The Council on Social Work Education is the sole entity that sets the standards for social work education across the nation. These standards help to increase the quality of practicum and classroom training that later have important impacts in the field. The Educational Policy and Accreditation Standards (EPAS) were developed and are continually revised by The Council on Social Work Education's (CSWE) Commission on Educational Policy (COEP) and the Commission on Accreditation (COA). These policies outline the accreditation process which includes site visits, program benchmarks and assessments.
The National Association of Social Workers (NASW) is the largest organization of professional social workers. The NASW is also responsible for developing the Code of Ethics. This code is the blueprint for social work practice at all levels.