ActionAid Community-Based Complaints Mechanisms for SHEA and Safeguarding during COVID-19

Community-based complaints mechanisms ensure that communities can raise concerns about ActionAid staff/processes. Communities can use community complaints mechanisms to raise concerns, give feedback to international agencies, and report incidents of sexual exploitation and abuse. They help to create a strong culture of accountability; enable us to improve the quality, impact and effectiveness of our programmes; and ensure our programmes are safe during COVID-19.

ActionAid Digital SHEA and Safeguarding Risks during ActionAid’s COVID-19 Response

This guidance note looks at areas of digital/online engagement between staff/representatives and children, young people, communities and adults-at-risk, other staff/representatives. This guidance note identifies the risks that emerge from these ways of working and makes recommendations on how to embed safe SHEA and safeguarding approaches and the risk of our staff/representatives carrying out harm.

Aga Khan Foundation: Developing A Community-Based Complaints Mechanism in Consultation with Communities

This guideline is the result of a CBCM pilot project run by AKF in Afghanistan and Tajikistan in 2020 and 2021, co-funded by AKF USA and InterAction. The aim of this project was to pilot an approach to designing and implementing a community complaints/reporting model that drew on innovative engagement methods and that can be adapted to fir the needs of different communities (and the groups within them) in varying contexts.

Bond Safeguarding Complaints Policy

This document from Bond is a sample safeguarding complaints policy. It outlines sample procedures for making a complaint, how to make a complaint, who can make a complaint, and who is covered by the policy.

Bond: Reporting Procedure

This document from Bond provides guidance on procedures for dealing with reports of a breach of an NGOs safeguarding policy.

Care: Workplace Culture Toolkit

This workshop guide equips PSHEA and Safeguarding, and Gender equality focal points in CARE country offices with activities to design, deliver, monitor and evaluate awareness raising and training workshops with the purpose of: reflection and dialogue on the links between inequitable masculinities, power and Sexual Harassment Exploitation and Abuse (SHEA) in the workplace and in CARE’s programs contributing to changes in staff attitudes and behavior in support of gender equality, diversity and inclusion for all, including sexual and gender minorities building understanding and awareness to ensure that CARE’s workplaces and programmatic interventions are free from SHEA strengthening women’s leadership within CARE. This toolkit has three parts: Part one: deals with key themes related to organizational culture such as gender, patriarchy, masculinity, and PSHEA/Safeguarding. Part two: focuses specifically on masculinity and men's role in nurturing a safe organizational culture and work environment. Part three: focuses specifically on resources, management, and leadership.

Catholic Relief Services (CRS): Strengthening Partners in Protection Against Sexual Exploitation and Abuse Toolkit

This toolkit is geared toward national and local organizations. It is primarily designated for use by the 38 national organizations involved in the SPSEA project. It may be of use to PSEA, safeguarding and/or protection focal points, where they exist, or staff in other roles designated to organizational PSEA and safeguarding tasks. It will be of particular use also to senior managers with the overall responsibility for PSEA and safeguarding. It can also be useful for program staff and operational or administrative staff to fulfil the specific PSEA functions related to their roles.

Child Protection Training Partners Guide

Cigna Workshop

Community Based Safeguarding Visual Toolkit

The community based safeguarding visual toolkit is an adaptable toolkit designed to assist humanitarian and development agencies communicate key safeguarding messages derived from the (IASC) Six Core Principles Relating to Sexual Exploitation and Abuse to the communities in which they and their partners work, helping to break down barriers of language, literacy and accessibility. The ultimate goal for this toolkit is to support communities in realizing their rights in preventing sexual exploitation, abuse and harassment by promoting a ‘speak up’ culture. Please take the time to read the user information guide, which provides background information on the development of the toolkit, how it can be used and adapted to suit a wide range of needs, as well as a technical guide. Please note that the toolkit has been released in English, however this will be followed by an increasing number of languages, with support from Translators Without Borders. To access the toolkit, please click on the name of the resource. On the landing page, you will see all of the components of the toolkit linked. Please take some time to go through the links to determine what best fits your needs as an organization.