Dealing with Unreasonable Complainants

The Forum of Canadian Ombudsmen is sponsoring a workshop on "unreasonable" complainant behavior -- a situation faced by all types of Ombuds. Chris Wheeler, Deputy Ombudsman for New South Wales, Australia will cover topics including:

• What is (and what isn't) unreasonable complainant conduct? - definitions and categories;
• What leads complainants to act unreasonably? - motivations and triggers;
• How to determine whether conduct is unreasonable - what are the criteria?;
• General strategies (and some particular techniques) you can use to prevent and manage unreasonable conduct;
• When you should apply those strategies; and
• What are the responsibilities of agencies and staff to prevent and manage unreasonable conduct.

The one-day workshop will be offered in four cities across Canada, but due to strong demand, there is space remaining only for the session in Victoria. Please note, tthat the language of instruction for this course is English. (FCO Announcement.)