This bill establishes two new positions within the state of Iowa: an ombudsman assistant specifically for child foster care and a state foster care advocate. The ombudsman assistant will be appointed by the state ombudsman and will focus on investigating complaints related to child foster care, as outlined in the amended Section 2C.6. Additionally, the bill mandates that all public materials regarding child foster care include contact information for both the state foster care advocate and the ombudsman assistant.

The state foster care advocate will be designated by the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) and will operate within the compliance division, separate from the family well-being and protection division. The advocate's responsibilities include improving administrative functions related to child foster care, engaging in policy discussions, making recommendations, and receiving complaints about foster care services. Furthermore, HHS is required to provide new foster care licensees with the advocate's contact information and a description of their services. By December 1, 2025, HHS must submit proposed legislation to the General Assembly to formally define the advocate's role and duties, after soliciting public input on the matter.

Statutes affected:
Introduced: 2C.6