When the Texas State Board of Social Worker Examiners receives a complaint against a licensed social worker, it will first determine whether the matter alleged in the complaint falls under its jurisdiction to handle. If it does, then the Board will open an official investigation and notify the social worker who is the subject of the complaint. At this point, the social worker will be invited to make a formal response to the allegations in the complaint.
What then follows will be an investigation of the complaint.
The scope of the investigation will be heavily influenced by the way the social worker responds to the complaint letter sent by the Board. Therefore it is not only important that this request does not go unheeded—it is NEVER a good idea to ignore or avoid responding to letters from the licensing Board—but that the response letter is well-crafted to shape the scope of the whole process. This includes knowing what to have and what to leave out. Often individuals unfamiliar with the complaint process produce response letters that risk endangering them with further charges filed against them—increasing the scope of the investigation—rather than helping resolve the situation at issue.
A professional license defense attorney is an invaluable ally in this effort. We know the complaint process inside and out and are intimately familiar with what forms of information to include in response letters—with the goal of narrowing and controlling the scope and procedures of the investigation to the fullest extent possible.
Once the investigation commences, an investigator assigned the case may do things like drop in on the social worker unannounced. The social worker is not required to provide everything the investigator requests at that moment—and it would be wise to ask the investigator to contact their professional license defense attorney instead.
What to do if you receive a complaint from the Texas State Board of Social Worker Examiners
If you are a social worker in Texas who finds yourself subject to a complaint or review by the Board, contact us. Our law firm helps professionals, like you, keep their licenses when those licenses are under attack. Our experienced professional license defense attorneys have successfully helped clients resolve a wide range of complicated legal matters involving professional license defense. We know how to navigate the complaint process, gather evidence, question witnesses, and prepare powerful defenses against allegations of misconduct.
BERTOLINO LLP represents licensed professionals across the entire State of Texas. To best serve our clients we have offices in Austin, Houston, and San Antonio. Our honest, experienced attorneys will fight aggressively on behalf of your professional license and reputation.
Call or text (512) 476-5757 or complete a Case Evaluation form
