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“Before the Ombudsman’s office existed, I used to get calls from constituents having problems with DSHS. I would look into their concerns, but having limited access to DSHS’ confidential information, I would lose sleep worrying about their situations. Now, I refer them to OFCO and can sleep better knowing their concerns will be fully investigated.”
-Washington State Legislator “The Office of the Family and Children’s Ombudsman was given a specific mission when it was created. The Ombudsman has lived up to its mission and has done so at very little cost and with a professionalism that is unequaled in my experience with state government.” -Spokane Family Services Provider |
The 2002 Annual Report is presented in Portable Document Format (pdf). In order to view these files, you must have the (pdf) reader. If you do not have it, you can download it for free from the Adobe Web site.
Table of Contents
Letter To the Residents of Washington StateIndependence
Listening to Families and Citizens
Authority
Staff
Work Activities Contacts to the Ombudsman
Fielding Inquiries
Receiving Complaints
Complaint Trends
Persons who Complained
Who Referred Families and Citizens to the Ombudsman
Complaints Involving DSHS
Complaint IssuesInvestigating Complaints
Taking Action on Behalf of Children and Families
Standard Investigations
Emergent Investigations
Analyzing Complaints
Completed Investigations Team Review
Policy and Practice Issues
Results Prompting a Closer Look
Improving the System
Facilitating Communication and Mediating Disagreements
Inducing DSHS to Correct Mistakes Promoting Access to Complaint Resolution and the Ombudsman
Tightening Compliance with Mandatory Reporting Law
Improving Child Sexual Abuse Interviews and Investigations
Increasing Guardian ad Litem Representation
Highlighting Chronic Child Neglect
Addressing Biased Decision Making
Discovering What is Working Best in Foster Care
Strengthening Safety at the Washington School for the Deaf
Supporting Relative Placements for Children
Strengthening Family Reunification Efforts