(a) Upon receipt of a complaint filed on behalf of a foster child, foster parent, or kinship parent, on his or her own initiative or by court order within the scope of the Foster Care Ombudsman Program, the Foster Care Ombudsman shall investigate, except as provided in 49-9-102(c), any act, practice, policy, or procedure of any state agency, child-placing agency, or residential care facility which affects the health, safety, welfare, or rights of a foster child, a foster parent, or a kinship parent.
(b) Investigative activities of the Foster Care Ombudsman include, but are not limited to: information gathering, mediation, negotiation, informing parties of the status of the investigation, notification to any aggrieved party of alternative processes, reporting of suspected violations to a licensing or certifying agency, and the reporting of suspected criminal violations to the appropriate authorities.
(c) The Foster Care Ombudsman need not investigate any complaint upon determining that:
(1) The complaint is trivial, frivolous, vexatious, or not made in good faith;