Kansas Licensed Bachelor Social Worker (LBSW) Guide - 2024

Kansas Licensed Bachelor Social Worker (LBSW) Licensure Process

The LBSW is the entry-level licensure for social workers in Kansas. It allows you to practice general and non-clinical social work under the supervision of an LSCSW. You’ll be able to engage in the following:

• Assist individuals, groups, and communities in re-establishing their capability for physical, social, and economic functioning
• Apply the techniques and principles of social work to psychotherapy, social planning, research, consultation, and social services administration
• Connect people to resources that can service their needs
• Counsel individuals, families, and groups
• Help communities obtain better health and social services

Education Requirements

A bachelor’s degree in social work (BSW) from a Council on Social Work Education (CSWE) approved program or school is needed to become an LBSW.

Find all schools offering social work degree programs in Kansas.

Application Process

You can start the process of obtaining LBSW licensure up to four months prior to your projected graduation date. Complete the Social Work Licensure Application and submit it to the Board with the appropriate application fee. Three professional references are required, and one of them must be your most recent fieldwork supervisor. The other two references need to be from social workers at the LBSW level or higher.

Make a request with your school to send a copy of your final transcript to the Board if you’ve already graduated with a BSW. If you are still attending classes, a Verification of Academic Requirements form is included in the application and must be submitted. Keep in mind that you will not receive your license until your final transcript is sent to the Board.

It can take up to thirty days for the Board to complete their review of your application. You can check the application’s status on the Board’s website.

Background Check

There is a section on the application where you are required to disclose any felony or misdemeanor convictions against a person. A criminal background check will be conducted, and you must pass to be granted a social work license.

Examination Requirements

Once the Board gives your application the stamp of approval, you can register for the Association of Social Work Boards (ASWB) Bachelor’s Exam. The test comprises 170 multiple-choice questions and assesses your general social work knowledge. Only 150 of the 170 questions are scored.

Once the Board receives your passing score, you will be issued your LBSW license to practice social work under supervision.