How to Book an Appointment

You may use one of these options to schedule an appointment. Appointments can either be in person, by phone, or via Zoom.

Online Booking

You can use our online booking system to schedule your appointment directly.

Email

You can email [email protected]. To ensure the highest level of confidentiality, we suggest you limit the use of email to only scheduling appointments.

Phone

You can call 703-791-8587 to schedule an appointment.

To help you set your expectations for your meeting, please remember that:

The Ombuds can

• Listen to your concerns
• Act as a neutral sounding board
• Clarify PWCS policies
• Explore the options available
• Facilitate discussions between parties to resolve issues
• Collect data on emerging trends and patterns while safeguarding anonymity

The Ombuds cannot

• Advocate for the visitor or PWCS
• Decide who is right or wrong
• Conduct formal investigations
• Serve as notice of claims against PWCS
• Overrule decisions already made
• Make or change PWCS policies or regulations

Guide to your initial appointment

While your meeting may go in several different directions depending on your specific needs, below is a general outline of your initial meeting.

• Initial Conversation – Set up a time to meet privately and confidentially, either in person, virtually, or over the phone.
• Clarify Roles – Review the standards of practice for an Ombudsman and answer any questions about the role and how the office works.
• Understand the Situation – Listen and ask questions to understand the situation from the visitor's perspective, not to decide who is right or wrong.
• Analysis – Work with the visitor to look at the issue in a different way by thinking about other individuals, issues, relationships, and causation.
• Explore Options – Identify potential options that may help to address the situation.
• Next Steps – As the visitor determines their way forward, the office may be involved as long as it is within the scope of the office.