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About | Registration Info | Scholarships | Schedule IOA Foundations of the Organizational Ombuds CourseAbout the CourseThe Foundations of Organizational Ombuds Practice course is offered multiple times each year virtually and in person. This flagship course is primarily designed for new practicing organizational ombuds and covers the fundamentals of the organizational ombuds role based on the principles of confidentiality, impartiality, independence, and informality. This fundamental three-day experience* is packed with information on how to work with visitors, how to act as a change agent within an organization, and how to practice some of the key ombuds skills necessary for success. The course is taught by an experienced and highly committed faculty of ombuds who will share best practices around running an effective office as well as evaluating and communicating the effectiveness of that office.
Participants of this course will learn how to...
Please note this course does not address some features unique to other models of ombuds practice, such as classical, advocate, or legislative. Foundations for practicing ombuds will be offered virtually in January, February, April, August, September, and December 2024 and also in-person in July (San Francisco, CA, USA) and October (Providence RI, USA) 2024. *Virtual Foundations are scheduled Monday - Thursday, 9:00 AM - 1:00 PM PT and in-person Foundations are scheduled for three days. IOA also offers other focused courses that address organizational ombuds practice: In May 2024, we are offering a special Foundations for those who are not practicing ombuds. This includes those who support ombuds offices, those in related fields (i.e. mediators, coaches and other ADR practitioners), and those interested in learning more about the model in order to set up an office. In September 2024, we will offer a special Foundations Course in Ottawa Canada for those who practice to IOA Standards or are interested in the IOA model. In November 2024, we will also offer a special Foundations for those ombuds who have collateral or other duties assigned to them in addition to the ombuds role. This course will spend more time addressing the unique challenges for those who wear multiple hats. Note: Collateral Duty Ombuds may also enroll in any of the virtual or in-person courses for practicing ombuds.
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2024 Virtual Foundations Registration Rates
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2024 In-Person Foundations Registration Rates
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Course payment is due at least four weeks before the course starts. Please review all payment, registration, and attendance policies prior to registering for a course.
IOA offers annual scholarships for the Foundations Course. The scholarship application window generally runs November-December of the year prior to the applicant's desired course year. Eligibility criteria and scholarship requirements involve financial needs, professional references, and a written summary of the recipient's experience from the course. This scholarship covers the course fee for either a virtual or in-person Foundations course. If the scholarship applicant elects to attend an in-person Foundations course, travel and lodging will not be covered by the scholarship.
If this course is not quite what you are looking for, please take a moment to review the list of other helpful resources and tools below.
Ombuds Toolkit for Higher Education Institutions or K-12 School Ombuds Toolkit