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New Health and Social Services Ombudsman outlines office role, staffing and budget needs
Summary
Trevor Sparrow, the newly appointed ombudsman for the Office of Health and Social Services Ombudsman, told the Joint Finance‑Appropriations Committee on Jan. 15 that the office will investigate complaints about foster‑care and other child‑serving residential settings and that it was appropriated three FTP and $470,000 in its first year.
The Office of Health and Social Services Ombudsman — created by the 2024 Legislature — appeared before the Joint Finance‑Appropriations Committee on Jan. 15 for an initial review of its organization and FY2026 personnel request.
Alex Williamson, a budget and policy analyst with the Legislative Services Office, told the committee the office was created by Senate Bill 1380 and is charged with monitoring and evaluating public and private compliance in the provision of health and social services for children under state care. The office received an appropriation of $470,000 for FY2025, of which $450,000 is ongoing; the appropriation funds three FTP. Williamson also noted a $20,000 one‑time capital outlay allocation to establish the office.
Trevor Sparrow, the governor’s appointee as ombudsman on Nov. 27, described the office’s intake and investigative role. Sparrow said any parent, foster parent, citizen or provider with concerns about a child in the foster care system may file a complaint with the ombudsman’s office. He described the office’s authority to investigate individual complaints and to conduct broader reviews of agencies and recommend legislative or administrative changes. “We can investigate complaints, make sure that the agency is handling those cases appropriately and ethically, and then we can make recommendations,” Sparrow told the committee.
Sparrow said the Department of Human Resources recommended higher personnel funding to recruit and retain staff and advised that some positions should be compensated above standard policy levels; Williamson told the committee the department recommended increasing personnel dollars to allow hiring “at above 80% of policy.” Sparrow also said the office intends to follow the U.S. Ombudsman Association standards and expects to create a multidisciplinary investigative team potentially including legal, nursing and social‑work expertise.
Senators and representatives asked about the office’s jurisdiction and relationships with existing citizen review panels and with child‑welfare agencies. Sparrow said the office’s primary focus is the foster‑care system but that statute permits investigation of complaints involving children in residential settings, including juvenile corrections facilities. He said he has been in contact with deputy director Prowell and Director Adams about case status and that, to his understanding, Idaho has moved children out of congregate care and short‑term rental placements in recent months.
The governor’s recommended FY2026 adjustment seeks additional ongoing personnel funding to meet DHR’s recruitment recommendations; the committee did not take a formal vote during the presentation. The ombudsman’s interim report requirement was referenced during the hearing as submitted under Senate Bill 1459 (2024).
