Section 4996.22.

(a) (1) Except as provided in subdivision (c), the board shall not renew any license pursuant to this chapter unless the applicant certifies to the board, on a form prescribed by the board, that he or she has completed not less than 36 hours of approved continuing education in or relevant to the field of social work in the preceding two years, as determined by the board.

(2) The board shall not renew any license of an applicant who began graduate study prior to January 1, 2004, pursuant to this chapter unless the applicant certifies to the board that during the applicant's first renewal period after the operative date of this section, he or she completed a continuing education course in spousal or partner abuse assessment, detection, and intervention strategies, including community resources, cultural factors, and same gender abuse dynamics. On and after January 1, 2005, the course shall consist of not less than seven hours of training. Equivalent courses in spousal or partner abuse assessment, detection, and intervention strategies taken prior to the operative date of this section or proof of equivalent teaching or practice experience may be submitted to the board and at its discretion, may be accepted in satisfaction of this requirement. Continuing education courses taken pursuant to this paragraph shall be applied to the 36 hours of approved continuing education required under paragraph (1).

(b) The board shall have the right to audit the records of any applicant to verify the completion of the continuing education requirement. Applicants shall maintain records of completion of required continuing education coursework for a minimum of two years and shall make these records available to the board for auditing purposes upon request.

(c) The board may establish exceptions from the continuing education requirement of this section for good cause as defined by the board.

(d) The continuing education shall be obtained from one of the following sources:

(1) An accredited school of social work, as defined in Section 4991.2, or a school or department of social work that is a candidate for accreditation by the Commission on Accreditation of the Council on Social Work Education. Nothing in this paragraph shall be construed as requiring coursework to be offered as part of a regular degree program.

(2) Other continuing education providers, including, but not limited to, a professional social work association, a licensed health facility, a governmental entity, a continuing education unit of an accredited four-year institution of higher learning, and a mental health professional association, approved by the board.

(e) The board shall establish, by regulation, a procedure for approving providers of continuing education courses, and all providers of continuing education, as described in paragraphs (1) and (2) of subdivision (d), shall adhere to the procedures established by the board. The board may revoke or deny the right of a provider to offer continuing education coursework pursuant to this section for failure to comply with the requirements of this section or any regulation adopted pursuant to this section.

(f) Training, education, and coursework by approved providers shall incorporate one or more of the following:

(1) Aspects of the discipline that are fundamental to the understanding, or the practice, of social work.

(2) Aspects of the social work discipline in which significant recent developments have occurred.

(3) Aspects of other related disciplines that enhance the understanding, or the practice, of social work.

(g) A system of continuing education for licensed clinical social workers shall include courses directly related to the diagnosis, assessment, and treatment of the client population being served.

(h) The continuing education requirements of this section shall comply fully with the guidelines for mandatory continuing education established by the Department of Consumer Affairs pursuant to Section 166.

(i) The board may adopt regulations as necessary to implement this section.

(j) The board shall, by regulation, fund the administration of this section through continuing education provider fees to be deposited in the Behavioral Science Examiners Fund. The fees related to the administration of this section shall be sufficient to meet, but shall not exceed, the costs of administering the corresponding provisions of this section. For purposes of this subdivision, a provider of continuing education as described in paragraph (1) of subdivision (d) shall be deemed to be an approved provider.

(Amended by Stats. 2007, Ch. 588, Sec. 85. Effective January 1, 2008.)