Art. 29 General Guidelines for Safeguarding Officer Confidentiality is of paramount importance. Any information shared with the AAVE Safeguarding Officer will be treated as privileged information and will only be shared with those who need to know it so as to move forward the situation in a positive manner. Confidentiality can be supported by:
a) providing a safe, private place to talk
b) staying calm, listening carefully and patiently
c) explaining clearly that you will have to inform the Statutory Authorities of Goiânia.
Art. 30 Guidelines for the AAVE Safeguarding Officer when responding to a disclosure/concern/allegation When responding to a disclosure do not:
a) press for details, except for clarification
b) fill in words or finish sentences
c) transmit your anger or shock or embarrassment
d) agree to or promise total confidentiality
e) offer an opinion and yet respond empathically
f) promise to keep secrets
g) tell stories about other people
h) tell them that everything will be fixed straight away
i) ask leading questions
j) make judgments about the alleged abuser
k) attempt to investigate
Art. 31 At the end of the disclosure:
a) record what the person has said as soon as possible after the meeting, using their own words as far as possible
b) reassure them that it was right to tell you
c) let them know what you are going to do next
d) take what they say seriously
e) remember children/vulnerable adults rarely lie about abuse
f) be aware that the child/vulnerable adult may have been threatened
g) reassure them. They may feel responsible for or guilty about the abuse
h) emphasize that it’s not their fault and that you are glad they have told you
i) let them know that their parents or person responsible will have to be informed unless this is the abuser
Art. 32 Possible sources from where an allegation of abuse might be received:
a) Disclosure from the victim
b) Witness account – third party
c) Direct evidence
d) Indirect evidence
e) Consistent signs of neglect over time.
Art. 33 Procedures to be followed in the Event of a Complaint or Allegation of Abuse of a Child/vulnerable adult An employee or volunteer who receives a complaint from a victim of suspected abuse should:
a) Listen carefully to the complaint. Take what is said seriously. Give the child/vulnerable adult time to talk about the matter at his/her pace.
b) Whenever possible and appropriate take notes during the disclosure. Ask permission to do so first and if the child/vulnerable adult does not feel comfortable with note-taking, write the notes as soon as practicable following the disclosure.
c) Keep calm and be as natural as possible. Remember that you were approached because you are confident and not because you’re an expert or a counselor.
d) Be aware that disclosure is very difficult for the person involved.
e) Remember that, initially, the abused person may be testing your reactions and can only be fully open after a period of time.
f) Do not question the child/vulnerable directly about intimate details of abuse. This could complicate the legal investigations.
g) Do not ask the victim to repeat the incident unnecessarily.
h) Do not promise that you will keep secret what has been revealed.
i) Ensure the child/vulnerable s/he did the right thing in talking with you and you are willing to give help and support. Reassure the child/vulnerable adult that your relationship to her/him has not been negatively affected as a result of what has been disclosed.
j) Explain what will happen next and obtain consent to this, if possible.
k) Explain that the AAVE Group’s policy is to communicate complaints of abuse to civil authorities.
l) Do not express a personal opinion to the complainant on the complaint.
m) Try not to become overly involved with the child/vulnerable adult, so as not to become part of the problem rather than the solution.
n) Take in writing the name, address and telephone number(s) of the child/vulnerable adult who made the complaint.
Art. 34 An employee or volunteer who receives a complaint from a victim of suspected abuse should make a careful written record of what the complainant has said and give it to the Safeguarding Officer of the AAVE Group. This report should:
a) Give the name of the person against whom the concern or allegation is being raised and any other identifying information.
b) Include the dates on which the concern arose, or when the incident occurred and describe the circumstances.
c) Contain the child’s/vulnerable adult´s statement using their own words to describe the event or incident.
Art. 35 Upon receiving a concern or allegation of abuse by a person who is not a member of the AAVE team, the Safeguarding Officer at AAVE must act immediately:
a) If the victim is a child, submit the matter to the Guardian Council of Goiânia located at: Rua dos Ferroviários, Qd. 23, Lt. 10, Setor Esplanada dos Anicuns,CEP: 74433-090. Telefone(s): 3524-2480 / 3524-2481 (See Appendix 01 for other Guardian Councils in Goiânia)
b) If the victim is an elderly person, inform the Specialized Police Station in the Attention to the Elderly (Deai) in Goiânia, Avenida Anhanguera, nº 463, Setor Universitário, Goiânia.
c) If the victim is an adult with special needs formalize a complaint – dialing 100.
d) Make a report as complete as possible containing: the report received by the AAVE Group official or volunteer, if applicable; a statement from the victim using his or her own words to describe the event or incident if any and details of any action taken on the incident or allegation (Appendix 02).
Sole paragraph. If the respondent / aggressor is a service user of the AAVE Group, s/he will be prevented from participating in the activities offered at AAVE until the investigations are completed.
Art. 36 If the complaint is about a staff member or volunteer of the institution, the Safeguarding Officer at AAVE must act immediately:
a) If the victim is a child, submit the matter to the Guardian Council of Goiânia located at: Rua dos Ferroviários, Qd. 23, Lt. 10, Setor Esplanada dos Anicuns,CEP: 74433-090. Telefone(s): 3524-2480 / 3524-2481 (See Appendix 01 for other Guardian Councils in Goiânia)
b) If the victim is an elderly person, inform the Specialized Police Station in the Attention to the Elderly (Deai) in Goiânia, Avenida Anhanguera, nº 463, Setor Universitário, Goiânia.
c) If the victim is an adult with special needs formalize a complaint – dialing 100.
d) Make a report as complete as possible containing: the report received by the AAVE Group official or volunteer, if applicable; a statement from the victim using his or her own words to describe the event or incident if any and details of any action taken on the incident or allegation (Appendix 02).
Art. 37 If the concern or allegation of abuse is against the Safeguarding Officer, the President of AAVE shall assume his or her duties with the support of the Safeguarding Commission. The accused will be subject to the penalties of this policy as the other employees or volunteers of the AAVE Group.
Art. 38 If the concern or allegation of abuse is against the president of the AAVE Group, the Safeguarding Officer shall assume his or her duties with the support of the Safeguarding Commission. The accused will be subject to the penalties of this policy as the other employees or volunteers of the AAVE Group.
Sole paragraph. Until the investigations are completed, the employee or volunteer will not have contact with the victim / whistle-blower within the premises of the AAVE Group. If the complaint is confirmed by the legal authorities, the accused will be immediately disconnected from the AAVE Group team.
Art. 39 Upon receiving a concern or allegation of abuse, the Safeguarding Officer at AAVE should inform parents or guardians except when to do so would place the child/vulnerable adult at more risk.
FLOWCHART OF HOW TO DEAL WITH SUSPECTS, CONCERNS, KNOWLEDGE OR ALLEGATIONS OF CHILD ABUSE- Appendix 06
