the ombudsman and younger people
The ombudsman service is committed to raising awareness of its service among younger people. The aim is to build confidence in financial services by reminding younger consumers – who may be taking out a financial product for the first time – that there is a free and independent ombudsman they can turn to if they need to complain.
Since the ombudsman service launched its campaign aimed at younger people in June 2007 the proportion of younger consumers bringing complaints to the ombudsman service has doubled.
The ombudsman's campaign has included:
our media partners
The ombudsman works in partnership with a range of specialist media-outlets focused on younger consumers, including:
- End of Term [opens in PDF format] and Source [opens in PDF format] – quarterly magazines aimed at 16 to 18 year-olds and distributed through a wide-network of youth organisations, schools and careers centres in Scotland. Specially-designed ombudsman promotional-material was distributed at the recent Source fashion competition in Glasgow [Passion for Fashion poster opens in PDF format]
- Leaving School [PDF format] – quarterly magazine aimed at 14 to 19 year olds in England and Wales offering tips and advice on a range of issues including money matters.
- Student Times – the free national student newspaper – recent features have included an interview [PDF format] with ombudsman student-outreach officer, John Quinlan and travel advice [ PDF format] for students taking a gap year
- What's On student guide [PDF format], The Student Guide [PDF format], The Student Guide Online and The Graduate Guide [PDF format] – providing key information on a range of topics, including financial matters, aimed at students and younger people
- The Festival Guide [opens in PDF format] – the ombudsman features in this year's guide, distributed at music festivals including Glastonbury, V Festival, Download and T in the Park this summer
work with "trusted individuals" in the community
- work with teachers, governors and youth workers including an education-resource pack for teachers and coverage in the Times Educational Supplement, Education Today, Education Executive and the National Governor's Association's publication Matters Arising
- work with Connexions Direct – a national network of advisers focusing on 13-19 year olds
- providing training to youth workers on the role of the ombudsman service
- a competition for students in Northern Ireland run in partnership with the Consumer Council and Northern Ireland's Youth Forum
- as featured on Kent TV, the Financial Ombudsman Service sponsored the 2009 regional-finals of Trading Standards' Young Consumers of the Year – as part of its work to engage with students and younger consumers
- ombudsman news special-feature including case studies involving younger consumers – distributed to a wide-range of youth workers and consumer advisers
out and about
- taking part in Kings College's "Money Week" and freshers’ open-days at Kent and Greenwich Universities
- taking our exhibition-stand to Clothes Show Live at Birmingham NEC – with a range of ombudsman-promotional items designed to appeal to a younger audience