SWEAR
Hi all! We know this site is a little outdated. We're working on it! In the meantime, be sure to check out our Instagram page which has more regular updates. We also recommend signing up for our mailing list where we send out updates and action items as we have them. Scroll to the bottom of the page to sign up!
Lets #STOPASWB and Racist Testing for Maryland Social Workers
In August 2022, the ASWB released a report confirming what many had known for years: their exams are racially biased, presenting a significant barrier to licensure and employment for otherwise qualified and committed social workers. Thousands of BIPOC people, with MSWs from accredited universities, are denied employment in the profession that desperately needs them; those seeking clinical licensure (following 3000+ hours of supervised practice) are stuck in lower-paying positions, unable to supervise and support those coming behind them.
Failing the test puts an undue financial and personal burden on these skilled professionals. These exams harm the public, too. With fewer social workers, clients are delayed or denied access to help they deserve - especially in communities of color, where the need is growing. We must remove biased barriers to licensure.
​
SWEAR has been formed by social workers who are passionate about doing just that. We are organizing and petitioning policy makers to look at how these racist exams further the mental health crisis, the public health crisis, and also go against the very ethics Social Work states it stands for. We appreciate you supporting our organizing efforts and initiatives to ensure that, in Maryland, the field of Social Work is equitable and inclusive. Please support our efforts to stand against biased and racist testing that is a barrier for Indigenous, Black, Brown, and other POC Social Workers including those who have disabilities, are Deaf and Hard of Hearing, are older, and whose primary language is not English.
Please support the petition by clicking the button below. If you are not in Maryland and still want to support please read more about the national efforts here.
​
If you would like to be kept in the loop about SWEAR meetings, what we have done so far, and what we are doing, please join us! You can subscribe below to be added to the mailing list. You can also click the Get Involved tab to find out more.
SWEAR is dedicated to confronting and making substantive change wherever racism and white supremacy have been embedded in the structure of social work policies and practices. Social Work was established in 1898 by the people and SWEAR not only upholds but pursues the value and ethical principle of social justice and challenges the social injustice that our field faces within the barriers of harmful gatekeeping practices. Social Work is not only by the people but FOR the people. Those who practice and those in the communities they serve.