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Nominee Trevor Sparrow outlines goals for new Idaho Health and Social Services ombudsman office
Summary
Trevor Sparrow, nominee to lead Idaho's newly created Health and Social Services Ombudsman Office, described plans for investigations, data collection and collaboration with citizen review panels; committee members asked about statutory authority and panel operations.
Trevor Sparrow, the governor’s nominee for the newly created Idaho Health and Social Services Ombudsman, described his background and the office’s early plans during a committee hearing.
Sparrow said he spent 11 years with the Idaho Youth Challenge Academy, including eight years as director, and prior work as a probation and parole officer and drug and alcohol counselor. He described the ombudsman role as focused on “advocacy, accountability, and understanding” for vulnerable youth and said his office will adopt best practices from the United States Ombudsman Association and certify staff as professional mediators.
Sparrow told senators he has already been contacted by parents and advocacy groups with concerns and that he is establishing an investigative process and an online complaint system to collect data to inform policy recommendations. He said the office will compile quarterly reports, analyze trends, and work with citizen review panels across regions to identify systemic problems.
Sen. Maryanne Wintrow asked how Sparrow envisions the office working with existing citizen review panels and whether statutory changes might be needed to allow the panels to operate more effectively. Sparrow said he is “very excited” to work with the panels, that regional issues differ across Idaho, and that preliminary review suggests there may be room for statutory improvements regarding panel organization and funding.
Sparrow said he has been coordinating with Health and Welfare leadership, including Director Adams, and that he hopes to hire a deputy ombudsman and secure office space soon. The committee did not vote on Sparrow’s confirmation at this hearing; members said they will take the vote at the committee’s next meeting.
Why it matters: The ombudsman office was created to provide independent oversight, complaint resolution and data analysis for child‑welfare and related services; Sparrow positioned the office as both an investigative and a data‑driven policy advisory body.
