Perspectives and Challenges in the Practice of Ombudspersons
On 16 and 17 January 2025, the Czech School Ombudsman Platform (COP) organized its fourth Colloquium, this time at the University of West Bohemia in Czech Republic. The subtitle of this year’s event was “How to approach notifications? Perspectives and challenges in ombudspersons’ practices”. The main aim of the meeting was to offer ombudspersons and related professions the opportunity to explore different approaches to dealing with unethical behavior and difficult situations they encounter in their practice in the academic environment.
The colloquium was and is part of the process of establishing the position of ombudspersons in the environment of Czech universities – currently there are more than 50 ombudsmen and ombudswomen of the rights of students and employees. Current practice shows that challenging initiatives place high demands on ombudspersons to choose appropriate procedures, interventions and maintain professional perspectives.
The purpose of the colloquium was to offer a reflection on possible approaches to consider in the ombuds agenda. These perspectives can assist ombudspersons in finding sensitive and effective ways to resolve conflict and ensure safe, respectful communication in the academic environment. The colloquium also focused on specific challenges in contracting, i.e., how to set realistic expectations and collaborations between ombudspeople and their clients or institutions.
“Our goal is to help ombudspersons better understand the complex situations they encounter when dealing with notifications and to offer them concrete tools to work effectively. We look forward to this year’s colloquium providing a space to discuss current challenges, share experiences and best practices,” said Jaroslav Šotola, Chairman of the School Ombudsman Platform.
The colloquium program of the first day included input from renowned experts in the field of mediation, restorative justice and ombuds practice. Veronika Lovrits and Brent Epperson, who work as an ombuds tandem at the University of Luxembourg, presented the Empathy, Attention, and Respect Approach (EAR) method for effective conflict resolution. The other presenters were Kristýna Pešáková from SPONDEA, Alice Koubová from the Institute of Philosophy of the Czech Academy of Sciences, leader of the project Systems of Resilience (SYRI), and Petra Masopust Šachová from the Institute for Restorative Justice, who presented perspectives and approaches focused on victims of violence, relationship dynamics in the so-called “drama triangle”, and relationship recovery.
The second day’s program, designed exclusively for COP membership and prospective members, offered moderated discussions on the association’s activities, changes in legislation, and planned activities. An important topic was the amendment to the Higher Education Act, which affects not only the position of ombudspersons, but also the overall policy in higher education.
“The year 2025 is an opportunity for us to further strengthen the ombuds practice in universities. The colloquium offered a unique opportunity for mutual exchange of experiences and professional opinions,” added Pavlína Junová, Vice-Chair of the COP. The colloquium provided valuable suggestions for the practice of ombudspersons, improving mutual cooperation between institutions and promoting better implementation of tools for dealing with complex situations in the academic environment.