Maintaining objectivity in casework and avoiding case hardening. The Office of the Ombudsman. Maintaining objectivity in casework and avoiding case hardening. David Ryan 12 May, 2011

Maintaining objectivity The whole truth and nothing but.. Personal contact with the customer and the public body Filtering subjective views Maintaining our independence but trained and “experienced” Experts in our own areas ?

The way we were Review by peers Review by superiors An appeal system Client surveys How fair and efficient was the “old” process ?

The way we are A new process for dealing with complaints Assessment of complaints Examination of complaints Investigation of complaints

Case hardening and how to avoid it Group discussion Appeal process Customer surveys Spot checks and individual discussion

Cultural evolution ? Why we changed our process. Leaving our Silos Dangers inherent in changing our process. Advantages of changing our process Can we maintain our objectivity and avoid case hardening?