Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Health And Welfare topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Trevor Sparrow outlines plans for new Idaho Health and Social Services Ombudsman office
Summary
Trevor Sparrow, nominated as Idaho’s Health and Social Services Ombudsman, described plans to accept complaints online and by phone, analyze citizen review panel reports, pursue mediation training for staff and collaborate with the Department of Health and Welfare; the committee will vote on his confirmation at a later meeting.
Trevor Sparrow, nominated to serve as the Idaho Health and Social Services Ombudsman, told the Senate Health and Welfare Committee about his background and initial plans for the newly created office.
Sparrow said he previously worked as a probation and parole officer, a drug and alcohol counselor for the Idaho Department of Corrections and as director of the Idaho Youth Challenge Academy in Pierce. He described the ombudsman role as “about advocacy, accountability, and understanding” and said his office will adopt standards from the U.S. Ombudsman Association.
Sparrow told the committee he has been in the job for about a month and has already identified a reporting system to receive complaints online and by telephone, plans to hire a deputy ombudsman, and intends to train staff as certified mediators to support impartial investigations and administrative fairness. He said citizen review panel reports and related data will be collected and analyzed to identify regional patterns and systemic issues.
Sparrow said the Youth Challenge Academy helped “approximately 24,100 youth” (as he stated) get back on track academically and that he plans to work with citizen review panels on issues such as rates of incarcerated women and regional differences that affect foster‑care placement.
Sen. Wintrow and others expressed support and offered to collaborate with Sparrow on citizen review panels and statutory improvements. The committee did not vote on Sparrow’s confirmation during the session; members said they will vote at the next meeting.
