This has been a hard blog for me to write. It’s my last one before I demit office at the end of the year, and there is a lot more to be said that can be captured in a few hundred words. How can I begin to capture here what it has meant to be […]
Continue readingThis month, our blog is being written by Dr Vivienne Connell-Hall – one of our Senior Investigators. What does BHM mean to me? For me, BHM means that for 31 days out of 365 days of the year there is an opportunity for focussing on Black historical input and achievement, in the United Kingdom. Paradoxically, […]
Continue readingThis 8th October is Ombuds Day, which occurs on the second Thursday of October each year. Ombuds Day is promoted by the American Bar Association (ABA) to increase public awareness of Ombudsman institutions, their roles, function and the valuable work they provide. Similar to last year, the theme for Ombuds Day is ‘Unusual Name, Important […]
Continue readingSix months ago all our lives were very, very different. Looking back to 1 January none of us could have foreseen how a pandemic could have altered our lives so dramatically to the point of lockdown. While it has been challenging for everyone responding to this pandemic, it has brought out the best in all […]
Continue readingThis is an intensely personal piece, but as a Black British woman, sometimes the best way to make observations on a wider issue is to illustrate it with, and from, a particular perspective. That is why I am writing this. It has been 2 weeks since the killing of George Floyd. After 3 memorial services […]
Continue readingAs the Service Complaints Ombudsman for the Armed Forces, I have oversight of the Service Complaints system. But what some people don’t know is that not all complaints are dealt with this way. The Service Complaints system is the formal mechanism for resolving specific types of grievances[1] raised by Service personnel. However, many complaints are […]
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People often ask me what my job is like. Sometimes they want a broad picture of my roles and responsibilities. Other times, they want to know what I do day-to-day. While it is very easy to say what my broad role is, it is often more difficult to explain what I do on a daily […]
Continue readingIt has become a tradition for me to use the first SCOAF blog of the year to look at the year ahead. I look forward to writing this at the start of each year, but especially this year. Why? Well, not only does 2020 mark the fifth year of operation for SCOAF but because my […]
Continue readingAs 2019 draws to a close, it offers the perfect opportunity to reflect on the year that has passed; the challenges and opportunities we’ve encountered, what we’ve achieved, and where we are heading.
Continue readingWhistleblowing is a word that is sometimes used interchangeably with the word complaint – but the act of whistleblowing and making a complaint are two separate things.
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