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FAQ's

Frequently Asked Questions

​No. There is no limit to how you develop your plan, or how many supervisors you have. The rules do state, that you must be with each supervisor for a minimum of six months before submitting a plan change.Each plan change must be approved by the board, before it comes into effect. Hours will not be back dated to the date you change your supervisors. The plan approval date is the start date.

​Your CSWA renewal date is the last day of your birth month. You renew annually by that date to avoid a late fee. 30 days after your renewal date your CSWA  will lapse. The renewal is available to you on your dashboard as of the 15th of the month prior to your renewal or birthmonth.

online renewal

​No. The CSWA is a supervisory certification, and not a license to practice independantly. Your ability to legally practice clinical social work comes from your approved plan of supervision and your supervisor.  If you are interested in opening your own private practice, you will still need to follow all CSWA rules and regulations including having a plan of supervision, seperate supervision, employment and while practicing at an agency counting hours towards your LCSW. You may not count any hours affiliated with the private practice, or your own business and clients. If you leave the practice at the agency in which you have reported with the plan on file your CSWA must be reported and changed to inactive, which means you are no longer authorized to practice clinical social work until a new agency plan is approved.  Your private practice is not an agency. You may not advertise with the agency as being in private practice, or independently practicing.

If you have questions, please reach out to the board office.

Oregon Administrative Rules Division 20

​Yes. Any leave of absence of three weeks or more, requires that you notify the board staff. Use the status change request form through the licensing portal to change your status to inactive. Be sure to renew your CSWA while in the inactive status. If you do not renew, your license to practice will expire and you will not be able to return to practice after your leave.

This also applies if your supervisor is taking a leave, you will need to notify the board to get a temporary supervisor approved, through an online plan change. You may not continue to be in active status if you are not reporting to work, or if you are not being supervised by your approved supervisor. 

All leaves of absences result in an inactive status for the time of leave.

Licensee Portal

If you leave your approved employer, you must notify the board immediately by changing your status to inactive.​ To request inactive status, please submit a status change request through your license portal. You may need to identify reason and any requested documents upon reactivation. Be sure to complete the evaluation form and report all hours since your last report up through your last active day. Once you leave the employer, the approved plan is terminated and a new plan will need to replace it to begin counting hours. A new plan requires a supervisor approval to begin.

If you are transitioning to a new employer, you will need to submit a plan change for that new employer. Your CSWA only authorizes you to practice under the approved plan of practice.


Licensee Portal

​A status change will reactivate the CSWA and allow you to return to practice. You may be asked to submit a new plan, or confirm your current plan.

A New plan of supervision is to be submitted if there were any changes to your employment or supervision during your leave. A plan change requires approval before starting back to clinical practice.

A status change is used to reactivate a CSWA when there were no changes to the employer or supervision. Since there is no changes to your approved plan, you may return to clinical practice as soon as you submit the plan update.

LIcensee Portal

Yes. We will send an email renewal notice around the 15th of the month prior to your renewal, and one reminder 30 days later. You will recieve one more before your CSWA expiration date. ​

​If you do not complete your renewal by the expiration date, you must cease clinical practice and stop using the title of Social Worker. If you continue to clinically practice after your expiration date, or use the title social worker/CSWA, you will be ineligible to renew and will need to reapply. Be sure to submit all hours prior to your expiration by six month evaluation form.

If you cease your practice on your expiration date  you will have one year from the renewal date(not expration date) to renew by paper renewal form and paying the late fee of $50. 

LIcense Portal

Yes. Your supervision report always goes through the last day of your renewal date. For example if your renewal is the month of May, you will submit a supervision report dated through May 31. You have 30 days to have your supervisor complete it, and to submit it through your portal. ​Another mid year report will be also be in six months from that date. There are two reports per year. Submitting your supervision report due for your renewal date DOES NOT COMPLETE the renewal process, you must still go in to the license renewal tab on the portal and complete the renewal including paying the annual renewal fee. Renewal is due before the last day of your birth month, the report will go through the last day and be submitted within 30 days after.

Supervision report

​No. Supervision reports are submitted annually ending with your renewal date, and another one six months later. A plan change request may change the starting dates, however the end date will not change.

Supervision Report

​Once the board has approved your hours, the completion of the CSWA plan, and we have received confirmation that you have passed the ASWB exam, we will email you the LCSW Initial License Form. This form will complete the transition from CSWA to LCSW. DO NOT SUBMIT AN APPLICATION FOR LCSW. Complete the form provided and submit it with the $260 initial license fee.  Please allow 2 weeks to process the licensure once we receive the form back. Until you have been assigned the LCSW, you must remain under supervision as you are still practicing as a CSWA until you have your LCSW issued. If you have completed all the hours required, you may drop your supervision down to once per month for one hour with your approved supervisor. If you have both individual and group approved, this one hour may be either.

License Portal

​Yes. Any time you are not actively practicing under your plan of supervision for an extended period of time, it is considered a leave of absense. If you obtain a summer job practicing clinical social work to continue your experience and hours, you must submit a new plan through the portal prior to starting the job. We would suggest you submit the plan as a temporary change, or seasonal change, so that you are not removing the school you plan to return to in the fall.  For the CSWA plan purpose, and extended period of time is about three weeks or more. To request inactive,use the licensing portal's status change request feature. and request a destination status of inactive. When you return. submit the request again with destination Active and submit a new plan if necessary. A new plan will need to be submitted prior to the status change being approved. If you will recieve an email to confirm.

License Portal