Every county in North Carolina is required to have a governing board for social services (G.S. 108A-1). What are the powers and duties of those boards? What’s the difference between a county board of social services and a consolidated human services board? Who has authority to hire and dismiss a county director of social services? When could a county face liability based on the actions of its social services board? What’s the role of the board of county commissioners and the county manager with respect to social services agencies and boards? You’ll find the answers to these questions (and many more) in a new book from the School of Government: Local Social Services Boards in North Carolina. Read on to learn more about types of social services boards in North Carolina and to find out more about the new book.

What are the different types of local social services boards in North Carolina?

North Carolina counties may choose to provide social services programs through a county department of social services (DSS), a consolidated human services agency (CHSA) that includes social services, or a regional (multicounty) department of social services.

• A county with a county DSS may have:
  • An appointed, county board of social services (3 or 5 members); or
  • A board of county commissioners (BOCC) that has assumed the powers and duties of the county board of social services (per G.S 153A-77(a)).

• A county that has formed a CHSA may have:
  • An appointed consolidated human services board (up to 25 members); or
  • A BOCC that has assumed the powers and duties of the consolidated human services board (per G.S. 153A-77(a)).

• Counties that have formed a regional DSS (G.S. 108A-15.7) must have a regional board of social services.

Currently, 30 counties provide social services through a CHSA (16 of those counties have appointed CHS boards, while 14 have CHSAs that are governed directly by the BOCC). Seventy counties in North Carolina provide social services through a county DSS (59 of those counties have appointed county boards of social services, while the BOCC acts as the social services board in the other 11 counties). To date, no North Carolina counties have opted to create a regional DSS.

Want to know what agency type and board structure are in place in your county? You can explore interactive maps of the state on the School of Government’s North Carolina Human Services Hub (use the dropdown menu in Map 1 to select “Agency Structure” or “Social Services Governance Structure”).

Who appoints the members of these different types of boards?

• County board of social services (G.S. 108A-3): These boards may have 3 or 5 members, as determined by the BOCC (most have 5 members). On a three-member county social services board, one member is appointed by the state Social Services Commission, one member is appointed by the BOCC, and one member is appointed by the majority of the other county social services board members. On a five-member board, two members are appointed by the state Social Services Commission, two by the BOCC, and one by the majority of the other county social services board members.
• Consolidated human services board (G.S. 153A-77(c)): These boards may have up to 25 members. When a CHSA is first formed, the initial CHS board is appointed by the BOCC upon the recommendation of a nominating committee comprised of members of the pre-consolidation board of health, social services board, and area mental health, developmental disabilities, and substance abuse services board. After the board is established, future vacancies are all filled by the BOCC from nominees presented by the CHS board.
• Regional board of social services (G.S. 108A-15.8): These boards have 12 members but can be increased up to a maximum of 18 members. The BOCC of each county in the region appoints two members, one of whom may be a county commissioner. If more than eight counties join the regional DSS, the BOCC of each county in the region appoints only one member to the regional board (who may be a county commissioner). The state Social Services Commission appoints two members. The seated members of the regional social services board appoint members to fill any remaining vacancies.

Who may be appointed to a local social services board?

An individual is not required to have any particular professional experience or qualifications in order to serve on either a county board of social services or a regional board of social services.

By contrast, a number of different professions must be represented on an appointed CHS board. A CHS board must include four people who are consumers of human services, a psychologist, a pharmacist, an engineer, a dentist, an optometrist, a veterinarian, a social worker, a registered nurse; two physicians licensed to practice medicine in North Carolina (one of whom must be a psychiatrist); a county commissioner; and “other persons, including members of the general public representing various occupations.” G.S. 153A-77(c). The BOCC may appoint a member of the CHS board to concurrently fill more than one category of membership if the member has the qualifications or attributes of more than one category.

To serve on a county board of social services or a CHS board, an individual must be a resident of the county. To serve on a regional board of social services, an individual must be a resident of the region served by the regional DSS.

How can I learn more about the laws that apply to social services boards?

The School of Government has just released Local Social Services Boards in North Carolina, available for purchase now. The new book discusses the laws governing the work of social services boards, the appointment of social services board members, differences in authority between different types of boards, and the appointment of the county director of social services, along with covering topics such as conflicts of interest, public records, open meetings requirements, and liability. The book is the first in a three-part series from the School of Government that will also include books for consolidated human services boards and local boards of health.

Have questions about social services boards or about the new book? Let me know!