What is the Mission of CETAC?

To advance the practice and profession of Public Health Social Work (PHSW) and assure high quality education and training for NC Public Health Social Workers.

Who is on CETAC?

The twenty committee members are jointly appointed by the NC State Public Health Director and the Dean of the UNC Gillings School of Public Health.  The members come from state and local health departments, other public health settings, associations of public health and schools of social work.  The committee includes a local health director representative. Members serve a 3-year term.

What has CETAC Accomplished?

Since its inception in 1995, CETAC has sponsored or co-sponsored a variety of Continuing Education programs such as the bi-annual Public Health Social Work Conference, and trainings on topics such as immigration, documentation, emergency preparedness. It participated in the development of national PHSW standards, has helped to promote the profession of PHSW, and linked social workers with PHSW employment.

Current Goals:

• Assure high quality education and training – sponsor the bi-annual PHSW conference and promote trainings of relevance to PHSW practice.
• Enhance the value of the PHSW profession – address the dilemma concerning the NC SW Title Protection Law exemption for state and local government employees by establishing a PHSW classification series that is exclusive to BSW and MSW graduates from accredited Social Work Programs. PHSWers currently working in local health departments will be grandfathered into the series. The law currently allows non-social work degreed professionals into the state social work classification series; however, care management programs require positions to be filled by degreed (BSW/MSW) social workers. A separate PHSW series will provide a career ladder for PHSWers so they retain employment within local health departments. It will also improve the quality of public health social work services by requiring staff to have a professional social work education, and to adhere to a national code of professional social work conduct (NASW Code of Ethics).
• Maintain public health social work staffing and capacity in state and local public health programs – promote participation among current PHSWers, new social work graduates, and those looking for work, in the PHSW list serve, to link them with PHSW positions.
• Promote the profession of PHSW to policy makers, public health leadership, social work students and lay persons through educational materials, social media and the CETAC sponsored speaker’s bureau.
• Identify and support current and emerging PHSW leaders through continuing education and mentoring.

What are the CETAC Subcommittees?

Executive, Nominating, Public Health Social Work Conference/Principles and Practices of PHSW, Marketing, and Social Work Leadership.

How can You Get Involved?

CETAC is always looking for public health social workers to participate on its various subcommittees.  You do not have to be a CETAC member to participate on a subcommittee.  If interested in volunteering, please contact Deborah Smith, CETAC Secretary, at (919) 359-3081 or deborah.c.smith@dhhs.nc.gov.

Resources for Public Health Social Workers

Be sure and check out the CETAC webpage at https://nciph.sph.unc.edu/cetac/ for more information about CETAC and public health social work. On the site you can sign up for the PHSW list serve to get job opening information, March Social Work month materials and other relevant news related to PHSW. You can also access the advocacy link to get information on your legislators, voting and how to do social justice advocacy. Print out the Staying Connected document to learn more about advocacy list serves. Finally, follow PHSW on Facebook.