Homelessness is increasingly affecting families from areas and professions who previously might never have expected to face problems finding somewhere to live, a new report by the Local Government and Social Care Ombudsman can reveal. The report, “Still No Place Like Home”, shows in 2016-17 one in three complaints received about homelessness services delivered by English authorities came from outside of London.

The Scottish Public Services Ombudsman (SPSO) published its second thematic report on “Making Complaints Work For Everyone”. The report focuses on the impact of complaints on staff who have been complained. It identifies the causes of negative staff experiences of complaints, and offers a number of resources that can help prevent these difficulties whilst ensuring that the rights of the service user are properly observed.

Perth hosted international and interstate delegates from Ombudsman institutions in the Australasian and Pacific region in November 2017. The 29th Australasian and Pacific Ombudsman Region Conference was themed Connections in our Australasian-Pacific Region.

Manitoba Ombudsman has released a report under the Personal Health Information Act (PHIA) related to unauthorized access to personal health information in the databases of the Provincial Drug Program (PDP) branch within Manitoba Health, Seniors and Active Living (MHSAL).

The Victorian Ombudsman has tabled an investigation into the financial support provided to kinship carers, finding that the Department of Health and Human Services failed to act in the best interests of some of Victoria's most disadvantaged children by neglecting kinship carers. Tabling her report in the Victorian Parliament today, Ombudsman Deborah Glass said her investigation has exposed “an alarming weakness in our child protection system”.

Este año la actividad lleva como consigna “Por la educación vial”. La largada se realizará el próximo domingo a las 8 horas desde la rotonda grande de la costanera este. La inscripción puede realizarse a través de www.defensoriasantafe.gob.ar

Guided by the objective to provide Ombudsman institutions worldwide with best practice papers on Ombudsman-related topics, the IOI is pleased to circulate a draft of the 2nd Issue on “Securing effective change – how to make recommendations that bring about sustainable improvement to public administration” to the wider membership for comments, remarks and input.  

On 11 December 2017 a group of the Sorbonne International Administration Student Association visited the headquarters of the International Ombudsman Institute in Vienna. The purpose of the visit was to gain an insight into the functioning of this global organization. IOI Secretary General Günther Kräuter answered the many questions this interested study group posed.