The International Ombuds Association (IOA) invites members to review the final draft of the revised Standards of Practice and the accompanying Compendium and provide feedback during this final comment period.

Member feedback is requested by July 16, 2026. Comments may be submitted through the Google Form or by email to Ellen Miller. The final draft of the Standards of Practice is available here.**The final draft of the Compendium, which provides additional guidance on the Standards of Practice, is available here.

About the Review Process

As part of IOA's commitment to continuous improvement, the Standards of Practice and Code of Ethics are reviewed every three to four years to address areas requiring clarification and identify potential gaps. The 2025 review was designated as a clarification review.

To support this work, the Board of Directors convened a special short-term Limited Task Force from July through November 2025 to develop recommendations for clarifying revisions. We extend our sincere thanks to the Task Force* for its diligence, expertise, and thoughtful contributions throughout this process.

The Board then sought input from the IOA community between January and March 2026.

Stage One: Guided Review Session

On January 28, 2026, Task Force representatives presented the proposed revisions and introduced the new Compendium during a Guided Review Session.

Stage Two: Feedback Sessions

The Board conducted a series of Feedback Sessions on February 6, 9, and 12, 2026, to gather input on the meaning, interpretation, and practical application of the proposed revisions. In addition, Regional Advisory Council (RAC) leadership in Europe and Asia-Pacific facilitated regional discussions before March 1, 2026.

Following this extensive engagement process, the Board incorporated community feedback and developed the final proposed revisions.

This is the final opportunity for members to provide feedback before the Standards of Practice are formally reviewed. We encourage all members to review the documents and share their perspectives by July 16, 2026.

* Jessica Kuchta-Miller and Natalie Fleury (Co-Chairs), Tuba Bilecik, Nadia Ferrara, Michelle Horvath, Kristine Paranica, Ronnie Thomson, and IOA Board Members Youssoupha Niang, Mark Patterson, Jacqueline Villafane, and Wayne Marriott.

** The Limited Review Task Force recommended delinking/cross referencing the SOPs and Code of Ethics so they are standalone documents.  The Board agreed with the recommendation and paused review of the Code of Ethics.