Providers are required to adhere to certain minimum standards in order to be approved for social work CEs in Michigan. Learn more about these standards below to ensure compliance before you submit your application.

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Course Standards

CE Eligibility

There are two types of content that are eligible for social work CE credits: instructional trainings and self-guided instructional content. Both types are discussed in more detail below. General meetings, supervision, and other similar events are NOT eligible for CE credit approval.

Instructional Trainings

Content led by one or more presenters whom are experts at the topics being discussed. This can include in-person seminars, live webinar presentations, on-demand course modules, etc. Attendance for the duration of the training is required in order for attendees to earn CEs for instructional trainings.

Self-Guided Instructional Content

Readings, videos, and similar content can also be eligible for social work CEs. You are required to submit a detailed explanation of how you came to the conclusion that the content is equivalent to the number of CEs you are requesting. Your explanation must include names of the publications you are using in your application, length of videos in minutes, estimated time to complete a relevant reading (10,000 words per 1 hour), etc. Additionally, graded post-tests are required in lieu of traditional attendance in order for attendees to earn CEs for instructional trainings. Attendees must get 70% of questions on the post-test correct in order to receive CEs for the content.

Relevance to Social Work

To be eligible for social work CE approval, a course MUST be relevant to the practice of social work. To ensure this, it is recommended that a Michigan-licensed social worker be apart of the development of your event. That said, this is not required unless you are seeking an Ethics designation. If you are seeking an Ethics designation, a Michigan-licensed social worker is required to be apart of the development of your event.

Topic Areas

To be eligible for social work CE approval in Michigan, a course MUST meet the conditions of at least one of the following topic areas:

• Theories and concepts of human behavior in the social environment
• Social work practice, knowledge, and skills
• Social work research, program evaluation, or practice evaluation
• Social work agency management or administration
• Development, evaluation, or implementation of social policy
• Current issues in clinical or macro social work practice
• Cultural competence and diversity
• Social work ethics and standards of professional practice
• Pain, pain symptom management, and the psychology of pain
• Human trafficking
• Implicit bias

For more detailed information about what each of these topic areas entail, visit our "CE Provider Application: Course Topic Areas" webpage.

Instruction Hours

Courses must be at least 60 full minutes (1.0 CE hours) in length order to be eligible for CE approval. Each additional 25 full minutes of uninterrupted instruction are eligible for an additional 0.5 CE credit hours if you believe that it is acceptable per the learning requirements. As a note: Michigan does NOT accept quarter CE credits; an event lasting 1 hour and 15 minutes would only be eligible for 1.0 CE credits, for example.

Presenter Credentials

To be eligible for social work CE approval in Michigan, the primary course presenter's credentials MUST be relevant to the course presentation. To meet this requirement, the primary course presenter's credentials MUST include at least one of the following as it relates to the course's topic area(s):

• Education, publication, or practice experience in the subject area
• Social work planning or consultation in the subject area

Bibliographic References

As apart of the CE approval application, you will be required to list at least 3 unique bibliographic references in order for your application to be considered. Below are additional requirements of the bibliographic references applicants must submit:

• Bibliographic references must be listed in APA style.
• Acceptable sources for bibliographic references include scholarly works such as peer-reviewed journal articles, academic books, and encyclopedias.
• Unacceptable sources for bibliographic references include non-academic works such as websites, entertainment magazines, and blogs.
• At least 2 references must have been published within the last 5 years.
• Websites may be listed as an optional 4th bibliographic reference only if it is a direct link to the topic being presented.

Click here to review bibliographic citation examples.

Documentation Requirements

CE Certificates

By hosting a CE event, you MUST agree to do the following:

• Maintain a roster of course participants that actually attended the event
• Verify all attendee CE hours before issuing CE certificates
• Issue certificates of attendance showing CEs earned within 30 days after the conclusion of the event

Information to Include on CE Certificates

Click here to review an example CE certificate. The CE certificates you issue to participants MUST have all of the following information:

• Participant's full name
• Your organization's name and/or logo
• Event title*
• Event date(s)**
• NASW-MI CE approval language detailing the following CE award information:
  • Number of CEs awarded
  • CE designation(s)
  • Whether the awarded CEs are synchronous (live), asynchronous (on-demand), or a mix of both
  • NASW-MI CE course approval number

*For events with multiple sessions (e.g. conferences), also list the specific session names and accompanying CE details the participant attended
**For on-demand courses without specific dates, list the date(s) the participant completed the training

Record Retention

Guidelines require continuing education providers in Michigan to maintain the following information for at least seven years:

• Name of the organization operating the CE event
• Name(s) and resume(s)/CV(s) of the listed event's social work consultant (if applicable)
• Course title, date(s), location(s) and CE hours awarded
• Record of the continuing education hours awarded to each attendee
• Course agenda and learning objectives
• Course instructor qualifications
• Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) requests and services provided
• Grievances and resolutions
• Course evaluations

Application Terms and Acknowledgements

Visit our "CE Provider Application: Terms and Acknowledgements" webpage for a detailed breakdown of the terms and acknowledgements of the NASW-Michigan Chapter CE Provider Application. In order to submit your online application, you will be required to agree to these conditions.

Additional Resources

• Continuing Education FAQs for social workers
• State of Michigan: Board of Social Work
• State of Michigan: Public Health Code

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