In a significant step towards enhancing child and youth safeguarding, SOS Children’s Villages in Ethiopia has officially launched an independent ombuds approach. This initiative, followed by external recommendations from safeguarding experts during an independent child safeguarding review commissioned by SOS Children’s Villages International, aims at learning from past cases and continuously improve safeguarding practices within the organization.
The review, which resulted in 46 specific recommendations, was a crucial step for SOS Children’s Villages to better understand the challenges faced by children and young people within its programmes. These insights led to the development of a wide-ranging action plan, which includes several concrete actions to reduce risks and improve future safeguarding efforts. One of the most impactful measures is the introduction of an independent ombuds system.
An ombuds person is a trusted individual who listens to and supports children, young people, and adults, guiding them toward appropriate solutions. Operating independently from SOS Children’s Villages, the ombuds person focuses on upholding the rights of children and young people, ensuring confidentiality, impartiality, independence, and informality in all cases. This independent mechanism is set out to strengthen the system of checks and balances in the overall safeguarding incident management process and be perceived as more reliable and trustworthy by complainants, and other individuals who are involved in reported safeguarding incidents.
This approach, currently focused on children and young people under the care of SOS Children’s Villages in Ethiopia, does not replace the existing child safeguarding mechanisms, instead it serves as an alternative pathway that children and young people can turn to when they feel the current safeguarding processes have not adequately addressed their concerns.
The National Ombuds approach of SOS Children’s Villages in Ethiopia part of a broader regional framework marks a significant advancement in strengthening child safeguarding. It is designed to empower children and young people to safely raise grievances or complaints and ensures their voices are heard and acted upon, complementing the existing safeguarding mechanisms.
Involving Children and Youth in the Process
Meaningful child and youth participation is at the heart of the ombuds approach. Prior to recruiting the national ombuds person, 2 young representatives from each of SOS Children’s Villages in Ethiopia’s programme locations were selected by their peers to participate. All 14 representatives were trained on the ombuds approach, their role, and how they would work with the ombuds person to ensure children’s concerns are properly addressed.
The recruitment process also saw the involvement of 4 young people from selected villages who took a deeper dive into the process, including conducting interviews, assessments, and providing valuable feedback as the first interviewers. Their involvement was complemented by an advisory group from the national office, the regional ombuds, and an international ombuds human resource expert.
Following this collaborative and thorough process, SOS Children’s Villages in Ethiopia proudly welcomed the new national ombuds person, marking a successful start to the implementation of this important safeguarding initiative.
Measuring Success
As the ombuds approach begins to take shape, SOS Children’s Villages in Ethiopia will conduct satisfaction surveys with children and young people to assess the effectiveness of the system. The number of cases reported, along with the quality of responses to incidents, will provide key indicators of the approach’s impact and success in strengthening safeguarding mechanisms.
SOS Children’s Villages in Ethiopia is proud to announce the launch of the ombuds approach as a trusted and independent avenue for children and young people to voice their concerns when they are dissatisfied with existing safeguarding mechanisms. This initiative is a critical step toward further enhancing the safety and well-being of children and young people in its care and fostering an environment of trust and accountability.
Learn more about the Ombuds Office for SOS Children's Villages