Samantha Allen, MSW, LCSW, Calumet District Chair
Greetings Calumet District,
Greetings Calumet District,
Happy New Year! Welcome to 2024! I hope this message finds you well and in good spirits. Hopefully, you all have enjoyed a wonderful holiday season and are gearing up for a joyous new year! As your district chair, I would like to acknowledge the hard work and commitment that you have demonstrated. Let us also acknowledge all that you have conquered and accomplished in 2023. Your hard work, dedication, resilience, and success is celebrated. In order to ensure that we continue to work towards our professional and personal development, I am currently working on planning our next CEU event, which will be held during Social Work Month. Should you have any suggestions for continuing education or networking events, please feel free to contact me at calumet.naswil@socialworkers.org Please see below chapter news that provides information regarding current important topics; detailing topics of the social work impact policy, student loan repayments, alternatives to the ASWB exam. Please be informed on these topics, educate yourself on the pros and cons and advocate. Should you have questions, don’t hesitate to reach out to myself or chapter board members.
Now embarking upon this new year, may you be blessed with good health, wealth and happiness.
Gratitude to all of you for the hard work that you contribute to the field of social work! Be sure to be good to yourself!
Warm Regards,
Samantha Allen, MSW, LCSW
NASW-IL Calumet District Chair
CHAPTER NEWS
IDFPR Licensure Renewal Requirements for 2023–2025
Last December 1, 2023, marked the beginning of a new licensure cycle. For the full list of updated IDFPR requirements for social work licensure renewal, please visit our CEU Requirements page: https://www.naswil.org/ceu-requirements
Join the 2024 NASW-Illinois Chapter Board of Directors
DEADLINE: March 1, 2024
Want to make a difference for social workers in Illinois and beyond? Have expertise in a particular method or field of social work practice? Hold a unique perspective that you believe is under-represented? Joining the NASW-Illinois Chapter Board of Directors is a great way to implement change, share your knowledge, and voice your opinions! Getting involved in your professional association or consider nominating a colleague for a leadership position. Read more about the board responsibilities in the 2024 NASW-Illinois Chapter Board Leadership Recruitment Packet or our NASW Delegate Assembly flyer, or contact us to request a nomination form.
Ask NASW-IL: What’s the status on the alternative to the ASWB exam for the LCSW?
This spring, the NASW-Illinois Chapter, with a coalition of advocates, was able to support passage of a bill which provides an alternative to the ASWB exam requirement for LCSW licensure. As of the time of this writing, new applications are expected to be accepted shortly after the bill takes effect on January 1, 2024. The NASW-Illinois Chapter is still waiting for official forms and procedures to be posted by the Illinois Department of Financial & Professional Regulation (IDFPR), hopefully in early 2024. Once the department releases this information, we will be able to provide a more in-depth article on the steps to complete the application. Until then, we encourage you to keep checking our News page for new information or sign up for our news and events e-mail list here. You can also read more about the new law here. To find out more on how to prepare, read our full article here: https://www.naswil.org/post/ask-nasw-il-what-s-the-status-on-the-alternative-to-the-aswb-exam-for-the-lcsw
Other Chapter News:
• December 2023 - Student Network SIG Update: https://www.naswil.org/post/december-2023-student-network-sig-update
• IDFPR Licensure Renewal Requirements for 2023–2025: https://www.naswil.org/post/idfpr-licensure-renewal-requirements-for-2023-2025
• NASW Applauds Senators on Historic Markup: https://www.naswil.org/post/nasw-applauds-senators-on-historic-markup
• Join the 2024 NASW-Illinois Chapter Board of Directors: https://www.naswil.org/post/join-the-2024-nasw-illinois-chapter-board-of-directors
• NASW-IL Advocacy At Work: HB2394 Passes, Addressing Licensure Processing Delays - https://www.naswil.org/post/nasw-il-advocacy-at-work-hb2394-passes-addressing-licensure-processing-delays
• NASW Tips & Tools for Social Workers: Payment of Health Behavior Assessment and Intervention Service - https://www.naswil.org/post/nasw-tips-tools-for-social-workers-payment-of-health-behavior-assessment-and-intervention-service
• Partial Loan Repayment Assistance Available to Those Working in Community Mental Health Centers: https://www.naswil.org/post/partial-loan-repayment-assistance-available-to-those-working-in-community-mental-health-centers
• NASW-IL Advocacy At Work: Gov. Signs HB 2365 Providing Alternative to ASWB Exam: https://www.naswil.org/post/nasw-il-advocacy-at-work-gov-signs-hb-2365-providing-alternative-to-aswb-exam
• Get Ready to Update Records and Billing with New Nonbinary Gender Option in IL: https://www.naswil.org/post/get-ready-to-update-records-and-billing-with-new-nonbinary-gender-option-in-il
• Student Loan Payments to Resume: What You Need to Know - https://www.naswil.org/post/student-loan-payments-to-resume-what-you-need-to-know
• Social Work Profession One Step Closer to Interstate Licensure Compact: https://www.naswil.org/post/social-work-profession-one-step-closer-to-interstate-licensure-compact
• February 14, 2023 Update on the Social Work Interstate Compact: https://www.naswil.org/post/february-14-2023-update-on-the-social-work-interstate-compact
For more news, go to the NASW-Illinois Chapter News page: https://www.naswil.org/blog