Expanding foster youth ombudsperson’s investigative power gets committee OK

It can take anywhere from weeks to months for the Office of the Foster Youth Ombudsperson to access information needed to investigate mistreatment claims.

This is because social services information requests must be filed through the Department of Children, Youth, and Families using a program Rep. Wayne Johnson (R-Cottage Grove) calls “cumbersome.” 

“This is another situation of why it is so important that we get modernization of technology in the state,” he said.

Rep. Wayne Johnson

He sponsors HF3901 that, as amended, would expedite foster case investigations by eliminating the information-gathering middleman. It would grant the foster ombudsperson direct access to the social services information system; provide the office with additional expanded investigative powers, like the ability to investigate foster facilities without prior notice; and the ability to meet with youth privately while protecting youth from retaliation for reporting maltreatment.

However, concerns were raised Tuesday during a House Children and Families Finance and Policy Committee meeting that the bill could violate federal data practice law.

Committee Co-Chair Rep. Carlie Kotyza-Witthuhn (DFL-Eden Prairie) noted the House Judiciary Finance and Civil Law Committee, where the bill was sent after children’s committee approval, is tasked with addressing these kinds of issues.

Misty Coonce, the state’s foster youth ombudsperson, said her office needs direct access to this information to properly investigate decisions being made about foster care youth. “When our requests go unfilled, there’s little recourse for our agency.”

Rebecca St. George, assistant commissioner for child safety and permanency administration at the Department of Children, Youth, and Families, calls the long wait time for information requests “very much a systems issue.” But, she added, some of these systems are in place to protect data privacy.

“We don’t have any sort of automatic redaction system to take care of the privileged information,” St. George said.

Instead of expanding system access, she recommends increased staffing and modernizing technology to accommodate data requests to help expedite information requests.