Guidance: Responding to challenging situations

23 October 2020

Guidance: Responding to challenging situations

We understand it can be difficult to know what approach to take when faced with behaviour that might be unacceptable. Some service providers feel unsure of the process they should follow and the level of behaviour they should tolerate when trying to provide a reasonable level of service, and when it may be appropriate to end an instruction.


This guidance is intended to support service providers when they are responding to challenging situations and to help them understand the approach the ombudsman would expect. It sets out the areas we would expect you to consider when handling challenging situations.