SPSO Conference

The Scottish Public Services Ombudsman, Rosemary Agnew, and SPSO Director, Niki Maclean welcome you to the 2023 SPSO Conference. They will provide an overview of the day ahead and set the scene for the theme 'Supporting Good Complaints Handling in a Changing World'.

Richard Blakeway - Housing Ombudsman

This keynote piece will set the scene for the conference with a focus on the cost of living crisis and how this impacts on access to justice. Richard Blakeway brings a unique perspective on this through the lens of the Housing Ombudsman's work, including the rented housing sector. In particular, the impact of the cost of living crisis on the most vulnerable, including those on low income. There will be opportunity for questions in the session. 

Developing a child friendly complaints process

Chaired by Paul Gorman from the Empowered Children and Young People Team of the Children's Right's Unit at the Scottish Government, the panel will discuss the new child friendly complaints process being developed by the SPSO and what it means for public bodies. The panel members, who have all been involved in the co-design of the new process, will discuss the importance of meaningfully involving children and young people in the design of services that impact on them.

Panel members:

• Alice Goodrum, Aberdeen City Council
• Member of the Scottish Youth Parliament
• Josh Barnham, Scottish Public Services Ombudsman

Parallel track A -  Workshop

11.30 - 12.40 Handling complaints from people experiencing vulnerability

This workshop offers delegates an opportunity to learn vital skills for dealing with complaints from people experiencing vulnerability. This includes shared examples and experiences on:

• How to identify people experiencing vulnerability?

• How to support people experiencing vulnerability?

• How to record and share information about people experiencing vulnerability?

Parallel track B -  Panel discussion

11.30 - 12.10 Top tips for good practice in complaints handling

Chaired by Andrew Sheridan, Head of Improvement, Standards and Engagement at SPSO, the panel will showcase best practice in complaints handling. The panel will share their experience of learning and improving from complaints, and top tips for building a positive culture of learning from complaints.

Panel members:

• Carol Craig-McDonald, Inverclyde Council
• Kevin Rooney, NHS Lanarkshire
• Alison Fenech, Scottish Public Services Ombudsman

Parallel track B -  Enabling complaint handler well-being 

12.10 - 12.40 Carolyn Hirst, Independent Consultant and Researcher at Hirstworks

Delivered by Carolyn Hirst, this session will draw on Carolyn's lived and learned experience, as a practitioner, mediator and researcher, to do with maintaining and enhancing well-being when working with complaints. There will be a particular focus on complaints which complaint handlers have experienced as challenging.

Parallel track B -  Workshop

13.30 - 14.40 Handling complaints from people experiencing vulnerability

This workshop offers delegates an opportunity to learn vital skills for dealing with complaints from people experiencing vulnerability. This includes shared examples and experiences on:

• How to identify people experiencing vulnerability?

• How to support people experiencing vulnerability?

• How to record and share information about people experiencing vulnerability?

Parallel track A -  Panel discussion

13.30 - 14.10 Top tips for good practice in complaints handling

Chaired by Andrew Sheridan, Head of Improvement, Standards and Engagement at SPSO, the panel will showcase best practice in complaints handling. The panel will share their experience of learning and improving from complaints, and top tips for building a positive culture of learning from complaints.

Panel members:

• Carol Craig-McDonald, Inverclyde Council
• Kevin Rooney, NHS Lanarkshire
• Alison Fenech, Scottish Public Services Ombudsman

Parallel track A - Enabling complaint handler well-being 

14.10 - 14.40 Carolyn Hirst, Independent Consultant and Researcher at Hirstworks  

Delivered by Carolyn Hirst, this session will draw on Carolyn's lived and learned experience, as a practitioner, mediator and researcher, to do with maintaining and enhancing well-being when working with complaints. There will be a particular focus on complaints which complaint handlers have experienced as challenging.

Resolution based approaches to complaint handling

Chaired by Rosemary Agnew, Scottish Public Services Ombudsman, the panel will discuss the importance of a resolution based approach to complaints handling. The panel will share their own experiences and learnings from achieving resolution-based outcomes and discuss best practice.

Panel members:

• Angela Morrison, Highland Council
• Sue Burke, Scottish Public Services Ombudsman
• Colin Wotherspoon, Scottish Public Services Ombudsman

Meet the team

In the final session of the day, the senior team at the SPSO will introduce themselves and answer any questions you may have from the days programme.

Panel members:

• Rosemary Agnew, Scottish Public Services Ombudsman
• Andrew Sheridan, Head of Improvement, Standards and Engagement at SPSO
• Judy Saddler, Head of Investigations for Public Sector Complaints, SPSO
• Elaine Cameron, Head of Investigations for the Independent National Whistleblowing Officer and Scottish Welfare Fund, SPSO