Understanding the Nine Core Social Work Competencies and Practice Behaviors
Social workers are in high demand. Explore the standards developed for accredited social work programs and professional practice.
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- Social workers help alleviate people’s suffering and are instrumental to the well-being of individuals, families, and communities.
- The Council on Social Work Education established standards to ensure that social workers are competent in nine essential areas.
- Social work programs must adopt these standards for CSWE accreditation.
Social workers play an integral role in helping individuals, families, and communities thrive. The best social work programs teach students how to serve their clients effectively.
The Council on Social Work Education (CSWE) established standards for social work programs and the education of competent and ethical social workers. Explore the CSWE’s guidelines for professional social work practice.
What Is Competency-Based Education?
The CSWE represents undergraduate and graduate social work education, their students, and practitioners. The Council for Higher Education Accreditation recognizes the CSWE as the only national accrediting agency for social work education.
About 900 bachelor’s and master’s programs have earned CSWE accreditation. Institutions undergo a rigorous peer-review process to ascertain that social work programs meet high standards. The CSWE developed nine competencies known as the Educational Policy and Accreditation Standards (EPAS) for social work programs to qualify for accreditation.
Each social work program is expected to develop a curriculum, teaching methods, and activities that prepare highly skilled social workers. The CSWE’s competency-based education model teaches social work students how to put EPAS’ knowledge, values, skills, and cognitive and affective processes into practice.
The professional competencies include ethical and professional behavior, the advancement of human rights, and research-informed practice. Social work bachelor’s and master’s programs are required to assess student achievement of each standard.
The Nine Social Work Competencies
Learn more about the CSWE’s EPAS competencies and their implications.
- 1Demonstrate Ethical and Professional Behavior
Social workers must uphold ethical standards and comply with policies, laws, and regulations that govern social work practice. Practitioners should not allow their personal views, values, and experiences to influence their professional judgment and behavior. They must adhere to the National Association of Social Workers’ Code of Ethics and other professional guidelines as appropriate. Professionalism includes attention to appearance and how they communicate.
- 2Advance Human Rights and Social, Racial, Economic, and Environmental Justice
Social workers understand that every individual has fundamental human rights. Social workers must advocate for human rights at the individual, family, group, and community levels. Practitioners should promote the reduction of societal inequities by engaging in practices that advance social, racial, economic, and environmental justice.
- 3Engage Anti-Racism, Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (ADEI) in Practice
Practitioners must be proficient at working with clients from a variety of ethnic, cultural, and socio-economic backgrounds. Clients often come to social workers with lives mired in oppression, poverty, marginalization, and alienation. Social workers should know how these factors shape human experience and demonstrate humility and understanding when working with clients.
- 4Engage in Practice-Informed Research and Research-Informed Practice
This competency emphasizes the importance of evidence-based practices. Social workers should ensure that their interventions are rooted in sound research. Those conducting social work research should apply qualitative and quantitative methodologies that address inherent biases. Social workers should seek to advance scientific social work.
- 5Engage in Policy Practice
Social workers should be at the forefront in helping to shape policies that impact access and service delivery. They should influence how policies are developed, implemented, and evaluated at the micro, macro, and mezzo levels. Social workers should advocate for policies that advance human rights and social, racial, economic, and environmental justice.
- 6Engage with Individuals, Families, Groups, Organizations, and Communities
Building and maintaining strong relationships is a pillar of social work. Social workers apply their knowledge of human behavior to engage with individuals, families, groups, and communities. Practitioners should use their empathy, reflection, and people skills to effectively collaborate with clients and stakeholders.
- 7Assess Individuals, Families, Groups, Organizations, and Communities
The client assessment process is critical in social work. Social workers use their knowledge of human behavior to identify client challenges, strengths, and the best interventions. They must not allow their personal values and experiences to influence this process. The client’s right to self-determination must be honored as a plan is developed to address their circumstances.
- 8Intervene with Individuals, Families, Groups, Organizations, and Communities
Social workers identify, analyze, and implement culturally sensitive and evidence-informed interventions as part of their practice. Practitioners must also be adept at problem-solving, negotiating, and advocating on behalf of clients and stakeholders.
- 9Evaluate Practice with Individuals, Families, Groups, Organizations, and Communities
Practitioners must continuously evaluate their clients’ needs and the outcomes of clinical interventions. They should use evaluations as a guide to improve their effectiveness in delivering services to individuals, families, groups, organizations, and communities.
Frequently Asked Questions
CSWE developed the educational standards as a professional guide for social workers to deliver effective and ethical services. The competencies are:
- Demonstrate ethical and professional behavior.
- Advance human rights and social, racial, economic, and environmental justice.
- Engage anti-racism, diversity, equity, and inclusion in practice.
- Engage in practice-informed research and research-informed practice.
- Engage in policy practice.
- Engage with individuals, families, groups, organizations, and communities.
- Assess individuals, families, groups, organizations, and communities.
- Intervene with individuals, families, groups, organizations, and communities.
- Evaluate practice with individuals, families, groups, organizations, and communities.
