I am 15 and think I might have thrush. I went to see my doctor for advice and expected him to be nice to me, but he ended up making me cry. He told me that I didn't have anything to worry about and that I should have talked about this with my mum and bought something over the counter. I tried to tell him that I had already tried over the counter treatments but couldn't get a word in. He then sent me away without any treatment and told me that next time I came to see him I should bring my mum. I hadn't taken her along because I was a bit embarrassed.

I thought that I was allowed to see the doctor on my own and was really upset that he thought I'd wasted his time. Later, though, I just felt angry that he had ignored me.

I wrote to the doctor and told him how I felt, because I thought it would make me feel better and stop him from upsetting someone else. That was ages ago and he hasn't replied and now I think I've done the wrong thing. The discharge still hasn't cleared up but I daren't go to see the doctor on my own again and don't want to take my mum in case he mentions the letter. My mum keeps saying we should book an appointment for me. What should I do?

Mary Smith

Advice: Health Service Ombudsman

It's a shame that your doctor wasn't more understanding. Most doctors would have been fine about your going on your own and would have examined you properly and given you treatment if you had needed it.

If you want to complain and your doctor still hasn't replied to your letter, you could write to your local primary care trust. They will give you details about the NHS complaints procedure. If you come to the end of the NHS complaints procedure and still aren't happy then you can complain to the Health Service Ombudsman. She looks at complaints against the NHS, is independent and might be able to help. In the meantime, remember that everybody has the right to change their doctor if they want to. The primary care trust [ click here for website] will help you find a different doctor if you contact them.

The Health Service Ombudsman [ click here for website] looks at complaints about things like failures in service or mistakes by health service workers - both in hospitals and in the community. She can look at complaints about people such as doctors, nurses, physiotherapists, pharmacists, opticians and dentists.

The Ombudsman has doctors, nurses and other medical advisors on her staff to help her decide if complaints about medical treatment are justified. If she investigates your complaint and upholds it then she will recommend action to try and solve the problem. She might ask the person involved to apologise, or she might ask them to make some changes to make sure the same problem doesn't happen again.

Two years ago our council decided to let people build a block of flats where a children's playground used to be. The local newspaper said that space for a new playground would be made nearby. It turned out that the council meant there would be an open space but no play equipment because that would be too expensive.

I really wanted a nice play area for my little brother and sister, and my parents started a fund-raising group. We made enough money to buy some equipment and the council said it would contribute too. The problem is that they still haven't taken control of the land. Whenever my dad calls them about it they say we can't go ahead until the space is owned by the council, even though it was supposed to be available before the old park was built on.

We worked really hard to raise the money and it's annoying that the flats have been built and lived in for years and the local children still have nowhere to play. What can I do?

Lee Chan

Advice: Local Government Ombudsman

It must be very frustrating to have put in so much effort and not seen any result. It sounds as though your local council is responsible for the delay, and they should have made it clearer from the start that the new area needed equipment.

Your Local Government Ombudsman [ click here for website] might be able to help - he or she can look at complaints about councils who have caused unnecessary delays and not kept people informed. You or your parents can write to the LGO explaining what has happened. If your complaint is upheld (agreed with), the Ombudsman might recommend that the council apologises and gets the project back on track.

Last winter our house was flooded when the boiler broke and a lot of my stuff was ruined because my room is right underneath. I had to throw out all my posters and books and my stereo was ruined. The problem is, the damage wasn't covered by our insurance.

My dad said we should get the money back from our landlords, a housing association, and after a lot of letters and visits they did arrange for the walls to be painted and the carpet fixed. But they said that because we didn't tell them the boiler was broken before the flood they didn't have to pay for my stuff. My mum was really angry because the association never does anything unless we really go on about it. They haven't inspected the house at all since we moved in two years ago, even though it said in the lease that it would be done every year. Is there anything we can do?

David Jones

Advice: Housing Ombudsman

The Independent Housing Ombudsman [ click here for website] might be able to help you. He looks at disputes between landlords and tenants about things like repairs and maintenance.

If the lease says that the house should be inspected regularly, so that potential problems like your boiler can be spotted, the housing association should have done so. Since the association hasn't arranged for this, they were probably negligent - that is, they failed to do what they said they would to look after the house. If this is the case, the Ombudsman might well ask the association to pay for your belongings and he can make sure the inspections are carried out as the lease says.

You or your parents should write to the Ombudsman explaining what has happened, so that he can see if he can take up your case.

My dad was made redundant last year and has been really depressed about it. To make things worse, we have no money because the woman at the Department for Work and Pensions told my dad the wrong thing and he missed his chance to claim benefit for a couple of months. For a while he tried complaining but got nowhere and now he says that he's gone as far as he can and may as well give up. I'm really worried about him being so down and am scared of having no money. Is there anything else he can do?

Brian Green

Advice: Parliamentary Ombudsman

If your dad wants the mistakes by the Department put right, then the Parliamentary Ombudsman [ click here for website] may be able to help him. Sorting out benefit is the job of the Department of Work and Pensions (DWP), which the Parliamentary Ombudsman can investigate. She looks at complaints that somebody has been treated badly or unfairly by a government department or public body. This includes giving someone bad advice.

The Parliamentary Ombudsman usually only looks at complaints when a person has first complained to the organisation involved (which it sounds like your dad has already done).

If your dad wants to ask the Ombudsman to look at the complaint, he should ask his MP to write to the Ombudsman on his behalf. At the moment, the Ombudsman can only look at complaints that come to her in this way.

The Parliamentary Ombudsman can then decide if she is going to investigate your dad's complaint. If she decides to investigate, and then upholds the complaint, she will ask the department to put things right, so that your dad is back in the position he would have been in if the mix-up had never happened. The Ombudsman will look at the complaint through new eyes and is totally impartial. Your dad needn't worry about the cost, as her services are free.

I am due to start a new school in September. The thing is, my friends are all going to the local school and I have to go somewhere else because of my stupid brother. Thanks to him I am the only person who isn't allowed to go to the school I want.

Last month one of my big brothers got into a fight at school. It wouldn't have been that bad but my parents ended up having this huge row about it with the head-teacher. The head ended up saying that she didn't want another one of the family in the school and thought it would be best if my brothers transferred as well.

My mum went mad and has been fighting the school about it for ages. I really thought we were going to win when she appealed but they said I should be kept out as well.

It isn't fair. I didn't do anything wrong and I won't have any friends at my new school. It is a big rival with the school I should've been going to, so all my old friends will hate me too.

Rita Patel

Advice: Local Government Ombudsman

It is understandable that you are upset when it looks as though you are being denied a place at the school of your choice through no fault of your own.

If you really want to go to this school then you could suggest to your mum that she put her complaint to the Local Government Ombudsman [ click here for website]. They investigate complaints about local authority education departments, and foundation and voluntary-aided schools and, if they uphold them, aim to put right what went wrong. That might mean asking the school to give you a place or to give your mum another appeal.

If your mum writes them a letter saying what happened then they will tell her whether they can investigate the complaint.

Since I agreed to appear on a TV show about gifted children my life has been a nightmare. The teachers don't like me and my friends call me a swotty snob.

I go to a normal comprehensive school and am in year 8. I have always been good at maths and languages and do those lessons with year 11. It has never really caused me any problems though and I had lots of friends. A couple of people thought I was a swot but none of my friends did so it has always been OK.

My mum got me to agree to go on a TV show about education for gifted children and I thought it would give me my 15 minutes of fame. The thing is, they made it look like I didn't like the school I was in and that my mum thought it wasn't good enough for me. They edited things to make it look like my mum had said things she hadn't and left out the bits where my mum praised the school for all it was doing to help me.

Now everyone is picking on me at school and my mum is really upset. The teachers must hate me because they think I said horrible things about them.

Peter Evans

Advice: Broadcasting Standards Commission

You should try not to worry too much about the programme: people will forget about it. However, if you start to feel that you are being bullied then you must tell a teacher, or other adult, what is happening. Your teachers care about your welfare and want you to do well and be happy at school.

If you're worried then you could ask your mum to write a letter to your school, explaining things. At least then you will know that your teachers know what really happened. If you or your mum want to prove you are telling the truth, it might be a good idea to complain to the Broadcasting Standards Commission [ click here for website]. Anybody who thinks they were treated unfairly in a programme that they participated in can complain, so either you or your mum could write to them. You can also complain to them if you think that a TV company has shown something inappropriate or offensive.

If you do contact the Commission then they will study written evidence from both you and the broadcaster and, if they think it necessary, hold a meeting with you and the people who made the programme. If they uphold your complaint, they will probably require the broadcaster to broadcast a summary of their findings and publish it in an appropriate newspaper.

I was trying to find out some information for a school project and I wrote to the Department of Health. I'd read a document they'd published about the physical punishment of children. At the end of it they asked people to send in their views, so I wrote and asked how many people had replied.

The Department of Health wrote back and said they couldn't tell me because the people that had replied hadn't given their permission to be quoted. They said that the Code on Access to Government Information says they couldn't give out information given in confidence.

I don't see how this applies to what I wanted to know, though. I only wanted to know the number of people who had replied, not what they said or who they were. What is this Code and are they right to use it like this?

Sarah Fox

Advice: Parliamentary Ombudsman

The Code on Access to Government Information was set up to make sure that government departments are open and everyone can get appropriate information from them. It will be replaced in 2005 by the Freedom of Information Act, but until then you can go to the Parliamentary Ombudsman [ click here for website] (via your Member of Parliament) if you think the Code has been used wrongly.

The Code does list exceptions for when information can be kept secret - for example, if it has to do with defence of the country or the privacy of an individual - but it sounds as if the factual information you want can be released without any problem.

Why don't you write to the Department and ask again? If they still do not tell you, you could write to your MP and ask if they will refer your complaint to the Parliamentary Ombudsman.