What training and experience is a consolidated human services director required to have prior to being appointed?
The law creating the position of consolidated human services director does not require any specific education or experience. The experience and education necessary to succeed in the consolidated human services director position may depend in part on how the county decides to structure the internal organization of the CHSA, as described below.
Except as otherwise provided by law, the individual appointed as the CHSA director acquires all of the powers and duties as a social services director and a local health director (if both social services and public health are consolidated into the CHSA). The CHSA director is permitted, but not required, to delegate most of these powers and duties to other staff members within the agency. The county manager and the CHSA director have tremendous flexibility in deciding how to delegate these powers and duties and in how to structure the internal organization of the CHSA. For example, in some counties, the new CHSA director was formerly a DSS director or local health director prior to consolidation and retains that role after assuming leadership of the CHSA. In other counties, the CHSA director appoints both a DSS director and a public health director, who both report to the CHSA director and handle the day-to-day management of their respective divisions. In some counties, an assistant county manager is appointed to be the CHSA director and then appoints a social services and public health director (or a director and an assistant director in each division).
The only limitation on this flexible internal structuring authority comes from G.S. 153A-77(e), which requires that the CHSA director appoint (with the county manager’s approval) an individual who meets the statutory requirements of a local health director found in G.S. 130A-40(a). This appointment is only necessary if the CHSA director does not already personally meet those statutory local health director requirements. The law does not expressly require the CHSA director to delegate local health director powers and duties to the appointee who meets the G.S. 130A-40(a) requirements, but it may be prudent and logical to do so, since this individual would have the appropriate knowledge and experience to exercise such powers and duties. There is no equivalent requirement for the CHSA director to appoint someone with particular social services experience or qualifications, though many CHSA directors will find it necessary and pragmatic to do so.
More information about the appointment of the CHSA director and decisions regarding delegations of authority is available here.
