The CSWE substance use curricular guide: inception, evolution, impact

Abstract

ABSTRACT On July 15, 2020, The Council on Social Work Education (CSWE) announced the release of the Specialized Practice Curricular Guide for Substance Use Social Work Practice. The guide was formulated by a national taskforce, and is the result of a collaboration between CSWE, the American Academy of Addiction Psychiatry (AAAP) and the Opioid Response Network (ORN). The release of the guide followed a long and dedicated working process of a national taskforce of CSWE members who are national and international experts in substance use. This article discusses the process from development to dissemination and also discusses future steps of this much anticipated curriculum guide. This guide was developed with the hopes that more social work programs would begin to include or enhance educational content to address the substance use among the many clients we serve.