0:09

KAYLA BRITTAN: If I had to share my top tips for effective reporting, I think what’s key here is context. Know and understand your context and the needs of that context, and make your safeguarding mechanisms and structures as accessible as possible for the child, the volunteers, for anyone who will be needing your services. Secondly, use the best interests of the child principal as a moral compass that guides the way in which you deal with the reporting system. Thirdly, make use of proactive not reactive strategies. That is key.

0:42

I find a lot of times there’s a lot of key learning that comes out of recognising when you’re dealing with a safeguarding case or reporting system, and you’re doing it in a reactive manner. Because when you do it in a reactive manner, you haven’t necessarily got the processing time. You haven’t got the time to think it through. You haven’t got the time to put the most effective measures in place. Whereas when you’ve been proactive, and you’ve thought to yourself ahead of time, OK, what are the possible risks that could happen, and how are we going to mitigate it? Then you’ve already got some sort of support structures for yourself.

1:13

WINFRED MUNDIA: [INAUDIBLE] why it’s tough, [INAUDIBLE] recipients, and those you engage with of what is expected of them in terms of safeguarding. What a safeguarding issue would look like. The available reporting mechanisms that they can use to report any safeguarding issues they have, and how investigations should be conducted. This ensures safeguarding is aligned in what they do.

1:37

NISHAMANI DE SILVA: We have to establish a good relationship with the staff, make to make them ensure that they are OK to reach us, and they trust us to review their complaints, concerns and feedback. So, by eliminating the number of cases, so the concerns coming to us, to the safeguarding department, we can kind of evaluate how much our reporting mechanisms are effective.

2:10

PAULAMI DE SARKAR: So, the whistleblowing procedure under our safeguarding policies highlights the principle of no retaliation and protection of whistleblowers for reports made in good faith. TDH commitment to address all reports and take all necessary measures for that the presumption of innocence towards people accused, the strong commitment to confidentiality and impartiality builds high credence among staff, associate communities, and also among children. So, it is very important to take [INAUDIBLE] centred approach. So far which it is important to train the staff on empathetic communication, handling disclosure. And in practice, safeguarding is often one of the toughest areas. And it is important that the safeguarding focal points should have requisite background and receive continuous trainings.

3:11

And also, it is important to empower the opposition with certain power and guarantee to build the confidence to speak up against harmful practices in the institutions and to deal with complaints against the head [INAUDIBLE] of the organisation in situations.

3:30

ANGELINE FADZAI MANYONGA: We give feedback. It’s very prompt in the sense that if someone lodges a complaint, someone will get back to you from the organisation. And we tell you that we’re doing investigations. We do not take any allegations, any complaints, anything lightly. We take everything with a serious hand. And so that’s also another way. And to ensure that there is effective reporting mechanism, I would say we have flyers, posters around specific places, which have the number and the email, or the specific people that you can talk to. And we continuously do trainings, just touch ups so that we can remind people that, you know what, safeguarding is a place, that we’re here for you, we’re here to understand.

---