Ombuds office SOS children's villages in Ghana

SOS Children’s Villages International has been working on strengthening its ability to provide safe environments for all of their children, young people, and staff. 


The ISC-Final-Report recommends that SOS Children's Villages expedites the implementation of a global Ombuds Office and enshrines its independence within the federation with the resources it needs to succeed as an independent mechanism for accountability to children, young people, and other stakeholders.


The Safeguarding_Strategy commits that individuals affected by misconduct receive an appropriate, timely and transparent response, including through the Ombuds system.


Feedback from over 1000 children and young people in consultations and the corresponding Learning to Listen and Respond! Consultation report Young people participated in defining the need for an Ombuds approach and developing key aspects of an Ombuds Office.

 

An Ombuds is a designated, independent, neutral or impartial conflict resolution practitioner who provides confidential and informal assistance to children, young people and staff on a variety of issues and concerns.

Confidentiality: The Ombuds will hold all communications in strict confidence and will not reveal - and must not be required to reveal - the identity of visitors to the Ombuds Office.


Impartiality: The Ombuds is a neutral resource for current or former programme participants, community members and staff in resolving concerns and issues.


Informality: The Ombuds listens, advises, advocates and navigates through informal processes.


Independence: To be credible and effective, the office of the Ombuds is independent in its structure, function, and appearance

 

  • Young people are at the centre. This means they help develop the Ombuds role and access points; recruit and select their Ombuds; build awareness; and monitor access to the Ombuds Office.

 

  • An Ombuds Board, separate from SOS Children’s Villages International Senate, oversees the Ombuds Office.

 

  • The Ombuds Office is set up on four principles: confidentiality, impartiality, informality, and independence.

 

  • An unsatisfactory outcome of a safeguarding process, which was concluded by the SOS safeguarding team, Human Resources or another SOS department
  • Concerns about a violation of rights of someone associated with a MA or SOS Children’s Villages International or lack of confidence in the a MA or SOS Children’s Villages International processes
  • Assistance to file a safeguarding or HR complaint
  • Confidential coaching needed on how to proceed when feeling unsafe to lodge a safeguarding or HR concern to an MA or SOS Children’s Villages International complaint’s systems
  • Concerns about serious harm to children, young people, care leavers, programme adults and staff that are not addressed: sexual, physical, neglect, emotional, exploitation, bullying, and harassment

  • It helps fulfil SOS Children's Villages' commitment to strengthening safe culture and environments for all
  • Children and young people in SOS Children’s Villages programmes have access to an independent, impartial, and informal resource for confidentially expressing and resolving their concerns
  • SOS Children's Villages has an independent resource for consultation and capacity building
  • Member associations have a greater capacity to keep children and young people in their programmes and services safe and well
  • It shows donors, legislatures, and others that SOS Children's Villages is implementing an innovative, independent approach to help ensure safe culture and environments for young people in their programmes and services.
  •  

  • a child or young person
  • an adult, community member, or SOS CV staff member inquiring on behalf of a young person
  • Anyone who is, or was, in an SOS Children’s Villages programme with a child safeguarding concern that was not dealt with successfully, or who needs support to access or navigate the system

When an inquirer — a child, young person, adult or group— contacts a National Ombuds with a concern, the Ombuds will confidentially listen, assess immediate risks, discuss options and agree on next steps, and help the inquirer navigate the way forward.

How can an Ombuds person be contacted 

 

Children and young people in SOS Children’s Villages programmes and services, now or in the past, can contact the National Ombuds through:

 

Email: ghana@ombuds-sos-cv.org 

Phone: 0574124495 

WhatsApp: +233574124495 

In person, when they visit