Ask NASW-IL: Who’s a Qualified CEU Provider, What’s Needed of Remote Programs, and More About Specialty CEU Requirements
- NASW-IL Staff
- Sep 16
- 6 min read
Updated: Sep 24
NASW-Illinois Chapter membership makes resources like this "Ask NASW-IL" article possible—giving social workers clarity on the rules that protect their licenses and their practice. By joining the largest community of social workers in the state, you ensure tools, guidance, and advocacy are always within reach. Strengthen your profession and your future and join/renew your NASW membership today.
QUALIFIED IL CEU PROVIDERS
How can I tell who’s a qualified CEU provider in Illinois?
In order for a course to be qualified to provide CEUs in Illinois, they must be licensed by Illinois Department of Financial & Professional Regulation (IDFPR) as an approved provider of continuing education in Illinois. The NASW-Illinois Chapter, the national NASW, and all of our NASW Chapter affiliates are IDFPR–approved CEU providers in Illinois. All recorded courses in the NASW Social Work Online CE Institute will also be accepted in Illinois with completion of our 2023-25 SW Online CE Institute Exam for IL License form.
Click here for a full list of NASW-IL trainings coming up this fall
Click here for a list of all NASW-IL trainings in the Social Work Online CE Institute
Beyond this list, check with IDFPR if another organization is an approved CEU provider in Illinois. Please note that the NASW-Illinos Chapter/NASW is not the licensing board and therefore does not review and approve other providers for the state of Illinois. To find out if another provider is an approved CEU provider for the state of Illinois, check with IDFPR.
What about this other course I took outside of Illinois? Will it qualify for CEUs in Illinois?
IDFPR does not recognize provider numbers from other states unless it is specifically stated in the Social Work Rules (e.g., The NASW-Illinois Chapter, all of our NASW Chapter affiliates, and the NASW Social Work Online CE Institute are all approved providers in Illinois). If you have a CEU certificate issued by a provider in another state, it may not be applicable to your CEU requirement in Illinois. Ultimately, you will need to check with IDFPR to find out if another provider is an approved CEU provider for the state of Illinois.
REMOTE PROGRAMS
Do I need in-person CEUs for this licensure cycle?
The Illinois Department of Financial & Professional Regulation (IDFPR) removed the in-person continuing education requirement back in July 2023. With its removal, the state now requires that any CEU obtained via remote program needs to include an examination for those hours to be accepted as CEUs. This means you can obtain as many of the 30 CEUs required for licensure renewal as you want through remote program.
What is a remote program?
Examples of remote programs include online (live virtual) courses, book-study, or self-study—basically any course where the event and presenter are not present in the room with you.
What remote programs are eligible for CEUs in Illinois?
NASW-IL and Nevada trainings. Rest assured that all NASW-Illinois and NASW-Nevada live virtual trainings include an examination and are therefore eligible for CEUs in Illinois.
Click here for a full list of NASW-IL and NV trainings coming up this fall
NASW Social Work Online CE Institute trainings. Purchased a recorded training from the NASW Social Work Online CE Institute? If the training didn’t provide an exam, you can still have your certificate accepted for CEUs in Illinois by completing our own post-event Social Work Online CE Institute Exam for IL License. Please note this form will validate courses taken from the Social Work Online CE Institute for those who hold Illinois licenses (LSW or LCSW) only.
TIP! Keep a copy of your exam responses with your CEU certificates to prove that you completed an exam for any remote training.
Click here to validate a Social Work Online CE Institute course for IL licensure
Click here for a list of all NASW-IL trainings in the Social Work Online CE Institute
To find out if another CE provider is approved by IDFPR to provide CEUs, contact IDFPR.
If I take a remote program but it doesn’t have a exam, then it won’t count for CEUs?
No matter from whom you take a remote program, unless the program made you take an exam, those CEUs won’t count toward Illinois license renewal. If a program doesn’t offer an exam, contact the provider of the course and request they create an exam so your hours will count.
How do I know if a remote program has an exam?
Ask the event host! Not every provider is aware of the law, and they may be willing to create an exam for you.
All NASW-IL and NV remote programs include a post-event exam, and any course from the NASW Social Work Online CE Institute will also be accepted with completion of our post-event Social Work Online CE Institute Exam for IL License.
SPECIALTY CEU REQUIREMENTS
How do I know if a course fulfills specialty CEU requirements in Illinois?
You can trust that any NASW-IL or NV training will clearly list whether that training fulfills any IL state requirements in the training description as well as on the CEU certificate.
Click here for a full list of NASW-IL and NV trainings that fulfill specialty CEU requirements
Click here for a list of all NASW-IL trainings in the Social Work Online CE Institute that may fulfill specialty CEU requirements
To find out if a course not provided by the NASW-IL or NV fulfills specialty CEU requirements, you will first need to check that the provider is an approved CEU provider with IDFPR. After that, you will need to review the content of that course and compare against Illinois/IDFPR requirements for those specialty CEUs.
Click here to see our CEU Requirements page and read more about what’s required by the state for a course to fulfill specialty CEU requirements in Illinois.
Can a CEU course fulfill 2 CEU specialties at once?
No—if you take a course that fulfills one specialty requirement, you will have to take another course to fulfill the other specialty requirements.
For example, if you take a course that fulfills the IDFPR requirement for a mandated reporter training with implicit bias section, you cannot use it to also fulfill implicit bias awareness requirements—you will still need to take an additional training that covers a minimum of one hour on implicit bias awareness. The same can be said of a course that may appear to cover ethics and cultural competency topics at the same time—CEUs from such a course can only be used to fulfill either an ethics requirement OR the cultural competency requirement, not both.
I don't work with older adults—do I still need to fulfill the Alzheimer's training requirement?
This educational requirement applies only to health care professionals who provide health care services to, and have direct patient interactions with, adult populations age 26 or older in the practice of their profession. It doesn’t matter whether or not you see clients who are actively showing signs of Alzheimer's disease or dementia—the requirement states that if you work with clients who are age 26 or older, you must fulfill the Alzheimer's disease and other dementias training requirement.
I don’t supervise anyone—do I still need to fulfill the clinical supervision requirement?
No matter if you supervise anyone, all LCSWs who were licensed before December 1, 2025, are required to obtain 6 hours on clinical supervision training by November 30, 2027. This is a one-time requirement meaning once you have fulfilled the hours, you no longer need to repeat the requirement.
If you obtain your LCSW after November 30, 2025, you will need to acquire 6 hours of clinical supervision training by the time of your second renewal. Since this is a one-time requirement, you will need no additional hours after fulfilling this requirement.
Click here for a list of our upcoming Supervision Series courses
Why do I need to take fulfill all of these requirements anyways? Am I being punished?
These changes that the state made to licensure requirements aren’t about imposing burdens. They’re about protecting your license, enhancing professional standards, and ensuring fairness across the board. We know change can feel frustrating—but you don’t have to navigate it alone.
As a member of the NASW-Illinois Chapter, you have:
Direct access to our staff for questions about compliance
Real-time updates when the state suddenly announces new changes to licensure requirements, and
Steep discounts on our continuing education both live and recorded
Your work changes lives, and your license protects your ability to do it. By joining NASW, you gain the guidance, resources, and support to stay compliant with state laws. Begin moving forward with confidence so you can get back to focusing on what matters most—serving your clients.
Have More Questions? For questions about your specific license or application, you’ll need to contact IDFPR, the state board responsible for approving licenses in Illinois.
For everything else, the NASW-Illinois Chapter website is here for you. From supervision requirements to the licensing process, testing procedures, and more—you’ll find resources to guide you every step of the way. Visit our [Licensure page] to learn more.
Your membership makes this work possible. Membership dollars give us the staff and time to track, review, and explain the rules that shape your practice. Stay informed and supported—join or renew your NASW membership today.