Update: The state officially removed the in-person requirement July 2023. To learn more goto: https://www.naswil.org/post/idfpr-officially-removes-in-person-ce-requirement
One of the most common questions we've been getting these days is whether the IDFPR in-person CEU requirement is still in effect. As of today, the Illinois Department of Financial & Professional Regulation (IDFPR) still requires in-person CEUs for 2023 licensure renewal. As with the previous 2019–2021 licensure cycle, the department did not write emergency rules to waive the in-person CEU requirements until nearly a year into the pandemic. It is likely the department will not consider changing their requirements until 2023 to see what the state of the pandemic is in the next year (2023).
UPDATE: In December 2022, it was brought to our attention that the department had expressed interest in removing the in-person requirement entirely. While this may be the case, please note that the requirement has not yet been lifted. The NASW-Illinois Chapter has been in talks with the department and will continue to advocate for a waiver of in-person events for this licensure cycle as well as changes that allow for live virtual trainings to count as in-person education. However, in the meanwhile, we are continuing to strongly recommend for social workers to first work on acquiring the 15 virtual CEUs allowed for renewal under existing rules—this way, you are not behind if IDFPR does not write emergency rules or waive the requirement. In the event the department waives the in-person requirement, please note that any in-person education will still qualify as continuing education (CEUs) for licensure renewal.
In the event of any development on this issue, please check back on this page or the NASW-Illinois Chapter News page for updates: https://www.naswil.org/blog
The chapter will continue to support changes to our rules to make acquiring education fair and effective for social workers.
To get more info on licensure steps, supervision, renewal, and CE requirements, go to: https://www.naswil.org/licensure.
Membership dollars help provide us the time and staff to research, review, and communicate changes that come down from IDFPR as it happens. It also provides one-on-one consultation for members with licensure questions who are unable to get clarification from IDFPR. Stay on top of licensure changes by JOINING or RENEWING your NASW membership today! https://www.socialworkers.org/Membership