1. The future of the Ombudsman Association
A consultation with members

2. Background
This document presents the results of the latest stage of a programme of consultation with members regarding the future direction of the Ombudsman Association
The stages involved in the consultation are as follows:
Qualitative interviews with members by IpsosMORI together with an online survey of members to explore initial reactions to suggestions regarding the future role of the Association (December, 2013 – January, 2014)
Seminar with members to develop concrete proposals on future strategy (January, 2014)
Consultation with members about those proposals stemming from discussions at the OA Seminar (March, 2014)

3. Introduction
This report follows the seminar held with members to discuss the future role of the Ombudsman Association
The consultation aimed to understand members’ perceptions on the future role of the association as well as perceptions of how the association should develop to meet its future priorities
The findings of the consultation are discussed within the following report

4. Method
Online survey, link distributed to members alongside consultation summary
Survey open throughout March
62 respondents
Membership Category
Invites
Responses
Response rate
Complaint handler member 32 17
53%
Ombudsman member 31 18
56%
Associate member 50 24
48%
Total
113 62
55%
This report includes graphs and quotations drawn from members’ responses, in some instances response categories have been amalgamated to aid interpretation of the results

5. Key findings
Summarising members’ views

6. Key findings
Strong support for ‘Horizon Scanning’, network creation, becoming an authoritative voice & qualification development
High demand for expansion of the secretariat particularly in the areas of communication, policy & the provision/ coordination of training & development - recognition among a number of members that additional resources are required
Perception that the OA needs to work to raise its profile among governments & policy-makers or face marginalisation
The OA should work inclusively with members to help develop policy positions on specific issues & areas and communicate these to wider audiences
Strong support among most members for the OA to provide advice & guidance to the competent authority - this was felt to be of strategic importance to the OA
Some confusion as to how consistent positions could be taken by the OA given the varied & diverse nature of the membership

7. Key findings
Areas suggested for review in the consultation document are generally well supported – one of the biggest issues facing the OA is ensuring the inclusivity and relevance of the organisation for all members
A number of members feel disconnected from the decisions made by the executive
Support for a review of governance structures linked to a need to improve the inclusivity of the OA & the ability of all members to influence the strategic direction of the association
Many members recognise the need for increased resources, however large degree of variance with regards preferences for any funding increases. ‘Pay-as-you-go’ system seen to be most preferred, although there is a degree of polarisation between members in terms of preferences for the various funding options
Some support for the association to improve its use of technology in the areas of supporting forums and online discussion groups, providing resources via the website and potentially providing access to e-learning

8. Priority areas for the Association
Exploring members’ support for the development of the Association’s activities over the coming months and years

9. Preferences for the future role of the Association

10. Strong support for horizon scanning
Vast majority (91%) of members agree that horizon scanning should form an important element of the OAs remit
Mainly seen to be valuable in terms of resource management, decision making & a general desire to be ‘proactive rather than reactive’
Particularly helpful for smaller members who lack the in-house resources to effectively horizon scan
Horizon scanning is linked to a desire to influence policy development at an early stage, supporting members to build relationships with those likely to be important within their fields – part of the OA becoming more ‘outward focused’
Also suggested by some respondents that there should be an onus on members to keep the OA abreast of developments in their own fields, with the OA working to ‘share the load’
‘Only by scanning the horizon & having a continuing discourse with government & other leaders in society can those leading the ombudsman movement help keep it ahead of the curve’
‘It would help us start to influence events rather than be reactive to them’
‘This is something that the Association can usefully do on behalf of the membership - especially for some of the smaller schemes with limited in-house capacity’

11. Support for formal networks is strong, but need to ensure their relevance to all members
88% of members agreed the OA should be creating formal networks to share best practice, this was felt to be an area where OA was performing strongly
Linked to a desire to formulate & share codes of best practice, ideas for improvement & support for benchmarking
Recognition that smaller members in particular stand to gain much from sharing with the experiences of other members & some concern that formal networks do not become dominated by larger complaint handling organisations or do not degenerate into ‘cliques’
Also a desire that being ‘formal’ doesn’t just lead to an increased burden on members & the OA
Some uncertainty as to what increasing formalisation would entail, suggestions included, a formal sharing of outputs from networks (e-bulletins, etc)

12. Providing an authoritative voice is at the heart of the OAs purpose
88% of members agreed that the OA should be providing an authoritative voice to government, media & wider stakeholders, with many indicating that this was the heart of the OAs purpose
Having a ‘strong’, ‘consistent’ voice was felt to be crucial when influencing decision making & supporting the needs of members
Related to the need to raise the profile of the sector
Some confusion as to how a consensus can be built given the diversity of the ombudsman environment – need to more actively engage with members to identify common themes/ ideas
Danger of leaving a vacuum which others may fill, should the OA neglect to deliver this function
‘Parliaments, regulators & government policy makers need our expert contribution where they have policy issues affecting Ombudsmanry to determine. There either has to be consensus or where the issue might only affect one or two ombudsman services they would have to want OA to input along side them’
‘It would be good to establish what members think about issues of interest, to be able to present a united front. The first priority is to engage members interest… to establish any core principles of mutual agreement presenting views accordingly’
‘A collective voice on issues where there is wide consensus would be powerful & have a strong impact on policy & practice’

13. Although broad support for the provision of OA advice to governments, uncertainty as to what this would entail
Just under two thirds (63%) of members indicated support for the provision of advice to governments
Reasons for support were similar to those given for the OA becoming an ‘authoritative voice’, namely the opportunity to influence change & raise the profile of the sector – for this to happen the profile of the OA needs to be raised
However, some concern among members that the OA could lose its objectivity & impartiality if ‘advice’ became ‘lobbying’
Number of members indicated the need to ensure that the individual members’ expertise is not lost in any group approach
‘[Working together & providing a united voice] may carry more weight but wouldn't want this to crowd out individual member engagement so approach with care’
Strong correlation between support for ‘authoritative voice’ & support for providing advice (R=0.55)
‘There might be dangers in being seen as a lobbying organisation, OA should not be seen to be a body canvassing for the expansion of the sector. But acting as an authoritative body of wisdom of some relevance to turn to when a major decision needs to be made or issue arises, or a body that defends the sector from misinformed critique - why not?’
‘This could be very helpful, particularly where the sector is well placed to advise government e.g. creation of new schemes, consumer-citizen interests, the development of first tier complaint handling, etc.’

14. Top training/ qualification suggestions
Training & accreditation adds credibility, consistency & professionalism to the sector
81% of members agreed they would like to see the OA support the development of qualifications & accreditation
Top training/ qualification suggestions
Need to be flexible & skills based, not just theory
Focus on competencies – investigation skills, complaints handling, legal understanding, written communication & reporting
Needs to be relevant for staff in different roles, at a variety of levels
Suggestions of training up to degree level where appropriate – possibility for staff to select modular courses based on interest/ work area which contribute to an overall qualification
Strong feeling that the development of formal qualifications would engender public trust
Qualifications would support staff looking to progress their careers & provide organisations with more streamlined recruitment processes
Needs buy in from across the sector
Feeling that training should not just rely on classroom based theory
Some concerns about the accreditation of office holders rather than staff, particularly for schemes established via statute

15. Representing the sector to policymakers is important: meeting officials, consulting members & developing policy positions – more resources may be needed
There were a wide variety of mechanisms suggested by members in which the OA can proactively provide advice to policymakers, the consistent themes are highlighted as follows:
Suggestions for providing advice to policymakers & external organisations
Regularly consulting members to develop policy positions on a range of relevant subjects – possibly via the use of online forums & the development of sub- committees dedicated to specific issues
Contact between executive committee & relevant officials/ stakeholders
The publication of policy positions, briefing papers & guidance online
Executive committee member representation at key conference events
The deployment of more resources on research & policy expertise
Greater involvement/ use of members to represent the interest of the collective membership

16. Suggestions for promoting continuous improvement in best practice
Members positive towards suggested methods for promoting continuous improvement
Positivity towards the idea of commissioning research, publishing an OA journal & creating virtual forums & groups
Other suggestions which were consistently mentioned are summarised as follows:
Suggestions for promoting continuous improvement in best practice
Awards scheme
On-line regular e-newsletter
Potential for more informal advice/ mentoring, shadowing & secondments
Developing shared standards, exploring where contractual agreements exist between providers & understanding whether these can be expanded
Sharing internal research, decisions & information for benchmarking purposes
Look beyond the membership – explore European & Global insight
Potential for regional networks, so more locally based meetings

17. Most members strongly support the idea of the OA providing advice & guidance to the competent authority
Recognition that the OA has the knowledge & experience to successfully fulfil this role
Allows membership to shape its relationship with the competent authority
Potential negative strategic implications if the OA does not fulfil this role
However, certain challenges were identified by members:
Representing members which hold conflicting views on the implementation of the ADR directive
Financial implications for the OA
Among those members for whom the ADR directive is not relevant there is a concern that an increasing focus of the OAs resources on this issue could lead to them being marginalised

18. Implementing change
Understanding members’ perceptions of how best the OA should re-organise and fund the priorities identified

19. Those areas suggested for review are supported, the biggest challenge is ensuring the inclusivity and relevance of the OA to all members
Generally there was an agreement among members that the following areas to review were correct:
The role and purpose of the Executive Committee
Executive Committee structure and representation
Membership categories
Voting arrangements to ensure sense of common ownership 
Some concern among members that an organisational review was undertaken within the past few years, where these issues were discussed
The biggest challenge flagged by members related to inclusivity and the need to ensure that the association felt relevant to all organisations, voting was felt by many to be crucial in addressing this – there was a concern that merely looking at voting arrangements will not necessarily overcome divisions between different membership groups
‘Need to look at membership categories and voting arrangements to address the… strong sense of 'them and us'. [Better] identification of different member groups would enable the [OA] to foster a sense of inclusiveness and better meet the needs of different groups... Arrangements to make it quicker and simpler for members of the [Exec] to obtain the views of members to identify areas of consensus. Makes it easier for the [OA] to take a pro-active role in policy development’
‘The voting issue is a chimera, as there are almost no votes. However, an arrangement where a majority of non ombudsman schemes could determine the criteria for recognition of ombudsman offices would be a deal-breaker’

20. General support for a review of the OAs governance structures
Two thirds (68%) of all members agreed with a need for a review of the governance structures
A need to reconcile the differences between complaint handlers & ombudsman organisations
Need to strengthen the inclusivity of the OA, & ensure that the direction of the OA is not just determined by a perceived ‘elite’ group on the executive
A minority of members disagreed that a governance review was needed, driven by the perception that little had changed since the previous review

21. Governance review to focus on increasing inclusivity & delivering a clear strategy
Governance review should be linked to a wider assessment of the strategic goals of the OA
Review needs to consider the future responsibilities & commitments of the OA
Potential specifics mentioned were similar to those highlighted as part of an overall review process and included:
Overcoming segmentation between membership categories
Determining key roles & responsibilities
Improving the mechanisms through which all members can input into strategic decisions, potentially looking at voting rights
‘A more inclusive & representative Association, better known by policy-makers & the public, & influencing the development of ADR in all the countries it covers’
‘Governance structure is one thing, clear strategic direction is another. Effort should be put into the latter… the outcome should result in a strengthened OA, clear about its purpose, & one that is externally regarded as an organisation with an authoritative voice’
‘It doesn't appear to feel inclusive to most members at the moment. For example, there is no way that I am aware of for a member who is not on the Exec to have their voice heard or their views fed into any Exec discussions or decisions’
‘No one is elected, second tier complaint handlers feel outside the 'club‘

22. Strong support for expansion of the OA workforce recognises the future demands on the organisation
Three quarters (72%) of all members agree that the secretariat should be expanded beyond its current one person role:
Unsurprisingly, members who agreed that an expansion of the secretariat is needed, were significantly more likely to support the development of the OAs activities in all the areas mentioned

23. Expansion most needed in the roles of developing training/ good practice, policy & communications

24. Preferred mechanism for funding expansion ‘pay-as-you-go’ activities & licenses for training
Preference highest for pay per use services such as specific events & activities, & licenses for training materials
Sponsorship was the least preferred funding stream – linked to concerns about impartiality
Other suggestions for funding increases included advertising, expanded membership & wider targeting of events
Strong correlation between agreement that expansion of the secretariat is needed & preference for increasing contributions from members budgets (R=0.27)
Other correlations between preferences for increased membership subscriptions & increased contributions from members budgets (R=0.41)
Members who preferred increased membership subscriptions were significantly less likely to prefer contributions via sponsorship (R=-0.36)

25. Agreement that the OA needs to become more e-enabled: However, confusion as to what this might entail
Responses to earlier questions about increasing training & networking demonstrated the importance of online forums for sharing ideas & best practice, & the potential for providing e-learning - Reflected in the finding that over half (53%) of members felt the OA needed to become better ‘e-enabled’
There was some confusion as to what is meant by being ‘e-enabled’ with just under half (46%) of all members responding ‘don’t know’ or ‘neither agree nor disagree’
Improving the online capabilities of the OA was felt to have benefits in the areas of information distribution, reducing geographic barriers members and recusing costs