Plan and Objectives 2012–2016

Stakeholders.

Just who are the stakeholders in the SPSO. According to Gogle AI it is the following:

• registered Social Landlords,
• Colleges and Universities,
• the Scottish Government,
• the Scottish Parliament
• associated Public Authorities.

Strategic Plan 2012–16

We published our Strategic Plan for 2012–2016 at the end of March 2012. It sets out our key objectives for the next four years, based on anticipated changes in the external environment that impact on our work, and areas identified for development. As with previous plans, this Strategic Plan will be used to drive continuous improvement in the services that we provide to our stakeholders.

The five strategic objectives constitute our high level Strategic Plan and under it will sit business plans for each year. The objectives maintain the focus on our five key strands of work.

1. To provide a high quality, user-focussed, independent complaints handling service By developing our capacity as complaints handlers to be able to deliver individual benefit to our customers; by being accessible and dealing with all enquiries and complaints impartially, consistently, effectively, proportionately and in a timely manner; and by producing clear, accurate and influential decisions about complaints.
2. To support public service improvement in Scotland:
   By continuing to raise informed awareness of the role of the SPSO and to feed back and capitalise on the learning from our consideration of individual enquiries and complaints, for example, through thematic reports, and by working in partnership with public service deliverers, policy makers, scrutiny bodies and regulators to promote good administrative practice.
3. To improve complaints handling by public service providers:
   By using our expertise and resources to monitor, promote and facilitate the sharing of best practice and support service providers in improving their complaints handling.
4. To simplify the design and operation of the complaints handling system in Scottish public services.
   By working in partnership with service providers, regulators and other key stakeholders to facilitate the development of and compliance with simplified, standardised and user-focussed complaints handling procedures across the public sector as an integral part of the wider administrative justice system in Scotland.
5. To be an accountable, best value organisation By making best use of our resources and demonstrating continuous improvement in our operational efficiency and supporting the professional development of our staff.

Equalities commitments

Our five equalities commitments form an integral part of the Strategic Plan.

These are detailed in our Equality and Diversity chapter.

Consulting on the draft

Strategic Plan

Under the terms of the Scottish Parliamentary Commissions and Commissioners etc. Act 2010 we were required to seek comment on our draft Strategic Plan.

Our consultation was posted on our website and publicised in the Ombudsman’s Commentary.

We also wrote directly to around 120 stakeholders inviting them to comment on the plan. These included the statutory consultee (the Scottish Parliamentary Corporate Body); Scottish Government public service reform contacts and the clerks and convenors of relevant Parliamentary Committees. We also contacted COSLA and SOLACE; the chief executives of local authorities; regulatory and scrutiny bodies; equalities bodies and advisory groups.

We published all the comments we received on our website, along with independent analysis of them and our reply to that analysis. In our reply we explained the changes we had made in light of the feedback from respondents, and expressed our thanks to those who took the time to participate in the consultation.

Complaints Standards Authority

The most significant recent addition to our role is the authority given to us under provisions in the PSR Act to lead the development of simplified, standardised complaint handling procedures (CHPs) across the public sector and to monitor and promote best practice. To carry out the new responsibilities, we established an internal unit, the Complaints Standards Authority.