

This information below has been obtained directly from the Mississippi Board of Examiners for Social Workers and Marriage and Family Therapists Website and is current as of January 2025. Please visit here for full information and details.

Part 1902 Chapter 4: Continuing Education and Licensure Renewal; Reinstatement Rule 4.1 CONTINUING EDUCATION 

A. Philosophy Continuing education means instruction and learning which fosters the enhancement of general or specialized social work practice, values, knowledge, and skills.

B. Definitions

1. Continuing Education: The continuing education offerings for each discipline (social workers and marriage and family therapists) are approved independently. Licensees should NOT assume that an approved offering for one discipline is also approved for the other discipline. The Board website maintains separate lists of approved continuing education offerings for social workers and marriage and family therapists. The Board shall credit continuing education for social workers as follows. Parts of programs which meet the criteria set forth in these rules and regulations (relating to Types of Continuing Education and Criteria for Approval of Continuing Education Activities) shall be credited on a one-for-one basis with one clock-hour credit for each one clock-hour spent in the continuing education activity, unless otherwise designated by the Board or the Board’s designee. Time devoted to registration, 33 organizational business, breakfasts, luncheons, dinners, or other refreshments shall not be counted as instructional or continuing education credit time. When there is a luncheon speaker, only the time of the speaker’s presentation may be calculated for continuing education credit. Forty (40) clock hours are required each renewal period.

2. DESIGNATED PROVIDERS (DPs): are organizations or institutions determined by the MS Board of Examiners SW Continuing Education Committee (SWCEC) to meet the standards for continuing education. These organizations hold standing by application, review and approval for a two (2) year period of time, during which they must consistently comply with all requirements. Complaints and random audits by Board members or their designees may result in removal from the status at any time and may prohibit renewal. Organizations who are approved for this status shall have their DP number and dates of approval on all documentation, and will be listed with this information for public review and continuing education resources on the Board website (www. swmft.ms.gov) and any publications therein. Only those organizations that have previously held three successful programs approved for social worker continuing education by the Board, SWCEC, or its designee may apply for DP status. Applications for DP status may be obtained from the Board’s office or through the Board’s website at www.swmft.ms.gov. The following organizations are automatically approved for social worker continuing education and do not need to complete DP application process for program approval: a. Any program approved by the national NASW office, or any NASW Chapter; b. American Association for Marriage & Family Therapy or any of its state chapters; c. Any state chapter of Council on Social Work Education approved schools of social work (In order for continuing education offerings to be approved by this type of 34 designated provider, the school of social work must be actively engaged in the planning and presentation of the offering); d. Association of Social Work Boards or any state licensing board affiliated with; e. International Association of Social Workers or any program approved by member countries; or f. International Federation of Schools of Social Work and member schools. SWCEC reserves the right to void approval of a specific program that has been previously granted approval by any of the above listed organizations or the current DP listing, should content and speaker be determined upon review to contain content that is not post-baccalaureate level or is in serious conflict with social work values and education. Organizations that are approved for Designated Provider status must be actively engaged in the planning, development and presentation of the continuing education programs they provide. Co-Sponsorship will not be accepted.

C. Continuing Education Requirements for Renewal

Forty (40) hours of approved continuing education is required for each renewal period. The applicant will submit a listing of that period’s earned hours with an attestation statement that the list is true and correct. (See Part 1902, Chapter 4, Rule 4.2, B)

1. LSWs will not submit continuing education at the first renewal.

2. LMSWs holding no previous license will not submit at the first renewal. LMSWs upgrading from LSW will submit at the first renewal period. 35

3. LCSWs will submit at first renewal as they are upgrading from LMSW status.

4. Unused hours: Continuing Education (CE) hours that were completed within the 3 years prior to the current expiration date of a license that have not been submitted for previous license renewal may be carried over from one renewal to the next. Provided however, ethics and cultural diversity hours may not be carried over. All unused CE hours must be maintained by the licensee and not by the Board.

5. Four (4) hours of approved professional ethics are required for each licensee for each renewal period.

6. Two (2) hours of cultural diversity/multicultural issues/cultural competency awareness are required.

7. Beginning 7/1/2020, one (1) hour of training in Mandated Reporting for all client populations will be required each renewal period.

8. Probationary Status: Part 1902, Chapter 2, Rule 2.6, B. 7. A minimum of twenty (20) approved CE hours each renewal period must be in-person learning. Approved CE offerings that are live and transmitted over the internet using interactive audiovisual platforms (example - Zoom, WebEx, etc.), are accepted as “in person” CE hours.

8. No more than twenty (20) approved CE hours each renewal period may be remote learning including self-directed learning, distance learning, or online courses. CE approved online courses that are prerecorded webinars, workshops, or conferences of live offerings that are CE approved but no longer interactive will be accepted as remote online courses.

D. Acceptable Formats for Continuing Education

36 Continuing education offerings must consist of subjects relevant to social work practice and not related to the specific administrative procedures of any single agency or organization. All offerings, except those from designated providers, must be preapproved PRIOR to the offering. For information about pre-approval, see Part 1902, Chapter 4. Acceptable ways of acquiring continuing education credits include the following:

1. Academic courses taken from a regionally accredited college or university or a school in candidacy for CSWE status, related to the licensee's social work practice, may be submitted for review and consideration for approval to the SWCEC. These course materials must be submitted prior to taking the course or immediately after enrollment. If approved, documentation of successful completion of the course must be submitted for final approval. One graduate academic semester hour successfully completed (a grade of “B” or better) shall be equivalent to five (5) continuing education hours.

2. Social Work academic courses taken from a CSWE accredited school of social work at a level beyond the licensee’s current academic status are acceptable for continuing education. These courses do not need to be submitted to the SWCEC for prior approval. One graduate academic semester hour successfully completed (a grade of “B” or better) shall be equivalent to five (5) continuing education hours.

3. Instructors teaching a class at a CSWE accredited school of social work may submit documentation to be calculated at ten (10) hours per hour of class credit. This approval will only be honored for classes taught the first time.

4. Continuing Education programs provided by organizations listed in Part 1902, Chapter 4, Rule 4.1, B (2) shall be considered an acceptable mode of acquiring continuing education hours.

5. Approved workshops, institutes, conferences, or other continuing education programs sponsored by official national, regional, state 37 social work or social welfare related organizations shall be considered an acceptable mode of acquiring continuing education hours. Note: Provider organizations are responsible for obtaining approval for credit PRIOR TO conducting the activity. (See Part 1902, Chapter 4, Rule 4.1, F)

6. Staff Development: Approved public or private agency staff development programs that contribute to the enhancement of social work practice, skills, or knowledge and are not primarily procedural or administrative, shall be considered an acceptable format for acquiring continuing education credits. (See information about prior approval, Part 1902, Chapter 4, Rule 4.1, F)

7. Individual Activities: Activities, including workshops and presentations, planned by an individual must be approved by SWCEC in advance. No more than twenty (20) approved continuing education hours of this type will be accepted in a given licensure renewal period. a. Publication of a Professional Social Work Paper: The initial publication shall be acceptable for twenty (20) continuing education hours. Presentation of a professional social work paper for the first time at an approved professional conference shall be acceptable for five (5) continuing education hours or twice the approved continuing education hours for the session, provided the written paper is submitted with the request. The published paper must be submitted to the SWCEC within six (6) months of publication accompanied by copy of the publication medium (journal, book, professional magazine) and a completed CE application form. b. Presenter: Participation as the sole presenter, leader, or teacher of an approved workshop or conference shall be acceptable for three times the approved continuing education hours for the session. 38 c. Panelist: Participation as a panel member for an approved workshop or conference shall be acceptable for two times the approved continuing education hours for the session. d. Facilitator: Facilitating, moderating, or presiding over an approved workshop or conference shall be acceptable for the approved continuing education hours for the session. e. Self-Directed Learning Projects and/or Distance Learning/Internet (Online) Learning Courses: Continuing education hours for distance learning/internet learning courses will only be granted for courses offered by Designated Providers, Board-exempt providers or by prior approval by the SWCEC on a per case basis. The SWCEC will grant continuing education hours only after completion of the course and proof of successful completion of post-test, course examination, and/or evaluation from the online course provider. Self-directed learning projects are projects intended to increase knowledge and shall be documented by means of a paper, annotated bibliography, etc. Projects intended to increase skill development shall be documented by means of audio or audiovisual tapes. Self-directed learning projects may be granted provided the project is completed and approved PRIOR TO the current license expiration date. Projects not completed and approved by the license expiration date can be considered for the licensee's next renewal period. Self-directed learning project proposals should be submitted nine (9) months prior to the expiration date of licensure to allow sufficient time for review, project completion and approval. Reading a book, preparing a paper in a graduate course, case, or consultation shall not meet the requirements for this activity. No more than twenty (20) continuing education hours may be accrued per renewal period as a result of self-directed learning projects. 8. Instructors of Field Education who have student interns may receivefive (5) hours of Continuing Education per student with a 39 maximum of four students per renewal period for field instructors (maximum of twenty (20) CE hours per renewal period). Field instructors must receive CE verification certificates from CSWE School of Social Work, whether inside or outside the State of Mississippi. Board Approved LCSW Supervisors may receive up to five (5) hours of Continuing Education for twelve (12) months of supervision per supervisee per renewal period for serving in that capacity (maximum of twenty (20) CE hours per renewal period). The SWDSC will send this verification to the supervisor upon request using the BALCSWS CE Form. LMSWs in supervision for LCSW status may receive up to five (5) hours of continuing education for twelve (12) months of supervision each renewal period for participation in the supervision process. The SWDSC will send this verification to the supervisee upon request using the BALCSWS CE Form.