When social workers discuss the kinds of policies we’d like to see implemented to protect children, it oftentimes seems like a long shot to see any of them come to fruition. Social work is full of dreamers – people who care deeply about the world around them and devote their lives to creating innovative solutions to societal problems. For most social workers, this manifests in direct practice work, engaging community members from hospitals to schools to their homes. Others take a more macro approach, working to improve systems or create entirely new ones. Either way, all our work is shaped by policy. Social workers being involved in policy, much less the policymakers themselves, is something many people don’t even consider. However, there are many platforms for engagement. The North Carolina Child Fatality Task Force (CFTF) is a place where social workers, policymakers, and some who are both, come together to figure out how to preserve and improve the lives of children in North Carolina.
As a macro social worker, the intersection of social work and policy interests me deeply. I was lucky enough to spend the past year with a research assistantship under the Jordan Institute for Families and the CFTF and witness some of the most fascinating conversations I’ve ever heard. State Senators and Representatives from both parties sat beside each other in a much more congenial manner than the media would show. Community leaders, businesses owners, lawyers, doctors, social workers, and more sat right there with them. We all listened as experts talked about programs being implemented across the state and the lives being saved. Programs I had never heard of in my social work classes such as Safe Sleep NC, which teaches parents and caregivers how to give infants the safest sleep environments even during a hurricane, or NC S.A.F.E, which raises awareness about safe firearm storage and provides the locks needed that can save lives. We also heard devastating statistics on child death in NC, many of which are preventable. It was eye-opening in many ways about problems in NC, solutions being implemented, and how they get funded.
The CFTF is separated into three committees: the Perinatal Health Committee, the Unintentional Death Prevention Committee, and the Intentional Death Prevention Committee. Some members are constant, such as the Chief Medical Examiner or the Director of the Division of Social Services of the Department of Health and Human Services, while others are appointed by the Governor, the House, or the Senate. The rest of the members are volunteers, but don’t be fooled by the name volunteer; these members are also made up of experts and community members whose vote holds just as much weight as a State Senator. The committees hold meetings and listen to presentations on relevant issues then typically either decide to support the recommendation, take more time to gather information, or not support it (with a few caveats). Every few months, the entire task force comes together and hears overviews of the issues the committees voted to recommend. After all that, the CFTF can vote to make an official recommendation and hope that the state legislature heeds their words, but it is never a guarantee. Although the CFTF cannot pass legislation, they are an influential voice for the policies that protect children in North Carolina. You can read the most recent annual report here and see even more of the incredible work they’re doing. There may just be a policy intervention that inspires you to join them.
My time with the CFTF may be coming to a close, but their work is nowhere near over. These policy issues are intrinsically linked to the School of Social Work and Jordan Institute for Families. One of the most important lessons I learned was that change can come about in many ways. We need good policymakers as much as we need people to carry out the interventions. To get involved, you don’t need to be an expert on every single issue. If you have the heart to help others (what some might call the heart of a social worker), you will find platforms like the CFTF to learn, make change, and maybe even save a few lives.
