Nella giornata di mercoledì 10 aprile, i Difensori Civici delle Regioni e delle Province autonome italiane hanno avuto l’occasione di incontrare Papa Francesco e di consegnargli un dono speciale. Il dono è stato accompagnato da una dedica che sottolinea il profondo rispetto per il costante impegno del Santo Padre nel richiamare il concetto di dignità per tutti i popoli.

Marino Fardelli, Presidente del Coordinamento nazionale dei Difensori civici italiani e Difensore civico del Lazio, ha espresso gratitudine per l’opportunità e ha voluto ringraziare tutti i colleghi Difensori civici delle Regioni e delle Province autonome italiane, nonché il Presidente della Conferenza delle Assemblee legislative italiane, Antonello Aurigemma, presidente del Consiglio regionale del Lazio, per aver condiviso questa significativa giornata per la difesa civica italiana.

In una dichiarazione, Fardelli ha commentato: “È stato un momento di grande onore e responsabilità per noi Difensori civici italiani. Ringrazio tutti i colleghi per il loro impegno costante e il Presidente Aurigemma per il suo sostegno. Il gesto simbolico verso Sua Santità, Papa Francesco, riflette l’impegno dei Difensori civici italiani nel difendere i diritti e la dignità di tutti i cittadini, un impegno che continuerà ad essere al centro della loro missione”.

A Staffordshire care provider has refused to refund a man’s estate after the Local Government and Social Care Ombudsman found it put too restrictive care in place for the last nine months of his life.

The man, who had dementia, attempted to take his own life while living in the Barrowhill Hall Care Home in Rocester, run by MOP Healthcare Ltd. Consequently, the care home put in place one-to-one care for 24 hours a day.

This cost the family an extra £2,520 a week. The family complained that the man did not need this level of care, particularly when his dementia progressed, and it was draining the man’s resources. They said as result, he had paid more than £100,000 for this care on top of his normal fees.

An Ombudsman investigation found MOP Healthcare Ltd did not properly assess the man’s mental capacity after he attempted to take his life, and failed to progress a legal document called a ‘Deprivation of Liberty safeguard’ properly.

The company did not consider other less-restrictive options for his care, despite his social worker and a community psychiatric nurse advising he could be kept safe with less limiting measures in place.

The Ombudsman asked MOP Healthcare Ltd to pay the family £1,000 for the distress of having to bring the complaint and review its staff training and how it tracks Deprivation of Liberty safeguards applications to its local council, to ensure similar faults do not happen again. The provider has agreed to these recommendations.

However, the Ombudsman also asked the provider to consider the lower cost had it accepted professionals’ recommendations to reduce the level of care and pay the man’s estate the difference. It has not agreed to carry out this recommendation.

Ms Amerdeep Somal, Local Government and Social Care Ombudsman, said:

“The provider has told us it will not pay the financial recommendation we have made because it says the family could have moved the man from his home at any time.

“I am not satisfied with this provider’s response. It shows no regard for the distress faced by the family witnessing their relative under constant supervision for the last nine months of his life, to the extent this was not lifted even when he was receiving end of life care.

“I will be sharing our findings with the care regulator, the Care Quality Commission.”

La sede del Justiciazgo ha acogido hoy una reunión de la Justicia de Aragón, Concepción Gimeno, y su equipo con la directora general del Mayor del Gobierno de Aragón, Ana Isabel Berges, con el fin de seguir avanzando en la iniciativa del Observatorio Aragonés de la Soledad con nuevas actividades que favorezcan el trabajo comunitario y en red.

El OAS nació del impulso del Justicia, Ángel Dolado, para velar por el bienestar de las personas adultas en soledad no deseada, un objetivo que comparte la Justicia de Aragón, Concepción Gimeno, con el foco en identificar los riesgos de vulnerabilidad que enfrenta la sociedad actual para impulsar acciones concretas que puedan enfrentarlos.

Today, 10 April 2024, Deputy Ombudsman Dr Jože Ruparčič, responsible for children's rights at the Ombudsman, attended the closing conference of the Hiša za otroke (Children's House) project in Zreče.

The Human Rights Ombudsman (Ombudsman) was among the first in Slovenia to support activities related to the establishment and operation of the Hiša za otroke, with which the state guarantees special and comprehensive treatment in criminal proceedings to children who are victims of crimes against sexual integrity, The Ombudsman regularly advocates for the strengthening of child-friendly justice and for the fact that the child's rights are taken into account, that the child is treated as a subject in various systems and institutions, and not as an object of rights. "This project is a bright example of child-friendly justice, as children are guaranteed only one hearing, or that they receive as few hearings as possible by qualified experts. It is especially important that the entire treatment at the Hiša za otroke also means crisis support and psychosocial help for children, which is provided by qualified counsellors. We would like child-friendly justice to be strengthened in other areas as well, especially in family proceedings. It is important that we all realise that our common goal is to ensure the greatest benefits for children," the Deputy Ombudsman pointed out.

The holistic treatment of children in the Hiša za otroke strives to achieve the greatest benefits for children. This is also an international standard defined in international conventions, such as the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child and the so-called Lanzarote Convention, i.e. the Council of Europe Convention on the Protection of Children Against Sexual Exploitation and Sexual Abuse. Seeking the best interests of children in all procedures in which they are involved is therefore their right. "If we understand human rights as defined in the relationship between the individual and the state, the child's rights must be understood in the triangle between the child, the family, and the state. By reducing the fear of secondary victimisation and misunderstanding, and knowing that in such difficult cases the justice system is adapted to children, it will be easier for many victims or witnesses to decide whether to hang up the phone or go to the police station and report the crime," added Dr. Ruparčič.