CO HB1200

HB 25-1200: Modifications to Office of Child Protection Ombudsman

• Expands the types of complaints the Child Protection Ombudsman can investigate to include complaints from family members, caregivers, or concerned individuals; complaints about systemic issues affecting child safety; and complaints from community members about child protection policies.

• Grants the Ombudsman access to state-licensed residential child care facilities and state-operated youth facilities to meet with children upon request, distribute outreach materials, and provide educational courses about the office's services.

• Requires the State Department of Human Services to provide the Ombudsman unrestricted access to the TRAILS database and permit office employees to attend the Child Welfare Training Academy for educational purposes.

• Establishes confidentiality protections specifying the Ombudsman cannot access personnel files, work product, attorney-client privileged materials, or deliberative process documents, and agencies must notify the Ombudsman when withholding such records.

• Requires residential child care facilities to notify the Ombudsman within three days of each unaccompanied immigrant child's arrival and to operate under memoranda of understanding that establish timelines for facility access and confidential meeting spaces.