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Agency 102

Behavioral Sciences Regulatory Board

Article 2.—Licensing of Social Workers

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102-2-2a. Application for licensure. (a) Each applicant for licensure as a social worker shall request license application forms from the director of the board and shall indicate the level of license desired.
(b) Each applicant for a baccalaureate social work license or a master social work license shall submit the completed application materials to the board and complete the following application procedures:
(1) Submit the full payment of the license application fee as provided in K.A.R. 102-2-3;
(2) submit, on board-approved forms, two professional references. Each individual submitting a reference shall meet all of the following conditions:
(A) Is not related to the applicant;
(B) is licensed, or academically eligible for licensure, as a social worker at or above the applicant's intended level of licensure. Under extenuating circumstances, references from individuals other than social workers may be accepted by the board; and
(C) can address the applicant's professional conduct, competence, and merit of the public trust;
(3) submit, on a board-approved form, a third professional reference from an individual who meets all of the following conditions:
(A) Is not related to the applicant; and
(B) except as provided in paragraphs (b)(3)(B)(i) and (b)(3)(B)(ii), has served as the applicant's social work field education program supervisor.
(i) If the field education program supervisor is unavailable, the director of the field education program or any person who has knowledge of the applicant's field education program experience based on the applicant's field education program records shall submit the reference.
(ii) If the applicant's field education program supervisor is not licensed or academically eligible for licensure at or above the applicant's intended level of licensure, the applicant shall submit a reference from the faculty field liaison for the applicant's social work field education program in addition to the reference from the social work field education program supervisor;
(4) arrange for the applicant's academic social work transcript or other official proof that the applicant has received the required degree and completed a qualified social work program in accordance with K.A.R. 102-2-6 to be provided directly to the board by the academic institution. Each applicant who graduated from a college or university outside the United States also shall arrange for the applicant's transcript to be translated and evaluated for degree equivalency by a source and in a manner that are acceptable to the board; and
(5) demonstrate satisfactory completion of educational requirements as specified in K.A.R. 102-2-6.
(c) Each applicant for a specialist clinical social work license shall submit the completed application materials to the board and complete the following application procedures:
(1) Submit the full payment of the license application fee as provided in K.A.R. 102-2-3;
(2) submit, on board-approved forms, two professional references. Each individual submitting a reference shall meet all of the following conditions:
(A) Is not related to the applicant;
(B) is licensed, or academically eligible for licensure, as a licensed specialist clinical social worker. Under extenuating circumstances, references from individuals other than social workers may be accepted by the board; and
(C) can address the applicant's professional conduct, competence, and merit of the public trust;
(3) submit, on a board-approved form, a third professional reference from an individual who meets all of the following conditions:
(A) Is not related to the applicant; and
(B) served in one of the following roles:
(i) served as the applicant's employment supervisor at the worksite for the applicant's supervised postgraduate work experience; or
(ii) served as the applicant's employment supervisor during the applicant's most recent employment in a position requiring social work licensure;
(4) submit the supervisory attestation form and other supportive documentation on board-approved forms as required by K.A.R. 102-2-12;
(5) if not previously provided, arrange for the applicant's academic social work transcript or other official proof that the applicant has received the required degree and competed a qualified social work program to be provided directly to the board by the academic institution. Each applicant who graduated from a college or university outside the United States also shall arrange for the applicant's transcript to be translated and evaluated for degree equivalency by a source and in a manner that are acceptable to the board; and
(6) demonstrate satisfactory completion of graduate educational requirements as specified in K.A.R. 102-2-6 and K.A.R. 102-2-12.
(d) The examination required for licensure as a social worker may be waived only as provided in K.A.R. 102-2-9.
(e) Any applicant who is determined by the board to meet the requirements of K.S.A. 65-6309, and amendments thereto, may be granted a temporary license if the applicant submits a written request for a temporary license on a form approved by the board and the temporary license fee as provided in K.A.R. 102-2-2. Except as provided in subsection (f), the temporary license shall remain in effect for six months.
(f) Any applicant whose six-month temporary license is due to expire may request that the temporary license remain in effect for a period of time not to exceed an additional six months on the basis of extenuating circumstances. The applicant shall submit a written request to the board with a detailed explanation of the extenuating circumstances that are the basis of the applicant's request. The written request shall be submitted no later than 30 days before the temporary license expires. If the request is approved by the board, the temporary license shall remain in effect for the period of time stipulated by the board in its approval, which shall not exceed six months.
(g)(1) If either of the following conditions applies to an applicant, the applicant's application shall expire one year from the date on which it was submitted to the board or on the date on which the applicant's temporary license expires, whichever date is later, except as provided by paragraph (g)(2):
(A) The applicant has not met the qualifications.
(B) The applicant has not submitted a complete application.
(2) Any applicant whose application will expire under paragraph (g)(1) may request that the application be kept open for a period of time not to exceed an additional six months on the basis of extenuating circumstances. The applicant shall submit a written request to the board with a detailed explanation of the extenuating circumstances that are the basis of the applicant's request. The written request shall be submitted no later than 30 days before the application expires. If the request is approved by the board, the application shall remain open for the period of time stipulated by the board in its approval, which shall not exceed six months.
(3) Upon expiration of an application, the applicant may submit a new application, fee, and all supporting documents.
(h) An applicant or prospective applicant shall not be given a judgment on the applicant's eligibility for licensure until the board receives all application materials and the applicant completes all application procedures.
(i) For purposes of this regulation, the term "extenuating circumstances" means any condition caused by events beyond a person's control that is sufficiently extreme in nature to result in either of the following:
(1) The person's inability to comply with the requirements of this regulation within the timeframes established by this regulation or K.S.A. 65-6309, and amendments thereto; or
(2) the inadvisability of requiring the applicant to comply with the requirements of this regulation within the timeframes established by this regulation and K.S.A. 65-6309, and amendments thereto. (Authorized by K.S.A. 2005 Supp. 74-7507 and K.S.A. 65-6314; implementing K.S.A. 65-6306, K.S.A. 2005 Supp. 65-6309, as amended by 2006 SB 470, §2, and K.S.A. 65-6314; effective, T-85-36, Dec. 19, 1984; effective May 1, 1985; amended May 1, 1986; amended May 1, 1987; amended Feb. 25, 1991; amended Oct. 24, 1997; amended Aug. 4, 2000; amended, T-102-7-5-06, July 5, 2006; amended Oct. 27, 2006.)
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