Public Protection Database (PPD)
Public Protection Database (PPD)
November 2021
What is PPD?
A database containing information on sanctioned social workers.
The program began in 1991.
Contains records dating to the late 1980s
Online reporting and querying format
12,001 actions taken against 8,417 social workers
Annual average over the last four years; 560 actions against 367 social workers
Free to member boards
How do boards use PPD?
Primarily, PPD is used as a flagging system. Boards can check names of potential licensees against PPD. If a match is found, it is usually necessary to conduct follow-up research with the jurisdiction reporting the action.
PPD helps to guard against sanctioned social workers attempting to get licensed in another jurisdiction without reporting the previous action taken against them.
What does PPD look like?
Public Protection Database - Association of Social Work Boards (aswb.org)
PPD & NPDB
The National Practitioner Data Bank
Established in 1996 by U.S. HHS
Similar to PPD, it is a flagging system.
Mandatory for all U.S. boards to report actions taken against social workers to NPDB.
Some boards report direct to NPDB, other boards use ASWB as their reporting agent.
Designating ASWB as the board reporting agent to NPDB allows the jurisdiction to make one report to ASWB. ASWB transmits the data to NPDB on behalf of the state.
https://www.npdb.hrsa.gov/resources/npdbstats/ npdbMap.jsp
NPDB Compliance Information
The NPDB - State Licensing and Certification Agencies (hrsa.gov)
PPD depends on member board participation.
Participation in the PPD is voluntary but strongly encouraged – the information it contains is only as good as its member boards allow it to be.
More jurisdiction participation means better public protection
Find out if your board participates; ask when the last report was made to PPD; encourage your board to participate.