What We Do

Here’s what we do:

• The Ombuds Office provides the opportunity to have confidential, impartial, informal, and independent discussions about work-related concerns.
• Working with the office is voluntary.
• The Ombuds Office is available to everyone in the Boston Children’s Hospital enterprise.
• We are committed to supporting everyone in feeling successful in their roles and having greater confidence in how to move forward effectively, both individually and together.
• We provide regular feedback to leadership and across the enterprise on recurring themes and opportunities for systemwide change and improvement through aggregated and anonymized data.
• See our charter and the working with our office page for information about the confidentiality you can expect from the office.

Here’s what we don’t do:

• We do not take sides, serve as advocates, conduct investigations, or participate in formal processes (like investigations, performance management, or lawsuits).
• We do not make decisions about who is right or wrong.
• We are also not an office of legal notice. Because we’re a confidential and informal resource, talking with the Ombuds about an issue you’re experiencing doesn’t register or log your complaint. If you would like to make a formal complaint about an issue you are experiencing at the hospital, we will discuss the available options and refer you to the right place.
• We are only a resource for staff members, not patients and families.

Our FAQs also provide more information about the office.

Whether as a first step, last resort, or at any point along the way, the Ombuds Office can help.