Advocacy & Issues Management Committee

 

Committee Charter

Role of the Committee
To develop and advocate for Association policies that strengthen agencies, programs and the delivery of social services to families and individuals. To implement goals and strategies from the NCACDSS Strategic Plan as appropriate to the Committee’s scope of work or as assigned by the President.

Committee Tasks

    1. To research issues related to the administration of agencies, programs and delivery of social services;
    2. To develop position statements for the Association;
    3. To develop advocacy plans for promoting Association positions;
    4. To make connections with key policymakers, advocates and other agency administrators (i.e., health and mental health directors);
    5. To coordinate activities with the NC Social Services Consortium to develop the Consortium’s legislative agenda;
    6. To coordinate and share information on Association positions with all the coalitions of which the Association is a member (i.e., Covenant with NC’s Children, State Council for Social Legislation, NC Health Access Coalition and potentially others);
    7. To develop a network of members to coordinate communication with legislative leaders;
    8. To submit a written report of the committee’s work at the annual meeting of NCACDSS;
    9. Other duties or responsibilities as assigned by the President.

Selection and Role of the Co-chairs
The President of NCACDSS will select the committee co-chairs for an annual appointment. The Co-Chairs will report to the 2nd Vice-President throughout the course of their chairmanship. This will include using the 2nd Vice-President as the key point of contact for forwarding policy and program recommendations to the Executive Board.

The Co-chairs, in cooperation with committee members, will draft the Committee’s annual scope of work and all individual meeting agendas. The scope of work will be reviewed and approved by the Executive Committee. Individual meeting agendas will be submitted in advance to the 2nd Vice-President and the Executive Director for the purpose of prioritization and coordination of work among the committees. The annual work plan will encompass the time frame of July through June of each year. Committee meetings will be held on the Wednesday preceding the 2nd Thursday of each month, unless approved by the President.

Selection of Committee Members
The President must have appointed all voting committee members. Members are Directors who have been appointed to committees or a DSS employee serving as a representative for a Director who has been appointed. In certain committees, voting members may be representatives of the North Carolina Social Services Association (NCSSA). The NCACDSS President also appoints these members. (See NCACDSS By-Laws for affected committees.) Committee members shall be appointed for a term of one year. Committee members may be reappointed at the end of their term of office at the pleasure of the President. The Committee Co-chairs, in consultation with the President, shall determine committee size. Committee meetings are open to all who wish to attend, but only those appointed by the President will have voting rights. Committee Co-chairs will be given a template to use for attendance purposes. A list of voting members for the current year is attached.

Committee Reporting Obligations
The Committee Co-chairs agree to supply both informational and recommendations reports to the 2nd Vice-President and the Executive Director. The reports will be presented on templates with appropriate attachments. Information reports will be provided within one week of the committee meetings and will be shared according to the Communication Plan of NCACDSS. Recommendation reports will be provided within one week of the committee meetings if action can be delayed until the next month’s Board meeting. For recommendations needing action at the Board meeting on the day following the Committee meeting, the Co-chairs shall provide the necessary information (in writing if possible) to the 2nd Vice-President by 9:00 a.m. on the day of the Board meeting.

Committee Limitations
The Committee will not act as a formal spokesperson for NCACDSS except as specifically authorized by the Executive Board. In emergency or other time sensitive situations, the President or Executive Committee may authorize Committee Co-Chairs to speak for the Association on issues related to the scope of work for the committee. The committee will not encumber debt or enter into contracts on behalf of NCACDSS.