Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Child Welfare Oversight topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
New Health and Social Services Ombudsman outlines remit, staffing needs as office starts case intake
Summary
Ombudsman Trevor Sparrow described the office’s role investigating foster-care and residential-placement complaints, said the office has three FTE and $470,000 appropriated (FY2025), and requested higher personnel funding to recruit at salary levels recommended by DHR.
The newly created Office of Health and Social Services Ombudsman introduced itself to the Joint Finance-Appropriations Committee on Jan. 15, explaining its jurisdiction, staffing and funding and asking for support to recruit and retain qualified personnel.
Alex Williamson, a budget and policy analyst with the Legislative Services Office, told the committee that Senate Bill 1380 established the ombudsman within the structure of state government and that the governor appointed Trevor Sparrow to the position on Nov. 27. The office was appropriated three full-time positions and $470,000 for fiscal year 2025, Williamson said; $450,000 of that is ongoing general-fund appropriation while $20,000 was one-time capital outlay to set up the office.
Sparrow, the ombudsman, described the office’s primary function as receiving complaints and concerns from parents, foster parents, providers and others about Idaho’s foster-care system and, as permitted by law, investigating complaints involving residential agencies and juvenile corrections. “We will primarily focus on the foster care system,” Sparrow said, adding the office can investigate residential agencies and juvenile corrections when complaints are filed.
Williamson told the committee the governor’s recommended request would increase personnel funding after the Department of Human Resources advised that the originally appropriated personnel costs might be insufficient to hire competitively. “DHR recommended an increase in personnel dollars… to hire folks at above 80% of policy,” Williamson said. Committee members were told roughly $395,000 of the $450,000 ongoing appropriation was allocated to personnel costs in the current base.
Senator Cindy Wintrow asked about coordination with citizen review panels that conduct aggregated case reviews and policy recommendations. Sparrow said he has already met with Department of Health and Welfare staff and sees potential to use citizen review panel volunteers for research and policy work and to support multidisciplinary reviews – a structure he said aligns with standards from the United States Ombudsman Association. Sparrow also said the Department of Health and Welfare reported to him that children previously in congregate care placements had been moved out of congregate settings.
The ombudsman told the committee the office could issue investigations beyond single complaints and recommend legislative changes if systemic problems are identified. Sparrow said the office intends to build a multidisciplinary team that could include legal, nursing and social-work expertise to support complex reviews.
No formal committee action occurred during the introduction. The committee accepted the presentation and proceeded with other hearings.
Why it matters: The new office centralizes a neutral investigatory function for complaints about foster care and related residential placements. Staffing and pay levels will determine how quickly the ombudsman can investigate cases, produce systemic reviews and recommend legislative or administrative remedies.
