NORTH CAROLINA GENERAL ASSEMBLY

1981 SESSION

 

 

CHAPTER 563

SENATE BILL 393

 

 

AN ACT TO REWRITE CHAPTER 898, SESSION LAWS OF 1979, RELATING TO MORE EFFECTIVE SERVICES TO CHILDREN AND FAMILIES IN NORTH CAROLINA.

 

The General Assembly of North Carolina enacts:

 

Section 1. Chapter 898, Session Laws of 1979, is rewritten to read as follows:

"Section 1. Article 9 of Chapter 143B of the General Statutes is amended by adding the following new Part:

"Part 21. Child and Family Services Interagency Committees.

"§ 143B-426.2. Declaration of findings and policy. - The State of North Carolina is committed to a continuing effort to afford greater opportunities to its children and to burden them with fewer disabilities. The General Assembly finds that the family is the primary custodian of children and the primary provider for the basic needs of children; that some families at times cannot meet all the essential needs of their children and may need governmental assistance, particularly in the areas of health care and education; and that the wide range of programs and agencies serving the needs of children requires that steps be taken to coordinate the efforts of those agencies and under those programs. The General Assembly declares, therefore, that it is the policy of the State to promote and encourage programs and practices to support and strengthen families in North Carolina; to give priority to health care programs, especially preventive services for small children, and ambulatory care services, which are particularly appropriate to children; to encourage every child to acquire the basic skills necessary to achieve a meaningful life; and to provide a structure through which child-centered programs may be coordinated for maximum effectiveness.

"§ 143B-426.3. Child and Family Services Interagency Committee; creation; membership; structure. - (a) The Child and Family Services Interagency Committee is created. The committee consists of the Governor of North Carolina, the Superintendent of Public Instruction, the Secretary of Human Resources, the Secretary of Cultural Resources, the Associate Dean and Director of the Agricultural Extension Service of North Carolina State University, the Director of the Office of Citizen Affairs, the Director of the Governor's Advocacy Council on Children and Youth, the Director of the State Goals and Policy Board, one member of the North Carolina House of Representatives appointed by the Speaker of the House, and one member of the North Carolina Senate appointed by the President of the Senate. Legislative members are appointed for two-year terms, beginning February 1 of each odd-numbered year.

(b)        The Governor is chairman of the committee. The vice-chairman is designated by the Governor from among the membership of the committee, after consultation with the members of the committee.

(c)        The committee meets regularly at such times and in such places as the Governor deems necessary to accomplish its functions. The Governor may call special meetings at any time and place.

(d)        The Governor shall organize the work of the committee, and shall prepare rules of procedure governing the operation of the committee.

(e)        No member of the committee shall receive compensation for services on the committee, except that members of the General Assembly shall receive travel and subsistence at the rates set out in G.S. 120-3.1, for services on the committee when the General Assembly is not in session.

"§ 143B-426.4. Child and Family Services Interagency Committee; powers and duties. - The Child and Family Services Interagency Committee has the following powers and duties:

(1)        to improve communication and coordination among State, regional, and local programs, agencies and activities relating to family and children policy;

(2)        to communicate with federal agencies dealing with family and children services and policy, and to work toward a coordinated effort with those agencies;

(3)        to identify areas of duplication of services to families and children and to identify ways of eliminating the duplication;

(4)        to identify gaps in existing services to families and children and to make recommendations to appropriate State and county agencies toward formulating new programs and changes in existing programs to effectuate the policies set out in this Part;

(5)        to receive and review statistics, research findings and recommendations from citizens and professionals, and to develop procedures and guidelines that will improve services to families and children;

(6)        to make recommendations to appropriate State and county agencies toward modifying policy, programs, procedures and regulations that serve as hindrance to families and children; and

(7)        to perform other duties assigned by the governor for the purpose of effectuating the policies set out in this Part.

"§ 143B-426.5. County Child and Family Services Interagency Committees authorized; purpose. - Boards of county commissioners may create county Child and Family Services Interagency Committees to coordinate the work of the various existing agencies which offer services in their respective counties to children and their families. Any board of county commissioners may designate an existing interagency council as the Child and Family Services Interagency Committee for that county. County Child and Family Services Interagency Committees shall be committed to developing literate and healthy children, and shall bring together all existing child and family service resources to help the family and the community ensure good development, health care and education for each child in his early formative years.

"§ 143B-426.6. County Child and Family Services Interagency Committees; membership; organization; procedures. - (a) County Child and Family Services Interagency Committees shall include a representative of the public schools; social services; mental health; developmental evaluation centers; health departments; county, municipal or regional libraries; agricultural extension offices; and any other child-serving agencies designated by the board of county commissioners.

(b)        The board of county commissioners may designate the county manager or any other person as chairman of the county committee. Members of the county committee shall elect one of their number as vice-chairman of the committee.

(c)        Each county committee shall adopt its own rules of procedure, and shall meet regularly at such times and places as it deems necessary. Special meetings of the committee may be called by the chairman. Each county committee may create working groups needed to assist the committee. The chairman shall have general administrative authority to organize the work of the committee.

"§ 143B-426.7. County Child and Family Services Interagency Committees; powers and duties. - County Child and Family Services Interagency Committees have the following powers and duties:

(1)        to improve communication and coordination among agency programs for children and their families;

(2)        to assess the health and educational status of the county's children;

(3)        to review the county's spending for children and to search for ways to eliminate service duplication;

(4)        to plan and organize county conferences of citizens and professionals in an effort to assess and improve the health and educational status of children;

(5)        to plan and promote coordinated agency efforts to improve conditions such as the infant mortality rate, the nutritional status, and the educational attainment of the county's children;

(6)        to recommend to the county commissioners such cooperative efforts and modifications of policy, plans and programs as the council considers necessary and desirable;

(7)        upon approval by the county commissioners, to recommend to the State Child and Family Services Interagency Committee such changes in legislation, policy and administrative regulation as would serve to facilitate the effective delivery of services to children and their families;

(8)        to continuously educate and inform the general public regarding matters affecting children and their families; and

(9)        to perform such other powers, duties and functions as the board of county commissioners may prescribe.

"§ 143B-426.7A. 'Blue Book' not incorporated into law. - Nothing in this Part is intended to incorporate into the law the document entitled 'A Child Health Plan for Raising a New Generation' produced by the Joint Child Health Planning Task Force as a part of the observance of the International Year of the Child 1979 or any similar health plan. There is no intention to interfere with the authority of the parent except in judicially established instances of child abuse or neglect."

Sec. 2. Funding. The provisions of this act shall be implemented without the appropriation of funds by the General Assembly.

Sec. 3. This act is effective upon ratification.

In the General Assembly read three times and ratified, this the 12th day of June, 1981.