A bill for an act creating the positions of an ombudsman assistant for child foster care and a foster care advocate.

SF 564 creates two new roles in Iowa's child welfare system: a foster care advocate within the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) and an ombudsman assistant for foster care complaints. The foster care advocate, based in HHS's compliance division (separate from child protection services), will support foster care providers by improving agency operations, making policy recommendations, and handling complaints about foster care services. The bill requires HHS to provide foster care licensees with the advocate's contact information when they apply for licensure and to include this information in all public child foster care materials. It also mandates that HHS submit formal legislation to codify the advocate's role by December 1, 2025, after gathering public input.