Can I submit an incident report or a question anonymously?
Yes. Tdh accepts anonymous complaints recognizing that complaints may be legitimate, and the complainant may have good reasons as to why they do not want to disclose their identity. In order to conduct a preliminary review of anonymous complaints, enough independent data to corroborate the information needs to be available. To remain anonymous, make sure that you do not provide information that will directly or indirectly disclose your identity when filling out forms and when attaching documents.
Who has access to my identity if I disclose it?
Access to your identity is restricted to persons who are directly responsible for the processing of your incident report or question: - The 3 members of the Incident Management Department at headquarters composed of the Safeguarding Specialist, his/her assistant and the HR Specialist - The General Director of Terre des hommes Other persons, who are involved in the processing of your report or questions, will be able to access your identity only with your consent, which you can provide during the process of submitting an incident report or a question. Without your explicit consent, we will not disclose your identity to any other persons not mentioned above, except in cases where we are obliged to do so at the request of the competent authorities.
Can you track me through the IP address?
In order to ensure confidentiality and anonymity, we do not store IP addresses and time stamps.
Who is the application intended for?
The application is intended for the employees of our organization and also for the external public. The application is not intended for general questions about the functioning of our organization.
Who will process my incident report or question?
Your incident report or question will be processed by the members of the safeguarding incident management cell. The cell will first determinate whether there is a breach of Tdh’s Global Code of Conduct and what the level of gravity of the incident is, to select the mean of resolution which would be the most adequate.
What if my report relates to the person responsible for its processing?
In this case, this person is excluded from the process. Please bear in mind that, in order to avoid such cases from happening and further conflicts of interests, the safeguarding incident management cell is composed of three members, who are all systematically notified of the occurrence of a new incident report or question. The incident, in that case, would be assigned to the other members of the safeguarding incident management cell.
What if my incident report concerns the management of the organization?
The safeguarding incident management cell responds directly to the General Director and may therefore bypass all of the other directors. In the case of an incident report concerning the General Director, the report would be forwarded to and processed by the Board of Foundation.
How is the processing of a report conducted?
The processing of a report is performed in the following stages: - receipt, - acknowledgment of receipt, - initial triage, - processing and determining whom is the most suitable entity to solve the incident/question - mean of resolution (answer, referral, adaptation of the project, mediation, audit, internal investigation, denunciation to the authorities, etc.). - Accompanying measures (awareness raising, capacity building, adaptation of procedures, mentorship, etc).
Can I follow the processing of my incident report or question?
Yes. You can follow the process by clicking on "Follow my incident report or question". The link will direct you to a communication portal where you can enter the username and password you receive when submitting the report or question. On the portal you can follow the processing of your incident report or questions and communicate securely with the members of the safeguarding incident management cell, or the person who has been appointed to deal with the incident or question after you have provided consent.
Can I also communicate with you if I remain anonymous?
Yes. After submitting your report or question you are assigned a user name and a password, regardless whether you disclose your identity or not. With them you can log in to the communication portal where you can follow the processing of your incident report or questions and communicate securely with the organization.
I was warned of retaliation. What is this all about?
Retaliation means that because of the (internal or external) reporting, the reporting person or whistleblower may experience (threats of) unjustified, negative consequences in the work-related context. Retaliation may be directed against the reporting person or whistleblower, the legal entity represented by the whistleblower or against the relatives of the whistleblower who are in employment with the organization or its contractual partner.
How am I protected against retaliation?
Whistleblowers reporting in good faith enjoy protection against retaliation. A whistleblower qualifies for protection provided he or she has reasonable grounds to believe that the information reported was true at the time of reporting. Your good faith is presumed unless and until proven otherwise.
How should I report retaliation?
You can report retaliation through the application. In your incident report you should make a reference to your previous incident report and indicate that you are now threatened with harmful treatment, or that you have already suffered damage.
Can I submit my report or question in any other way?
Yes. You can submit your report or question in the following ways: • per email to concern@tdh.ch, or directly to a member of the safeguarding management cell stated clearly on the Knowledge Centre Safeguarding. • per regular mail to Fondation Terre des hommes, avenue de Montchoisi 15, 1006 Lausanne, Switzerland. To the attention of the Safeguarding Incident Management Cell in the Quality and Accountability Unit.