Do you know the Ombudsman?

What is that you ask?

In the Coast Guard (and maybe other branches) the Ombudsman is:

a volunteer (who may be a Spouse, Reservist, or Auxiliarist) that is designated by a Command to serve as a link between the command and families, assisting the command in its functions of providing information and related services to families regarding sources of assistance available to them, Coast Guard and command policies, and activities of interest to family members.

An Ombudsman can assist families in locating resources, communicate information from the command to the families, and take concerns of families to the command.

The ombudsman normally should not be the spouse of the CO, OIC, XO, or XPO, but in some cases will be. They are supposed to have taken a one-on-one basic training course in person or over the phone where they learn what is available, and how/where to get it.

I guess every ombudsman will take on different responsibilities according to their geographic location. She or he may have information on family assistance services like counseling, schools and doctors in your area, what neighborhood would be best for living in, and other useful things along those lines.

When moving to a new area it would be worth your while to find and speak to the Ombudsman before sailing off on a new adventure.

Do you know the Ombudsman in your unit?