Faculty in the Department of Social Work of the WKU College of Health and Human Services (CHHS) recently received a grant of $160,000 from the Association of Social Work Boards (ASWB).

WKU CHHS faculty involved with the grant include:

Dr. Erin Warfel, LCSW
Dr. April Murphy, CSW
Dr. Whitney Harper, LCSW
Dr. Saundra Starks, LCSW, Professor Emeritus- external consultant

According to Dr. Warfel, “Faculty will conduct ground-breaking research to enhance equitable pathways to social work licensure. The mixed methods research will determine solutions to disparate social work licensure rates for people of color and older individuals.”

Occupational and professional regulation is an important facet of social work.  However, recent data released showing gross disparities in licensure pass rates for people of color and those who are older has led to vigorous debate regarding the best solution to address this problem.

The focus of this project is related to the social work licensing exams and is guided by the following three research questions: (1) What factors impact disparity in pass rates for social work licensure? (2) What is the impact of disparity in licensure pass rate on the social work profession? and (3) What are solutions to reduce disparity in pass rates for social work licensure? These questions will be addressed using mixed methods, including a national survey distributed to social work practitioners, educators, and students, and focus groups held with social work educators and practitioners.

The ASWB Request for Proposals states, “The Association of Social Work Boards (ASWB) is the nonprofit organization composed of the social work regulatory bodies of all 50 U.S. states, the District of Columbia, the U.S. Virgin Islands, Guam, the Northern Mariana Islands, and all ten Canadian provinces. ASWB’s mission is to provide support and services to the social work regulatory community to advance safe, competent, and ethical practices to strengthen public protection.”

For more information about the grant and research, contact Dr. Erin Warfel at erin.warfel@wku.edu