An Electronic Newsletter for the NASW Washington State Chapter
supported her lawsuit against a former employer who subjected her to discipline for providing clients with a range of treatment referral options, consistent with ethical standards, rather than following the agency rule to use only a “preferred list” of home care providers. In 2006, a social worker in Illinois obtained reimbursement for legal fees of $2,391 for his legal actions protecting his refusal to divulge the confidential therapy records of a child client to the abusive mother and successfully blocking her attempt to have him held in contempt of court. A number of other member requests have been supported by LDF in cases involving social workers who were forced to hire legal counsel to block an improper subpoena for client’s confidential treatment information. Licensure Boards From time to time LDF has funded cases that address licensure board regulations or decisions that are procedurally flawed or that fail to adequately support the professional values of social work. LDF awarded three grants totaling $12,000 to support a member’s legal challenge of an Alaska social work board disciplinary matter wherein the board sought to fund its operations from the fees collected from penalized licensees, thus creating a NASW WA Chapter Office 522 N 85th St. #B-100 Seattle, WA 98103
July 2012 Volume 2, Issue 4
potential conflict of interest in the investigation and resolution of allegations of misconduct. LDF supported the 2009 and 2010 requests of an Iowa social worker who was denied the right to sit for the clinical licensure exam based on her failure to meet the Board’s interpretation of the DSM-diagnosis experience requirements contained in a vaguelyworded licensing law. The social worker practiced in a specialized school setting for students with autism. The Iowa Chapter of NASW strongly supported her appeal of the licensure board’s action which eventually led to a clarifying amendment in the regulatory language to the benefit of future applicants for the Iowa clinical social work license. Assistance totaling $6,500 was approved for the social workers’ persistence in challenging the board to apply a fair and transparent process for reviewing applicants’ clinical experience. In a 2011 case, a Virginia social worker incurred steep legal fees to defend a licensure board complaint initiated by a disgruntled father whom the social worker had reported for child abuse and who was engaged in an ongoing custody dispute. The licensure board’s handling of retaliatory complaints against the social worker for following her legal reporting obligation raised
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