National Association of Social Workers - North Carolina Chapter

2009-2010 Legislative Agenda: Social Work Identification Movement

• Social Work Identification: Advocate for increased title and practice protections for Social Workers in all practice settings through promotion of social work identification legislation.
• Social Work Identification License Plate for NC: Greater professional visibility and recognition of social work identification through an NC license plate.
• School Social Work Practice Study Bill: Advocate for comprehensive workforce study bill to analyze all aspects of School Social Work in NC.

WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT COLLABORATIVES

• Continue to promote expanded funding of the Child Welfare Education Collaborative.
• Advocate for the creation of an Aging Collaborative to increase the number of Social Workers in the Aging workforce by providing support such as loan forgiveness.
• Advocate for the creation of a Mental Health, Developmental Disability, and Substance Abuse Collaborative to increase the number of Social Workers in the MH/DD/SA workforce by providing support such as loan forgiveness.
• 1st Exam Pilots: Advocate for expansion of Clinical Social Work professional roles within commitment statutes that are in accordance with established education and competence as set forth by NASW and law.

COALITIONS & SOCIAL JUSTICE ISSUES

• Capital Procedures: Advocate for the removal of the death penalty as an option in cases where a mental illness was present at commission of crime.
• Healthy Youth Initiative: Advocate for a comprehensive sex education curriculum in NC Public Schools.
• School Violence Prevention Act: Advocate for a change in the state bullying statute to include a comprehensive list of at-risk youth.
• Ban on Corporal Punishment in Public Schools: Advocate for a ban on use of corporal punishment in NC Public Schools.
• Collective Bargaining Moratorium: Advocate for the removal of the moratorium on the right of public sector employees to collectively bargain.
• Together NC: Advocate for budgetary resources to meet needs of vulnerable citizens.

Other Critical Issues

• Advocate for laws and policies that promote a healthy and therapeutic environment for families and communities, promoting alternatives to gang violence.
• Advocate for laws and policies in NC that protect all children from abuse, neglect, and dependency.
• Advocate for comprehensive reform to state and national illegal immigration policy.
• Advocate for a quality continuum of care and services for the elderly.
• Monitor growth of managed care and promote development of adequate review and appeals process in MH/DD/SAS. 
• Advocate for access to equal, timely, and evidence-based professional MH/DD/SAS community-based services for all persons in NC.
• Advocate for access to a true safety net of safe and available psychiatric hospitalization, if needed, in both local communities and at state level for NC consumers and families. 
• Promote services that will divert persons with mental illnesses and addictive disorders from the criminal justice system.
• Advocate for increases in social work salaries and compensation so that there is equity in pay levels among professions.
• Advocate for the stabilization of practice for Provisionally Licensed Clinical Social Workers through implementation of a fair and comprehensive incident to billing structure for PLCSWs.
• Advocate for equitable and fair reimbursements for all Clinical Social Workers from third party payers.
• Advocate for a higher state minimum wage and a higher Earned Income Tax Credit.
• Promote a safe environment and equal protection from domestic violence for all persons in NC.