An ombudsman assists military families by disseminating information from the command and helping to resolve issues. They can help the disaster preparedness plan by ensuring emergency information is updated, publishing articles about preparation, and providing materials to families. An ombudsman works closely with spouses of leadership and the Family Readiness Group. They must report situations involving abuse, violence or suicidal risks. The ombudsman uses forms like a telephone log to track interactions and gather data for required reports.

1. BRILLIANT ON THE BASICS
2. Ombudsman Program (OPNAVINST 1750.1 (Series) and Navy Family
Ombudsman Program Manual)
a. Describe the role of an Ombudsman.
Ombudsmen disseminate information including official DON and
command information, command climate issues and local quality of
life improvement opportunities around the community. They also
provide resource referrals when needed and can be instrumental
in resolving family issues before they require extensive command
attention.
b. How can an Ombudsman assist in the disaster
preparedness plan?
1) Reminding families to ensure their Sailor’s emergency data
(page two) and SGLI information is routinely updated.
2) Publishing short articles in the ombudsman newsletter about
the need for disaster preparation.
3) Providing print materials about disaster preparedness at FRG
meetings and command functions.
4) Helping families who are new to the area become familiar with
the types of disasters most likely to occur in their locale such
as hurricanes, earthquakes, volcanic eruptions, wildfires, and
floods.
5) Suggesting families develop an emergency communication plan.
6) Providing lists of items to include in a disaster supply kit.
7) Publicizing evacuation routes, emergency public shelters,
procedures for pets during a disaster, and information specific
to people with disabilities. This information should be
disseminated before disasters occur and when a disaster is
imminent.
8) Informing families of free services available through Navy
Legal Services Office such as will preparation.

2. c. What is the relationship of the Ombudsman with
spouses?
CO, XO, and CMC/COB spouse roles may include being a sounding
board for the ombudsman, attending local Ombudsman Assembly
meetings, meeting regularly (especially when the command is
deployed) to maintain good communication, being an advocate for
the command ombudsman, editing or contributing to the ombudsman
newsletter, and representing her/his spouse’s views, if known.
d. What is the purpose of the Ombudsman registry and
what does it track?
The Ombudsman Registry Forum is a venue for ombudsmen to network
with other ombudsmen via message board. It is located on the
Ombudsman Registry at http://www.ombudsmanregistry.org.
e. What situations must the Ombudsman report to the
command?
Situations dealing with suspected child abuse/neglect, alleged
domestic abuse, suspected potential homicide, violence or life
endangering situations, suspected/potential suicidal risks
f. Discuss the forms and reports used by the Ombudsman.
In order to gather data needed to complete required reports,
most ombudsmen document calls on a telephone log. A telephone
log is useful as it enables an ombudsman to:
1) See trends in types of calls such as a number of requests for
emergency financial assistance, childcare resources, or spouse
employment.
2) Follow-up with people who have contacted the ombudsman for
information or about a problem.
3) Note if the ombudsman repeatedly provides the same types of
information to the same individual.
4) Demonstrate workload
The Official Command Roster is a list of all personnel at a
command. It is a document that contains protected information.

3. The confidentiality of information contained in an official
command roster must be maintained as described in The Privacy
Act.
The information an ombudsman may need on a roster includes:
1) Service member’s name.
2) Last four digits of the Social Security number (in case there
are multiple individuals with the same name which can be common
at a large command).
3) Rate/rank.
4) Date of birth.
5) Primary next of kin names, telephone numbers, addresses, and
email address (Spouse and children, if married. Parents or
others the service member lists if, single).
6) Phone number where family members would evacuate to in the
event of an emergency or natural disaster.
7) Present Rotation Date (PRD) may be helpful.
g. Discuss the process for selecting and accepting an
Ombudsman.
The Command needs to determine the number of ombudsman needed.
IF the command has 250 personnel or less they should have 1
ombudsman. 251 – 1000 personnel should have two to three
ombudsman. 1000+ should have 4+ ombudsman. Once the command
has determined the number ombudsman they will implement
recruitment strategies to include:
Command ombudsman recruitment strategies include:
1) Word of mouth.
2) Announcements at quarters and over the 1MC.
3) Plan of the day/week/month announcements.
4) Announcements at family readiness group meetings.
5) Announcements at command functions.
6) Direct mail from the CO to all command spouses.
7) Announcements on the command web site.
8) Ask other command ombudsmen or leadership spouses for
recommendations.
9) Ask an individual directly.

4. The interview should normally the interview is a one-on-one
meeting between the selecting official and the candidate. The
purpose of the interview is to obtain position-related
information from the candidate to make a selection decision. The
meeting should include a description of the duties of the
position and performance expectations
Initially appointing an ombudsman for a probationary period is
recommended. If the new appointee has previous experience as an
ombudsman, the recommended probationary period is three (3)
months. If there is no previous experience, the recommended
period is six (6) months. Whatever the length of the probation,
it should be indicated in the appointment letter.
h. Discuss the purpose of Family Line.
FamilyLine is an organization of Navy Family volunteers. They
assist in providing education and assisting in the challenges of
a military lifestyle.
i. What is the relationship between the Ombudsman and
Family Readiness Group?
Ombudsman can support the command FRG by:
1) Helping to start a command sponsored FRG if none exists, or
assisting in recharging a flailing group.
2) Advertising meetings and events in the ombudsman newsletter.
3) Introducing themselves and providing information at each
meeting.
4) Assisting with locating speakers and activities for group
meetings.
5) Being available before and after meetings to provide
individual information and referral to participants.
4. Mentoring Program (P4 110121Z Mar 03 and CNO
Guidance 2003)
a. What is the purpose of the mentoring program?
Mentoring is a leadership issue that affects the career health
and longevity of every Sailor, and in turn affects the

5. operational readiness of the Navy. It is a relationship between
two people were a trusted person (mentor) helps another person
(protégé) learning something the latter would otherwise have
learned less proficiently, more slowly or not at all.
b. What are the key elements of an effective program?
A mentoring relationship is expected to: 1. Provide a means for
Sailors to plan and execute a fulfilling career in the Navy. 2.
Allow senior personnel the opportunity to share experiences and
insights with those junior to them. 3. Provide access to senior
leadership offering junior personnel an opportunity to see
themselves in those who have successful careers. 4. Encourage
those with similar interests and backgrounds to share their
successes/lessons learned. 5. Ensure our people are making
informed career decisions.
c. What tools are available to help manage an effective
program?
OPNAVINST 1040.11B (Navy Retention and Career Development
Program)
COMNAVSPECWARGRUELEVENINST 1540.1
Effective Mentoring Course. Navy E-Learning
https://www.nko.navy.mil http://www.mentoringgroup.com
Navy Personnel Command Mentoring Program
http://www.npc.navy.mil/CareerInfo/StayNavyTools/Counselors
Corner/MentoringProgram/
d. What is your role in ensuring an effective program?
Ensure and recognize the value of mentoring at all levels. Help
those individuals who desire mentoring and those who want desire
mentor establish their mentoring relationship both formal and
informal. Ensuring that a mentorship is a learning relationship
between individuals who work collaboratively toward a mutually
defined goal of developing the protégé skills, abilities,
knowledge to attain established professional and personal
goals.

6. 5. Recognition Programs (SECNAVINST 1650.1 (Series))
a. What options do you have to recognize Sailors/civilians?
Recognition can also include mid- term awards, FLOC’s, letters
of appreciation, highlighting accomplishments in the POD and
other public venues, or nominations for special programs. Be
creative, praise in public, and make sure your sailors know they
are appreciated and valued.
Recognizing those who support us: Recognition should also
extend to the civilians in our Navy family. An award will help
document the performance justification during NSPS performance
review for Navy civilian employees. This will help ensure our
best civilians are properly rewarded.
b. Name ten awards a Sailor may receive points for
during an advancement cycle and what are the values?
Purple Heart, Meritorious Service Medal 3
Joint or Navy/USMC Commendation Medal 3
Executive Letter of Commendation 2
Joint Service Achievement Medal 2
Navy and Marine Corps Achievement Medal 2
Combat Action Ribbon 2
Gold Life Saving Medal 2
Good Conduct Medal (Navy or Marine Corps) 2
Naval Reserve Meritorious Service Medal 2
Individual Augmentee (IA) Tour 2
Air Medal (Strike/Flight) 1 Letter of Commendation (Flag/Senior
Executive Service) 1
c. Who can approve a Navy and Marine Corps Achievement
Medal, Navy and Marine Corps Commendation Medal and
Meritorious Service Medal?
See attached
d. What other key personnel could be recognized for
their support of the command?
Ombudsman