As a social worker, keeping up with current events and the latest research isn’t just a great way to find new career opportunities. It’s your duty. The vulnerable people you serve deserve to have an impassioned and informed advocate on their side.
But on top of that, Licensed Social Workers (LSWs) and Licensed Clinical Social Workers (LCSWs) in Illinois are legally required to complete continuing education courses. In this guide, we’ll discuss those requirements, how to fulfill them, and where to find continuing education opportunities online and around the state.
Continuing Education Requirements for Social Workers in Illinois
To become a social worker in Illinois, you must get a license through the Illinois Department of Financial and Professional Regulation (IDFPR). You must then renew your license every two years. In that time frame, you must also earn 30 continuing education credits (CEUs).
While social workers in Illinois are free to earn CEUs in just about any topic that pertains to social work practice, the IDFPR says they must earn a certain amount of CEUs in specific areas:
- 3 CEUs in ethics.
- 3 CEUs in cultural competence.
- 1 CEU in implicit bias.
- 1 CEU in Alzheimer’s and related diseases. This requirement only applies to social workers who serve clients ages 26 and up. The NASW says this is a new requirement and may be revised.
- Sexual harassment training. There is no hour requirement for this topic and it doesn’t have to be completed as a CEU. For example, if your agency requires all employees to complete sexual harassment training, that training may fulfill this requirement.
- Mandated reporter training with an implicit bias component. Like the sexual harassment prevention requirement, there is no hour requirement for this topic.
Social workers must earn CEUs in these topics during every renewal cycle. Those who are renewing their licenses for the first time are not required to earn CEUs. But when the time comes, there are a number of different ways to do so.
Earning CEUs By Taking Classes
One of the most popular ways to earn CEUs is by taking continuing education classes. These can be completed in-person or online. No matter which option you choose, though, one hour of class time is equivalent to one CEU. However, the IDFPR says online continuing education classes must include an exam.
Outside of the required topics, you may want to take classes on:
- New clinical interventions.
- Serving different populations like the elderly, minority groups, teens, and the LGBTQ+ community.
- Organizational leadership and supervision.
- Self-care.
- Telehealth.
- The intersection between social work and other fields like climate justice, criminal justice, healthcare, and finance.
- Emerging public policy issues.
- Running a private practice.
In Illinois, continuing education courses must be taken through IDFPR-approved agencies and their affiliates. This includes national organizations like the NASW, local nonprofits, and state-run agencies. The list at the end of this article provides more specific information about individual providers. If you’re unsure if an agency is an approved provider, check with the IDFPR first.
Other Ways to Earn CEUs in Illinois
Taking continuing education courses is only one way to earn CEUs in Illinois. Social workers can also earn credit by actively contributing to their field, their own professional development, and the development of their colleagues.
The IDFPR says social workers in Illinois can earn CEUS by:
- Completing self-study courses. Self-study typically involves reading publications about relevant social work topics or listening to pre-recorded lectures. These courses must be offered by an approved CEU provider and include a final exam.
- Teaching. For every hour of teaching completed at an approved university, college, or CEU provider, social workers can earn 1.5 CEUs.
- Writing. For authoring papers or contributing to books and journals, social workers in Illinois can receive up to five CEUs.
- Making presentations. Social workers who speak to or prepare exhibits for professional social work audiences at conferences and similar events can earn up to five CEUs.
- Completing postgraduate training programs. Fellowships, certificate programs, and other college-based development opportunities can be used to fulfill the IDFPR’s continuing education requirements. Generally, every semester hour is equivalent to 15 CEUS.
No matter how you earn your CEUs, remember to maintain documentation and be prepared to verify your experiences with the IDFPR. The Illinois Chapter of the NASW recommends keeping records of all continuing education activities for at least five years.
Approved Continuing Education Providers
As previously mentioned, the IDFPR only accepts CEUs from approved providers. Approved providers have submitted an application, undergone a review, and received a registration number from the IDFPR. Some are also affiliates of bigger organizations that have already been approved by the IDFPR.
Whether you’re looking for informative yet convenient online courses or advanced in-person programs, the following list includes IDFPR-approved continuing education providers of all kinds.
National Organizations That Offer Continuing Education Opportunities
The National Association of Social Workers
The NASW ‘s Social Work Online CE Institute offers classes on a wide variety of subjects, but you can also present at NASW conferences, help them design courses, or contribute to their many publications.
American Association for Marriage and Family Therapists (AAMFT)
Though not dedicated to social work, the AAMFT is listed by the IDFPR as an approved CEU provider for social workers in Illinois. Their online database has classes about everything from mental health and family dynamics to meeting the needs of LGBTQ+ clients.
Association of Social Work Boards (ASWB)
The ASWB is a national agency made up of regulatory social work boards across the country including the IDFPR. Amongst students, they’re perhaps most well-known for administering social work licensing exams. Contributing to their exams or participating in their surveys may count for continuing education credit.
While the ASWB doesn’t offer continuing education courses itself, their Approved Continuing Education (ACE) database is full of agencies that do. According to their website, Illinois accepts CEUs from providers in the ACE program.
Online Continuing Education Providers
CE4Less is approved by the ASWB meaning the IDFPR accepts their courses. Their online self-study courses range from about $10 to $30. Social workers can also purchase a yearly subscription and have unlimited access to all of their content.
Along with offering individual courses, NetCE also offers course bundles on topics like natural medicine, psychiatric issues, and addiction. These bundles can be worth up to 30 credits and often cost less than if all courses are purchased individually. NetCE is a member of the ASWB’s ACE program and is approved through the IDFPR.
Elite Learning is another member of the ACE program. They offer online continuing education classes for social workers and have a subscription option. They also offer packages that include courses about required topics like sexual harassment, ethics, and implicit bias.
Along with pre-recorded lectures and classes, Continued hosts live webinars presented by social workers, doctors, and other professionals. Their online database also offers reading materials that may count as self-study courses.
CEU Providers Located in Illinois
The Illinois Chapter of the NASW
While the NASW online database is great for finding online continuing education courses, the Illinois Chapter of the NASW often hosts live and live-streamed events that count towards CEU requirements. Recent events have covered topics like state-level political advocacy and running your own social work practice in Illinois. These present fantastic opportunities to not just fulfill CEU requirements, but connect with professionals across the state.
Jewish Child and Family Services of Chicago (JCFS)
JCFS is a nonprofit organization that offers counseling, community-based, and disability assistance programs to families across the Chicago area. Their largely in-person CEU events focus on topics like trauma-informed care and new research-backed intervention techniques.
The University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign
With webinars that cover topics like processing trauma as a family and new clinical interventions, UI Urbana-Champaign gives social workers the chance to earn CEUs while also taking part in important conversations about the state of their field. You can also watch previous webinars for continuing education credit.
The University of Illinois Chicago
From September through May, the UIC Department of Psychiatry hosts weekly Zoom meetings that cover research-focused topics like Autism Spectrum Disorder and comorbidity. Dubbed the Grand Rounds program, this lecture series counts towards the continuing education requirements of social workers and medical professionals.
Loyola’s new Supervision Training and Education Program (STEP) aims to bolster the leadership and clinical practice skills of LCSWs in Illinois. This nine-week cohort-based program contains courses on self-care, clinical practice in social justice settings, and more. Altogether, the program is worth 36 CEUs. STEP is a great option for social workers who want to leverage their continuing education courses for professional and personal advancement.
Southern Illinois University Edwardsville
Many of SIUE’s conferences, workshops, and pre-recorded events count towards continuing education requirements for social workers. The schedule is constantly updated and refreshed, but past events have covered hospice care, suicide prevention, and the psychological side of school social work.
While the Crown Family School of Social Work, Policy, and Practice often hosts workshops and lectures, they also offer two nine-week clinical fellowship programs. Both offer an in-depth take on continuing education and count for 45 CEUs.
The Acceptance and Commitment Therapy Fellowship helps practitioners provide more compassionate care through a research-and-values-based curriculum. Through the Contextually-Focused Dialectical Behavior Therapy Fellowship, social workers explore the Chronic Distress Model of human behavior and the interventions that address it.
Hospitals
While the IDFPR doesn’t maintain a list of hospitals that offer CEUs for social workers, they say that any hospital licensed under the Hospital Licensing Act is an approved CEU provider. According to the act, this can include psychiatric institutions, maternity homes, general hospitals, and specialty institutions.
Offerings vary between organizations, but many offer continuing education courses, teaching and lecture opportunities, and even research and writing roles. Some are open only to employees while others invite outside professionals to participate. This might be a great option for LCSWs and healthcare social workers alike.
CEU Providers Approved for Other Professionals
Social work is inherently interdisciplinary. It borrows from and contributes to just about every other field concerned with people. To ensure social workers can grow in every possible direction, the IDFPR doesn’t limit approved CEU providers to those focused strictly on social work.
According to IDFPR regulations, social workers in Illinois can earn CEUs through agencies that have been approved to provide CEUs to counselors and psychologists. This includes the American Counseling Association, the American Psychological Association, and countless other national and local organizations.