For Black History Month, our blog is written by Vivienne Connell-Hall (PhD) – one of our Senior Investigators. There was an All-Staff Dial-in on 21 September during which a caller asked the panel (chaired by Lt Gen James Swift (CDP)), to comment on the term “White Privilege”. CDP’s response (and I am paraphrasing here) was that, […]
Continue readingSCOAF as an organisation is small – only 25 posts, of which eight form the business team. The team is led by the Head of Office and supported by a Communications Officer, Statistician, Business Manager, Policy Manager, Executive Assistant and an Admin Support role. With such a variety of roles within the business team, it […]
Continue readingAt SCOAF, we have three key values. They are Independence, Impartiality and Integrity. These govern the way we work, the way we make our decisions, and are at the forefront of everything we do. Independence We are independent from the the Services we investigate. We hold them to account for service failure or injustice. […]
Continue readingIn my last blog, I reflected on my first few months in post. Now, three months on, it is time to look forward – at what my plans are for SCOAF over this business year, and my tenure as a whole. It is an exciting time for SCOAF, as we look to the future and […]
Continue readingThe Service Complaints Ombudsman for the Armed Forces (SCOAF) Annual Report 2020 was laid in Parliament today. The report is the fifth report to cover the work of the Service Complaints system and the Ombudsman’s office. There have been a number of improvements to the reformed Service Complaints system. However, the Ombudsman once more finds […]
Continue readingI officially took up my post on 8 February, and I can hardly believe we are already two months on from that point. The end of the financial year is now upon us – a time when many organisations are looking to the future, and making plans for what the coming months will bring. SCOAF […]
Continue readingThis 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 […]
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