Mansfield, PA – Tiffany M. E. Welch, DSW, LSW, chairperson of the department of social work and program director and assistant professor of social work at Mansfield University, is one of six scholars selected by the Association of Social Work Boards to participate in the 2019 Path to Licensure Institute.
The institute is part of ASWB’s Path to Licensure program, which is designed to help schools of social work infuse information about professional licensing and social work regulation into their coursework. The institute comprises a five-day intensive at ASWB’s Culpeper offices June 10-14, when the scholars will develop a Path to Licensure program customized for their school’s needs; program implementation at the scholar’s school of social work in the fall; and completion of social work regulation-specific research by August 2022. In preparation for the institute, scholars participated in ASWB New Board Member Training and attended a regulatory board meeting in their jurisdiction to become more familiar with the purpose of regulation and the role of a state or provincial regulatory board.
Welch has taught at the undergraduate level at Mansfield University School of Social Work since 2013, first serving as the field director for four years. A Mansfield University alumna, Welch is the current department chairperson and program director. Her areas of expertise include school social work with an emphasis on positive behavior interventions and supports, behavior analysis, forensic social work, and clinical social work.
“It has been an honor to work with ASWB and to represent MU at the national level, ” Dr. Welch said. “I am most excited about the future opportunities this will provide our students, as they will hopefully graduate much more prepared for the professional licensure examinations.”
ASWB’s Education and Research Senior Manager Janice Fitts, who manages the Path to Licensure program said, “This year’s institute will be a rich training experience for the scholars. They will be supported as they develop programs that will increase students’ and faculty knowledge about social work regulation and the obligations of licensed social work practice. We anticipate their research will contribute to knowledge needed for effective regulation
About ASWB and the Path to Licensure program
ASWB created its Path to Licensure program in 2013 and held the first Path to Licensure Institute in 2017. The goal of Path to Licensure is to help social work students transition successfully to professional practice with the understanding of how to get licensed and lived licensed. Faculty interest in the program has increased steadily since the program began. Currently, 460 individuals from 274 schools are in the program.
The Association of Social Work Boards is the nonprofit association of social work regulatory bodies in the United States and Canada. Members include 50 states, Washington, D.C., the U.S. Virgin Islands, the U.S. territories of Guam and the Northern Mariana Islands, and all 10 Canadian provinces. ASWB’s mission is to provide support and services to the social work regulatory community to advance safe, competent, and ethical practices to strengthen public protection. Founded in 1979, the association is celebrating 40 years of service to the social work regulatory community in 2019. Learn more at aswb.org.