Diverse in role. United in Service
“SCOAF is a small organisation with a wide remit: I am supported by a diverse group of professionals, the scope and makeup of which makes us unique. I am proud of the culture and atmosphere within the organisation, and truly believe SCOAF is a great team to be part of…”
- Mariette Hughes
SCOAF is one of the smallest UK based Ombudsman organisations, providing independent and impartial oversight of the Service Complaints system for members of the UK Armed Forces. To celebrate Ombuds Day 2023, we’ve invited some of the team to provide glimpses into their role working for SCOAF.
“As a Senior Investigator, I regularly investigate a variety of challenging situations across the Armed Services.
It's my job to understand what happened from each person's point of view, evaluate this against what should have happened and make fair recommendations to put things right.
There's a person who feels wronged behind every Service Complaint, so effective communication is at the core of everything I do.”
“Being a member of the SCOAF Senior Leadership Team is stimulating and varied. We hold ourselves to the same standards as the Services and so it’s important we reflect on our performance.
SCOAF has been on a journey over the past few months, working together with our people to make real improvements to the way we work. This has meant we have been able to think of ways to do things more efficiently and in a more customer focussed way.
This has resulted in people working more collaboratively to achieve great results despite a rise in a demand for our service.”
“As the SCOAF Business Manager I have responsibility for a range of tasks: Whether that’s paying invoices and monitoring expenditure or resolving IT issues. No two days are the same, and you can often find your focus has to be diverted at short notice to focus on a parliamentary question or an accommodation issue with a tight deadline. Being part of SCOAF has enabled me to develop and learn new skills and be part of a small but excellent team...”
“As Ombudsman I am responsible for holding the single Services and the Ministry of Defence to account for the performance of the Service Complaints system. But a big part of my role is also about building relationships, and making sure that my office is seen as a trusted and valued voice, as well as a positive driver of change and improvement. This is supported by the fantastic work of everyone within SCOAF, who all play a valuable role in supporting our mission and vision.”