Sheri Hilger, LSCSW, LCSW Kansas City Coordinator and Clinical Director Sheri Hilger coordinates services for the Kansas City office in addition to her role as Clinical Director for the corporate system. She began her employment with Social Work p.r.n. in 1994 and over the years has worked in various roles for the company. She enjoys her connections with social workers, clients and community agencies throughout the Kansas City area. To discuss employment opportunities or staffing needs, Sheri can be reached at 913.648.2984 or This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Of Interest

CALL TO ACTION: Preserve the current qualifications for social work licensure 

Department of Children and Family (DCF) Secretary Phyllis Gilmore testified to the Legislative Post Audit Committee in response to the Performance Audit Report-Foster Care and Adoption in Kansas:Reviewing Various Issues Related to the State's Foster Care and Adoption System, Part 3.  

She acknowledged the high social worker turnover in both her agency and the private contractors. She suggested the problem of recruitment is due to "overly restrictive" qualifications for licensure as a social worker. She thinks the legislature should change the Social Workers Licensure Act to allow persons with degrees in psychology, sociology and other non-social work degrees to qualify for licensure. 

This is a bad idea that will not serve the needs of children and families in Kansas. The standard of Social Work licensure is a degree in Social Work from a Council of Social Work Education (CSWE) accredited school. Other degrees do not teach how to practice Social Work and what it takes to work with vulnerable people, nor would they integrate the NASW Code of Ethics into the curriculum like Social Work education does.    

KNASW continues to advocate for the practice and profession of Social Work and we need your help. Your voice matters. Your perspective matters. Now is the time to collectively reject the idea of lowering the standards of social work licensure. 

It is also the time to collectively demand improved working conditions and stop the rampant burnout that occurs too often for social workers in child welfare who are doing their very best to serve families.

KNASW asks you to call or email your State Senator and State Representative and urge them to:

• Reject DCF Secretary Gilmore's claims of over restrictive qualifications for licensure.
• Preserve public protection through licensure.   
• Maintain the current qualifications for licensure as a social worker.
• Encourage DCF to focus on improving the working conditions in the child welfare service delivery system. 
• Increase community resources and supports for families who are struggling and trying to keep or get their children home.
• Build resources for children who have been abused and address their trauma.
• Keep the child welfare workload realistic and achievable.
• Provide ample supervision, support and professional development.
• Restore the career ladder for social workers in child welfare.
• Pursue student loan forgiveness for social workers in child welfare.
• Take advantage of federal Title IV-E Child Welfare stipend program.
• Make the pay at the high end of competitive.

Find your legislator 

Click here for the report

KNASW Guest Editorial (published in the Topeka Capitol Journal and sent to other papers running the story about the Secretary's comments)

Please call or email if you have any questions: 785.354.4804 or This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. 

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Independence for Social Workers 

KNASW has introduced legislation to establish our own licensing committee just for the profession of Social Work. The committee would consist of five social workers and two public members. They would have the sole authority to make all decisions about social work applications, renewals, clinical supervision training plans, rules and regulations, and disciplinary actions.

We need every social worker in Kansas to band together now and support the association.  

Join NASW, pay your share, and help secure our profession now and for the future. Your future.

Why is it important to have an independent examining committee
for Social Workers?

We must take back our profession. For the strongest public protection and maintaining the integrity of Social Work practice in Kansas, we must have the authority and decision-making over our own profession.

Currently, we are part of a board (Behavioral Sciences Regulatory Board) that is comprised of seven different disciplines. Social workers are judged by other professions rather than solely peer-reviewed by our own. If a complaint is lodged against you, do you really want another profession deciding your fate? An independent examining committee will put social workers in charge of social workers.

There are over 7000 social workers in Kansas. We are a force to reckon with.

You can review the testimony KNASW presented on the topic in December 2016.
 
Become a member and be part of the advocacy and lobbying to secure our independence. Nothing is more important to our profession than our ability to license and regulate ourselves. The future must be in our own hands.   

Join NASW right here, right now 

We need you! We need your membership! We need to be 7000 strong in Kansas!