Office of the Children's Ombudsman | Office of the Children's Ombudsman

Investigate.

Advocate.

Educate.

The Office of the Children’s Ombudsman (OCO) can receive and investigate complaints involving children for whom a report of abuse or neglect was made, children receiving child-protective or foster care services, in foster care, or placed for adoption in an agency placement adoption, and children who died as a result of alleged or suspected abuse or neglect.

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The OCO can:

Investigate

Review actions, policies, and procedures of child-serving agencies relating to child protective services and foster care and make recommendations for improvement

Advocate

Effecting changes in policy, procedure, and legislation to improve Virginia’s child welfare system

Educate

Provide information and resources for families involved with the child welfare system

(Om∙buds∙man)

An official appointed to investigate individuals’ complaints against maladministration, especially that of public authorities.

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The concept of an ombudsman existed in China going back to about 200 B.C., where the king would designate an undercover official to monitor actions of government officials. The word “ombudsman” is Swedish and generally means “representative” or “proxy” referring to the office’s role in providing oversight over government officials’ actions to address any wrongdoing for the good of the public citizens. Modern use of the term “ombudsman” began in 1809 by Sweden in establishing the Swedish Parliamentary Ombudsman as an independent agency of the executive branch to ensure that civil servants acted within the laws and within their duties.