By-Laws
1. The Purpose of
Consumer and Family Advisory Committee is defined in the North Carolina state
plan, blueprint for change 2002 as
follows:
“Each prospective LME will
establish a Consumer and Family Advisory Committee (CFAC). The CFAC will
convene at the beginning of the local planning efforts and will have an active
role with delineated responsibilities throughout the planning process. The
group will advise staff regarding the local business planning effort and will
review and submit a separate report on local business plans to the Division.
The CFACS will have clearly specified relationships to county/area boards as
described in local business plans.”
2.
Mission Statement:
The Cumberland County CFAC will:
a)
Provide feedback to LME from consumers and family members as to how
their needs and goals are being met.
b)
Be active in providing information to the community about available
resources for treatment of substance abuse, mental illnesses, disabilities,
and help for children and families suffering from physical, mental, emotional,
or sexual abuse.
c)
Provide appropriate feedback to consumers and families, Cumberland County Commissioners, the local LME, and the NC State Mental Health
Division on the progress of the program.
d)
Assist in helping the under-served population.
3.
Membership/Application Process
a)
The Cumberland County CFAC will consist of eighteen (18) voting members
representing adults and children, the disability areas of mental
health/developmental disabilities and substance abuse and will include
consumers and family members. The Committee also will work to have
representation from the African American, White, Hispanic, Native American and
Asian communities in order to have representation from the primary ethnic
groups in our community.
b)
Individuals who wish to be considered as members of the CFAC will
complete an Application form and submit the form to the CFAC chair or Mental
Health Center liaison. The form will be reviewed by the CFAC members and a
determination if membership is needed in the particular age/disability area
noted. If there is no membership available, the individual will be notified
and encouraged to attend the meetings as a non-voting member.
c)
The CFAC can meet to discuss and problem solve on current issues and
concerns; however, all business that requires a vote can only be conducted if
there is a quorum of nine (9) members present. The officer presiding over the
meeting will only vote if there is a tie.
d)
Other citizens in the community are welcome to attend meetings but may
be asked to sign confidentiality statements. The meetings will be noted in the
Community Events section of the newspaper.
e)
The Cumberland County CFAC will have a Chair, Vice Chair/Co-Chair and a
Secretary (as needed).
f)
Individuals who wish to be considered for one of the Officer positions
must have at least one year active involvement on a CFAC or in an advocacy
group and be motivated to serve as an officer. The Chair and
Vice-Chair/Co-Chair must include an adult member and youth member (i.e. if
chair is adult member, vice-chair will be youth member and vice versa).
Individuals wishing to serve as an officer can nominate him/herself or be
nominated by another CFAC member.
g)
Members should make attempts to attend all regularly scheduled and
called meetings. When unable to attend, a member should contact the Chair, Co
Chair or Staff support and notify them that they will not be able to attend.
h)
If a member has more than one unexcused or unexplained absence, contact
will be made by the Chair and/or Co Chair. Attempts will be made to determine
reasons for non-attendance and if there are things that the Committee or staff
can do to assist the person in getting to meetings.
i)
Upon a member having three unexcused absences and attempts being made
by Officers to resolve the issues related to poor attendance, a recommendation
may be made for dismissal from the Committee.
j)
Members should also work cooperatively with other members. Should a
member be disruptive to the work of the CFAC, the Chair/Co-Chair will advise
the member of the concerns and attempt to problem solve. If a resolution is
not obtained and the member continues to be a negative disruptive member, a
recommendation may be made to the CFAC for dismissal from the Committee. A
special meeting will be convened by the Chair/Co-Chair if this is indicated.
Once the Committee makes a decision about the continued participation of a
CFAC member or identifies strategies to address problems, the member will be
notified. A simple majority will be needed to make a recommendation for
removal from the CFAC. In such cases, the member will be notified in writing.
k)
A recommendation for dismissal from the Committee will be provided to
the member in writing. The member can respond in writing if he/she disagrees
with the recommendation and present their case to the CFAC for further
discussion as appropriate.
l)
Should the concern arise with the behavior or performance of the Chair
or Co-Chair, then the concerned member should approach the other officer and
state their concerns. The officer will then consult with the Staff liaison and
others to develop strategies to approach the other officer. If strategies to
resolve problems are not developed, the concerns will be brought to the CFAC
Committee for resolution. Based on the decisions and recommendations made in
the Committee, the officer in question may be removed from their position as
an officer or as a CFAC member. Simple majority vote of the CFAC will be
required to take such action.
4. Elections:
-
New members can be added by approval of a
simple majority of current members.
-
Members will serve for a minimum of one
year but may be selected to serve more than one term.
-
To ensure continuity of the CFAC, officers
will serve staggered terms as follows: Chair: 3 years, Co-Chair/Vice Chair:
2 years, Secretary: 1 year.
-
All members, including the officers shall
perform the following duties:
a)
Perform duties imposed on them collectively or individually by
the NC State Plan:
2002, State Plan 2003 (and future updates)
and by these bylaws;
b)
Attend all meetings of the committee and any sub-committees on which
they are members
c)
Advocate within the committee for the interests of the persons they
were elected to represent
d)
Avail themselves of the educational opportunities offered by the LME,
the state and others as appropriate
e)
Actively participate in the committee's activities
f)
Advocate for the interests of consumers and families to the community
and to policy makers.
5. Duties and Responsibilities of
Officers:
a)
The Chair and Co-Chair will alternate presiding over all meetings of
the CFAC. He/she shall have responsibility to ensure that the topics and
concerns of the community are addressed by the Committee and that information
is shared and training provider as indicated. These officers will also perform
other duties as assigned by the CFAC members.
b)
The Chair/Co-Chair shall be the official representative of the CFAC in
all situations where representation is appropriate. He/she shall represent the
views and wishes of the CFAC Committee as a whole rather than his/her own
opinions, if those should differ.
c)
Either the Chair or Co/Vice Chair shall be a member of any committees
that may be established by the CFAC to carry on the business of the Committee.
For the article Effects of
Mental Health Reform by Julia M., CFAC member,
click here.
If you have
questions or comments about the Cumberland County Consumer &
Family Advisory Committee, please feel free to contact
Sharon Yates, Public Relations Director at 910-323-0601 or email
Sharon or
CFAC.
