The Iowa Senate passed a bill that drops the 30-hour training requirement to become a foster parent in the state. It passed with bipartisan support by a vote of 37-9.
The bill (SF 2096) would have the Iowa Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) determine a training course based on the prospective foster parent's "relevant training and experience." It would also take into consideration the circumstances of the child that could be placed in a foster home.
Several topics would still be required in the training, as listed in the bill:
- Attachment, grief and loss
- Overview of child welfare
- Trauma and the effect on child development
- Behavior management
- Biological parent contact and supporting a child's family of origin
Mary Beth O’Neill, president and executive director of Four Oaks, the state’s contractor for recruiting and training foster parents, said the bill addresses Iowa’s shortage of foster parents.
“We want training to be competency based, so we don't want to train people who have areas of expertise," O'Neill explained. "We value their time. We don't want to make it redundant. When you make the training more complicated, we lose families throughout the process."
It takes roughly six to nine months to complete the foster care licensing process in Iowa, according to Four Oaks. The organization uses the National Training and Development Curriculum for Foster and Adoptive Parents.
O'Neill also said this legislation would give Iowa HHS more flexibility to require training targeted for the needs of a child in foster care.
"You want to make sure that the families have the tools — the skills — that they feel confident," O'Neill said, adding an example that kids with autism have specific needs.
Safety parameters, like background checks and home studies, are not being changed under the bill. State Sen. Kara Warme, R-Ames, is the floor manager of the bill.
"We heard from many current and past foster parents in subcommittee in support of this legislation," Warme said. "It does not change anything from a safety perspective."
Warme added that the bill aims to customize training for parents based on their expertise. For example, if an applicant is already trained in CPR, they wouldn't have to repeat that training under this proposal.
Opponents point to Sabrina Ray's death at the hands of foster parents
The Iowa Integrated Health Planning and Advisory Council is registered against the bill. Teresa Bomhoff, a lobbyist for the council, said the bill would make it easier to become a foster parent and that there shouldn't be any reductions in training.
Bomhoff pointed to the case of Sabrina Ray, who was adopted out of Iowa's foster care system. The 16-year-old died of starvation in 2017 under the care of her adoptive parents, Marc Ray and Misty Bousman Ray. A 2020 investigation by the state ombudsman found Sabrina's death could have been prevented. It found the Iowa Department of Human Services — now Iowa HHS — received and wrongly rejected 11 child abuse reports against the parents.
Iowa HHS agreed to settle abuse claims with two of Sabrina's younger adoptive siblings for $10 million in 2023. In 2025, the state agreed to settle with another adopted child who suffered abuse in the same home for nearly $4.2 million.
O'Neill said safety and vetting requirements should not change.
"The more that we can do to make other people, foster parents included, aware of what abuse and neglect looks like, make sure that families have the monitoring and the visits that are required, the support that they need, I think that is paramount," she said.
Concerns about oversight and implementation
If the bill becomes law, Iowa HHS would create rules and oversee the implementation. It's not clear when the new system would begin.
Iowa ACES 360, which advocates for trauma-informed systems, is registered as undecided on the legislation. Executive Director Lisa Cushatt said the organization doesn't mind dropping the 30-hour requirement, but it's concerned about how the new system would be implemented.
“We don't want to place additional capacity burdens on a system we already know has a lot on their plates right now," Cushatt said.
State Sen. Renee Hardman, D-West Des Moines, voted for the bill.
"Oversight is critical. We need to make sure that HHS is doing everything they can to make sure these individualized, customized plans are well executed and orchestrated for the safety of our children," said Hardman.
She said she supports eliminating redundancies in training, but not what is required to become a foster parent.
State Sen. Tony Bisignano, D-Des Moines, voted against the legislation. He said the bill needs to have oversight outlined in the bill.
The bill would also have Iowa HHS determine the yearly training of foster parents. Currently, foster parents must complete six hours of training each year.
