Consolidated Human Services Agencies (CHSAs)

NOTE: Materials from this page are being migrated to the SOG's Human Services Hub. For the latest information and maps, please go to humanservices.sog.unc.edu and click on the tab for Consolidated Agencies. This page will be taken down when the migration is complete.

In 2012, the North Carolina General Assembly enacted legislation that provided counties with new options for how they can organize and govern some local human services agencies, including local health departments and departments of social services. All counties are now allowed, but not required, to create consolidated human services agencies that are either governed by an appointed board or by the board of county commissioners. Counties are also now allowed to keep separate county public health and social services departments but abolish their appointed governing boards and have the elected board of county commissioners assume that role.

Almost immediately after the law was enacted, several counties began exploring these new options and making changes at the local level. The School of Government (SOG) tracked the legislative developments closely, conducted research on organization and governance of local public health agencies, and has been providing technical assistance to counties since the law was enacted. This site is intended to serve as a centralized location for information and resources prepared or collected by SOG faculty members.

Resources for CHSAs and CHS Boards

Consolidated Human Services Boards: Frequently Asked Questions (Kristi Nickodem, 2022)

Questions and Answers: Consolidated Human Services Agencies (Kristi Nickodem, 2022)

Considerations When Creating a CHSA (Kristi Nickodem, 2022)

Personnel Decisions for North Carolina's Consolidated Human Services Agencies (Kristi Nickodem, 2021)

Legal Basics for Consolidated Human Services Boards (Kristi Nickodem, 2021)

Comparing Powers and Duties of Human Services Governing Boards (2014)

Social Services in North Carolina (Aimee Wall, 2014): Updated information regarding new human services agency organization and governance options, including consolidated human services agencies, is available in this Social Services chapter of County and Municipal Government in North Carolina.

HHS Acronyms: A guide to commonly used North Carolina health and human services acronyms.

2012 Legislation

Session Law 2012-126 (House Bill 438)

Organization and Governance of Local Public Health & Other Human Services Agencies: Summary of S.L. 2012-126 (H 438) (Jill Moore, July 2012)

Overview Presentation

SOG faculty members have been invited to talk with local government officials across the state as they have been evaluating the new options for organization and governance of local human services agencies. Click here for a version of the presentation that has been used during those talks.

There is also a free Legislative Update Webinar from August 2013 that is available on-demand. During the webinar, SOG faculty members describe some of the key features of the legislation. Click here for more information.

This document provides a high-level overview of the organization and governance options available to counties for social services and public health.

Coates' Canons Blog Posts on CHSAs

Consolidated Human Services Agencies (Aimee Wall, May 29 2012)

County Commissioners and Local Boards of Health: What Would Pending Legislation Allow, and What Would it Mean? (Jill Moore, June 20 2012)

Organization and Governance of Social Services: New Options for Counties (Aimee Wall, August 10, 2012)

Recent Developments in Organization and Governance of Local Human Services Agencies (Aimee Wall, September 25 2012)

Consolidated Human Services Agencies and the NC Local Health Department Accreditation Program (Jill Moore, November 27 2012)

An Update on Recent Changes for Local Human Services Agencies (Aimee Wall, April 23 2013)

What is a County Advisory Committee on Health and Who Has to Have One? (Jill Moore, June 21 2013)

You've Consolidated: Do You Know Who Your Local Health Director Is? (Jill Moore, March 25 2014)

Who is Required to Take an Oath of Office in the Human Services Field? (Kristi Nickodem, January 3, 2022)

Coates' Canons Blog Posts on Related Issues

Access to Confidential Client Records by Social Services Governing Boards (Aimee Wall, April 26 2016)

Delegating Local Health Director Powers and Duties (Jill Moore, March 30 2015)

Map of NC Public Health & Social Services Agencies

Interactive maps showing North Carolina's health and human services agencies' organization and governance structures are now available at the SOG's Human Services Hub.

Research Comparing Types of Local Public Health Agencies

In 2011, the SOG recevied grant funding from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation for a research project designed to compare the types of local public health agencies in operation across the state, including consolidated human services agencies. Click here for the full research project website. Click here for the final report.

Resolutions from North Carolina Counties

The following documents were developed by the respective counties and are offered for informational purposes only. It is up to each user of this website to review and evaluate the documents to determine whether they are useful and appropriate for the user's particular need. The documents were not created by School of Government faculty, nor have they been selected as models, best practices, or templates. We encourage users of this site to contact representatives of the jurisdiction that originated the document if you have questions about it. The School of Government, by making these documents available, does not make any representation about their legal validity. We strongly recommend that you consult with your local attorney before using any document obtained from this site.