An Act transferring foster care review responsibilities to the Office of the Child Advocate

HD 1120 transfers responsibility for reviewing foster care cases from the Department of Children and Families to the Office of the Child Advocate. The bill requires the Office of the Child Advocate to conduct biannual reviews of each child in foster care, focusing on placement safety, progress toward permanency, service delivery, and compliance with care plans. It establishes local panels of trained citizen reviewers (working with staff) to carry out these reviews, replacing the previous system. The Office of the Child Advocate will also produce annual reports for the legislature, governor, and public, and gain access to all relevant case data. This directly affects children in foster care, the Office of the Child Advocate (now conducting reviews), and the Department of Children and Families (no longer responsible for reviews).