Thank you to Illinois Governor J.B. Pritzker, State Senator Karina Villa, State Representative Delia C. Ramirez, and the support of NASW-Illinois Chapter members—their collective effort resulted in the signing of House Bill 3100 (HB 3100) into law on August 27, 2021, amending the Abused and Neglected Child Reporting Act (ANCRA) and requiring mandated reporters complete an initial implicit bias training. The NASW-Illinois Chapter supported this bill which took effect immediately.
HB 3100 requires that all mandated reporters to have a section on implicit bias added to their mandated reporter training. The section shall include, at minimum, information on the following topics: (i) implicit bias, and (ii) racial and ethnic sensitivity. As used in this subsection, implicit bias is defined as the attitudes or internalized stereotypes that affect people's perceptions, actions, and decisions in an unconscious manner and that exist and often contribute to unequal treatment of people based on race, ethnicity, gender identity, sexual orientation, age, disability, and other characteristics. The implicit bias section shall provide tools to adjust automatic patterns of thinking and, ultimately, eliminate discriminatory behaviors. During these trainings, mandated reporters shall complete the following: (1) a pre-test to assess baseline implicit bias levels; (2) an implicit bias training task; and (3) a post-test to reevaluate bias levels after training. This requirement should be part of the current mandated reporter training that social workers must take for renewal.
While the bill's effective date is immediate, it will not affect the current licensure cycle (December 1, 2019–November 30, 2021) for licensed social workers (LSWs) and licensed clinical social workers (LCSW).
For a round-up of other bills that the NASW-Illinois Chapter pushed for during the past spring 2021 legislative session as well as other advocacy-related news, click one of the links below:
The National Association of Social Workers (NASW) is the largest membership organization of professional social workers in the world, with over 120,000 members. The NASW-Illinois Chapter is one of the association's largest chapters representing over 20.000 licensed Illinois social workers and school social workers, with over 5,000 active members. NASW strives to advance social work careers, grow social work businesses, and protect the profession.
Comments