"Ombudsman" is a Swedish word for an official who acts on behalf of the people.
The first ombuds office was established in Sweden at the beginning of the nineteenth century in order to provide citizens with a place to bring concerns about improper actions (or failure to act) by governmental agencies.
Although the terminology varies somewhat ("ombudsman", "ombudsperson", "ombuds", "ombud", "ombuds officer", etc.), and the details of the role vary somewhat depending on the organizational setting, the basic purpose of an ombuds is to help people satisfactorily resolve conflicts.
To accomplish this goal, ombuds adhere to four basic principles:
In accordance with these
principles, ombuds do not disclose confidential information
(exception: when there is an imminent threat of serious harm),
make or enforce decisions, advocate on behalf of individuals, or
participate in formal dispute resolution processes.
Ombuds use a variety of methods to help people resolve their concerns.
These include:
Staff Ombuds is a unit of Administration at the University of California at Berkeley.