Michelle Morris, Public Services Ombudsman for Wales (PSOW), explains why stronger engagement with voluntary organisations is essential to helping PSOW make the most of its powers and improve public services across Wales.
WHY PARTNERSHIP MATTERS
Every day, voluntary organisations across Wales support people who have experienced problems with public services.
You help people navigate difficult situations and advocate on their behalf. As a result, you often see emerging issues and recurring concerns before they reach formal complaints processes.
At the Public Services Ombudsman for Wales (PSOW), we know that not every concern reaches us. Some people are unaware of our service, while others face barriers to accessing complaints processes. In some cases, organisations like yours may be aware of patterns affecting multiple people, but no single complaint reveals the full picture.
That is why strong relationships with the voluntary sector are so important. Your insight helps us understand how public services are working – and where they may not be.
LOOKING BEYOND INDIVIDUAL COMPLAINTS
Many people know us as the organisation that investigates complaints about public services in Wales. That remains a core part of our role.
We consider complaints about services including health, social care, social housing and local government. Where we find that something has gone wrong, we recommend action to put things right.
This year marks 20 years of PSOW. It is an opportunity to reflect on how our role has evolved and the impact we have had, while looking ahead to the future.
A significant part of that evolution has come through the Public Services Ombudsman (Wales) Act 2019, which introduced new powers that allow us to take a more proactive and system-wide approach.
Alongside our complaints work, we now have three key functions:
- Own Initiative investigations, allowing us to examine systemic issues affecting groups of people, even where no individual complaint has been made
- The Complaint Standards Authority (CSA), supporting public bodies to improve how they handle complaints
- Ability to accept Oral Complaints, making it easier for people to access our service
Together, these powers mean we can do more than respond to individual complaints – we can act earlier, identify wider issues, and support improvement across public services. But none of this happens in isolation. To use these powers effectively, we need to hear from the people and organisations closest to communities.
WHY YOUR INSIGHT MATTERS
This is particularly important for Own Initiative investigations.
Voluntary organisations are often uniquely placed to see how services are working in practice. Your insight can help us:
- identify recurring issues at an earlier stage
- understand where problems may be more widespread
- highlight concerns that may not currently be reaching us
- and inform areas where a broader investigation could make a difference
The more we understand about people’s experiences, the better placed we are to take action where it matters most.
IMPROVING ACCESS TO OUR SERVICE
We are also committed to making our service as accessible as possible, and one of the most significant developments introduced under the 2019 Act has been the launch of our Oral Complaints Service.
We know that written processes can be a barrier for some people. Oral complaints makes it easier for people to share their experiences.
To support this, we have introduced dedicated capacity within our team, enabling us to take more oral complaints and provide tailored support where needed. This creates a more flexible and accessible route into our service, both for individuals and for the organisations that support them.
Alongside this service, we continue to provide guidance, training and practical resources to help organisations engage confidently with us and support the people they work with effectively.
Making our service easier to access is important. But it is equally important that complaints are handled well wherever they are raised.
SUPPORTING BETTER COMPLAINT HANDLING
Our role as the Complaint Standards Authority is another important part of how we improve public services.
Through this work, we support public bodies to improve complaint handling – promoting consistency, transparency and better outcomes.
Handling complaints effectively at an early stage can prevent escalation, reduce the need for formal investigation and help services learn from feedback.
This wider picture of access, insight and learning is essential to how we use our powers effectively.
And that brings me back to the role of the voluntary sector. To strengthen this work, we need a better understanding of how organisations currently engage with us and where we can improve.
HELP SHAPE OUR FUTURE WORK
We have launched a short survey to better understand your awareness of our role, your experience of engaging with us and how we can work more effectively together.
We are particularly keen to hear about:
- barriers to engagement
- how insight can be shared more effectively
- how we can improve communication and support
- and how we can make best use of our powers
Your feedback will help shape our future engagement with the sector.
CONTINUING THE CONVERSATION AT GOFOD3
We are pleased to be sponsoring gofod3 this year and are looking forward to connecting with organisations from across Wales.
You can find us at stand 4 in the Marketplace, where our team will be available throughout the day.
Whether you want to discuss issues you are seeing, learn more about our powers, or explore opportunities to work together, we would be pleased to speak with you.
WORKING TOGETHER TO IMPROVE SERVICES
Voluntary organisations play a vital role in helping us understand people’s experiences of public services.
By sharing insight and working together, we can identify issues earlier, take action where it matters and improve outcomes for people across Wales.
As PSOW marks its twentieth year, I believe these partnerships are more important than ever. I look forward to hearing your views at gofod3, through our survey, and in future conversations as we continue to strengthen our work with the sector.
FIND OUT MORE
Find out more about the Public Services Ombudsman for Wales.
To book your free place at gofod3 visit: gofod3.cymru.