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Ombudsman Englman speaks at peer learning event
On 7 May 2023, the Office of the Ombudsman, within the Office of the State Comptroller and Ombudsman, hosted a peer learning event for staff of the Ministry of Defense on the theme: "Handling Complaints - Exposure and Challenges".
The learning event was the fruition of the unique and innovative cooperation between the Office of the Ombudsman and the Ministry of Defense, reflecting the high importance that the Ministry attaches to the handling of complaints as a main component in the provision of optimal service for the public.
The event was opened by State Comptroller and Ombudsman, Mr. Matanyahu Englman, who spoke about the audit reports that focus on social issues on the Israeli public agenda. He emphasized the role of the complaints investigated by the Office of the Ombudsman in determining the matters for state audit.
Dr. Esther Ben-Haim, Head of the Office of the Ombudsman, presented the work of the office in the investigation of complaints, including the Office's toolbox and the actions taken for making the Office accessible to communities that are worthy of special attention. She emphasized the need to tailor every stage of the investigation to the individual complainant and the importance of learning from the complaints about the services provided by the public body.
The heads of the Office's departments that investigate complaints about the Ministry of Defense gave a general description of the complaints received by the Office concerning the Ministry of Defense.
There then followed a panel composed of public complaints officers from the Jerusalem Municipality, the National Insurance Institute and Clalit Health Services, which was moderated by Adv. Ronit Zandberg, Vice-Head of the Office of the Ombudsman. The panel discussed the learning of lessons from complaints.
All the participants from the Ministry of Defense expressed their sincere thanks for the learning event and for the important ideas and work tools that they were taking away from it.
The success of the event, reflected in the highly positive feedback of the participants, strengthens the conviction that peer learning is of enormous benefit to ombudspersons and providers of public service. The Office of the Ombudsman will continue to serve as "professional home" for bodies and persons investigating complaints and providing services for the public.
Source: The Office of the State Comptroller and Ombudsman of Israel
