Credential Verification Protocol for Employing Institutions and Professional Directories

Social Welfare Institutions (EPS), associations, private schools, private clinics, and digital professional directories listing practitioners in the medico-social and family support sectors in Morocco are directly affected by the credential verification requirements under Law No. 45.18.

1Legal Liability of Employers and Online Professional Directories

• For Employing Institutions (EPS, associations, schools, clinics): Part V of Law No. 45.18 imposes criminal fines on any employer who knowingly hires or retains an unaccredited individual in a regulated social worker position. Auditing human resources files for all social intervention staff is therefore mandatory.
• For Digital Platforms and Online Professional Directories: Allowing an unverified individual to list themselves under a regulated statutory title ("Social Worker", "Family Mediator", "Special Needs Educator", "School Inclusion Assistant AVS") with a "Verified" or "Licensed" badge without checking their ICHHAD accreditation exposes:
  1. the practitioner to criminal prosecution for usurpation of title and unlawful practice (Part V of Law No. 45.18 and Article 381 of the Penal Code);
  2. the platform operator to civil tort liability (Articles 77 and 78 of the Moroccan Code of Obligations and Contracts) for providing misleading information to vulnerable users, as well as potential liability for aiding and abetting title usurpation.

2Recommended Classification of Practitioners into Four Groups

For human resources databases and online professional directories, the following classification into four professional groups is recommended:

• Group 1: Regulated Medical and Allied Health Professions (Health Sector):
  • Professions: Psychiatrists and Child Psychiatrists (Law No. 131.13); Speech Therapists, Psychomotor Therapists, Occupational Therapists (Law No. 45.13).
  • Required Verification Document: Certificate of registration with the National Order of Physicians (CNOM) or practice license issued by the SGG / Ministry of Health.
• Group 2: Psychologists and Psychology Practitioners:
  • Professions: Clinical Psychologists, Neuropsychologists, School or Organizational Psychologists.
  • Required Verification Document: Master's or Doctoral degree in psychology (plus official equivalence if obtained abroad) and administrative practice authorization or institutional employment certificate.
• Group 3: Regulated Social Workers (Law No. 45.18):
  • Professions: The 18 official categories of Decree No. 2.22.604 (Social Worker, Medical Social Worker, Family Mediator, Special Needs Educator, Family Support Worker, School Inclusion Assistant AVS/AESH, Reintegration Counselor, EPS Manager, etc.).
  • Required Verification Document: Official ICHHAD accreditation certificate (or official filing receipt issued by the National Mutual Aid desk together with a diploma listed in Ministerial Order No. 827.25 during the 60-day review window).
• Group 4: Unregulated Support and Coaching Practitioners (Wellness / Coaching):
  • Occupations: Life Coaches, School or Parenting Coaches, Personal Development Practitioners.
  • Compliance Rule: System-level restriction preventing the selection of any of the 18 titles protected under Law No. 45.18 or any medical/allied health title, paired with a mandatory public notice stating that the activity does not belong to a state-regulated health or social work profession.

3Recommended Data Schema for a "Law No. 45.18" Practitioner Profile

4Verification Tiers and Standard Public Legal Notice

• Tier 1 ("Accredited Social Worker under Law No. 45.18"): Granted exclusively after verifying a legible copy of the ministerial accreditation certificate issued via ICHHAD.
• Tier 2 ("Eligible Diploma Verified, ICHHAD Application Under Review"): Granted temporarily (for up to 60 days) to practitioners who have provided both a diploma listed in Ministerial Order No. 827.25 and the official filing receipt issued by a National Mutual Aid desk.
• Tier 3 ("Unregulated Support Practitioner"): Assigned to Silo 4 practitioners outside the scope of Law No. 45.18.