State office would help foster families and review complaints

The bill would establish an office in the Department of Health and Human Services to support people involved in the state’s child welfare system. The office would focus on youth, birth families, and resource parents directly involved in North Carolina’s child welfare system. The Health and Human Services Secretary would choose an Ombuds with foster care experience and knowledge of related laws and rules. The office would have to be operating by January 1, 2026.

The office would share information, help people with foster home approval, and review complaints and inquiries. Help would cover current resource parents and people seeking approval for family or therapeutic foster homes. The office could help with license waivers when applicable and would develop a process for mediation between parties. It would review matters neutrally using relevant information and set its own work priorities.

The bill would protect people from retaliation for reporting legal or ethical concerns to the office and keep certain communications confidential. The retaliation protection would cover people in the foster care system who report violations of law or ethical concerns to the office. The office would review every report and decide how to protect the person; this could include referring the report to law enforcement or the Attorney General. Confidentiality would cover communications with prospective resource parents and people seeking help from the office.

The office would publish yearly reports on complaints and recurring issues and send data to state officials and lawmakers. Reports would cover inquiries, complaints, and recurring issues involving resource parents and county social services departments. Public reports could not identify any individual or resource parent. The office would have to report to the Governor’s Office and Health and Human Services by October 1, and to the legislative oversight committee by November 1, each year.

The bill would set aside money for the department to establish the office and hire one full-time employee. The appropriation is for the Department of Health and Human Services. The funding sections would take effect July 1, 2025.