PSEA UPDATE – APRIL
After consultation with the Code of Conduct Committee (CCC), the Development Practice Committee (DPC), the ACFID Board and ACFID’s Communities of Practice, ACFID has finalised our PSEA implementation plan. You can download and read ACFID’s plan here.
1. DFAT’s PSEAH Policy
As many members will be aware, DFAT have released their PSEAH policy. ACFID provided a submission to this process, as did many of our members. Thanks to those who were able to assist in coordinating our sector’s response. You can read the policy on DFAT’s website here. This policy takes effect for aid and humanitarian partners on 1 July 2019. We will continue to update members on the use of the policy as further information comes to light. Specifically, DFAT have indicated that they expect the risk assessment framework to be available on their website in a matter of weeks. We will let members know when this has happened. DFAT have further indicated that the policy will be reviewed after 12 months.
2. Changes to the Quality Assurance Framework
The CCC wishes to thank members who provided input and feedback to the consultation process on changes to the Quality Assurance Framework. A near final version of these changes have since been discussed by the CCC and endorsed by the ACFID Board. Members may recall that the final step in agreeing the changes to the framework is to ensure that, as much as possible, the terminology and requirements of the Code’s changes are consistent with those set out in DFAT’s PSEAH policy. As we still await the release of the reporting and risk assessment guidance for DFAT’s policy, this final check is yet to be completed.
Given this delay, and the concerns heard from members about the impact of multiple changes across a short timeframe, the CCC wishes to advise that when released, the changes to the Quality Assurance Framework will not take effect for members on 1 July. As soon as the changes are available, ACFID’s members will be advised, and will be expected to be actively working towards compliance from this time. The changes will take effect before the end of the year, and as such will be reported against by members in 2020. Further compliance details will be released with the final Quality Assurance Framework. ACFID is busily working to develop learning tools and resources for the Good Practice Toolkit to accompany these changes, and expect the bulk of these resources to be available to members by early August. Questions about compliance can be sent to the ACFID Code team.
Commitment 1.5 (requiring a PSEA policy) has already come into effect (on 1 January), and members should have this policy in place. Any exceptions to compliance should be reported with a timeframe to achieving compliance within the Code Self-Assessment (CSA) and Exceptions Report process.
3. PSEA Design Lab
ACFID will be hosting a Design Lab in June to workshop and progress ideas and initiatives that address the recommendations made in the VIFM report. Expressions of interest will be advertised through the upcoming member bulletin and will be available on ACFID’s website in coming days. Check back here for more details!
For any questions about ACFID’s work on PSEA, please get in touch with Jocelyn, ACFID’s Director of Development Effectiveness.
CONSULTATION ON CHANGES TO THE QUALITY ASSURANCE FRAMEWORK
The Code of Conduct Committee (CCC) are seeking your feedback on changes to the Quality Assurance Framework (QAF). These changes have been drafted in response to the recommendations made in the review of the Code report released to members in July last year, and the recommendations from the report of the independent review from the Victorian Institute of Forensic Medicine (VIFM) that had implications for the Code.
As the governing body for the Code, the CCC seeks to ensure our sector maintains a standard that is highly relevant to the work of ACFID’s members, and responds to issues that are highly important to our practice and reputation. The safeguarding of vulnerable people is a highly important issue, and the CCC has set out to draft changes that reflect our sector’s collective commitment to better practice in this regard, but are also relevant to the size, nature and context of ACFID’s members work.
For these reasons, the CCC is now seeking your feedback on the changes. Please take the time to read and share the document below within your agency. You are invited to:
- Email through your comments to the Code team
- Join a teleconference on Friday 15 March at 11am AEDST. Please email [email protected] to RSVP and receive the dial-in details.
Your feedback will be collated by the Code secretariat and considered by the CCC. Consultation will close on Monday 18 March.
Download this document to read what the changes are, why they are important, and what they will mean for your agency.
UPDATE – 25 FEBRUARY 2019: The independent review team has published their final report. You can read the report on the VIFM website. The ACFID Board has accepted all of the recommendations of the report. A management plan for the implementation of the recommendations will be provided to the ACFID Board at their March meeting, and consulted upon with ACFID’s members over the coming months.
At the Annual General Meeting in November last year, ACFID’s members agreed to implement an additional Commitment to the Code of Conduct. This is Commitment 1.5 We advance the safegaurding of those who are vulnerable to sexual exploitation and abuse. This Commitment took effect for ACFID’s members on 1 January 2019. Read more about the requirements of this Commitment on the Good Practice Toolkit.
The Code of Conduct Committee is currently working on the proposed additional updates to the Code’s Quality Assurance Framework as a result of this review and the review into the ACFID Code of Conduct. These changes are anticipated to be released for member consultation on 1 March.
UPDATE – 15 OCTOBER 2018: The final report publication date of the independent review to improve practice and response of ACFID’s members in the prevention of sexual misconduct has been put back until mid-November. While we had originally hoped the report would be finalised before ACFID’s national conference on October 30-31, the data collection phase took longer than anticipated. The new timescale has been mutually agreed by ACFID and the Victorian Institute of Forensic Medicine to allow time for the review team to fully analyse the information collected and develop recommendations for the sector.
UPDATE – 3 SEPTEMBER 2018: ACFID has published a quick guide to the independent review and the Code review which includes details on how you can contact the review team at the Victorian Institute of Forensic Medicine.
UPDATE – 9 AUGUST 2018: The independent review team at the Victorian Institute of Forensic Medicine has published its interim report. You can find it on their website here.
ACFID has commissioned an independent review to ensure members of ACFID understand and apply global best practice in the identification, response and prevention of sexual misconduct.
This is a quick explainer on the review and how you can report to the review.
Who will run the review?
The Victorian Institute of Forensic Medicine (VIFM) will conduct the independent review. VIFM is a statutory authority. It operates under the auspices of the Victorian Department of Justice, reporting to Parliament through the Attorney-General.
Through its core work the VIFM has an innate awareness of the complexities involved in institutional sexual misconduct and the geo-political and cultural intricacies that are prevalent in the challenging environments in which many of ACFID’s members operate. It also understands the complexities to issues involving institutional sexual abuse and misconduct, particularly in relation to vulnerable persons in conflict and disaster settings.
VIFM will seek information from ACFID’s membership independently from ACFID and will publicly report on its findings.
What will the review cover?
The aim of the review is to ensure that ACFID’s member organisations:
- Provide a safe and trusted environment which safeguards all who have contact with the organisation including staff, volunteers, partner organisations and beneficiary communities from sexual misconduct;
- Set an organisational culture that prioritises safeguarding against sexual misconduct, so that it is safe for those affected to come forward and report incidents and concerns with the assurance they will be handled sensitively and appropriately; and
- Have robust safeguarding policies, procedures and measures in place that are shared and understood.
The review’s remit will cover sexual misconduct between ACFID’s members and beneficiaries, ACFID’s members and delivery partners, and within ACFID’s membership between staff.
For the purposes of this review sexual misconduct will include the situations typically referred to by the following characterisations:
1. Sexual exploitation and abuse; 2. Sexual harassment; 3. Child sexual abuse and exploitation; and 4. Prevention of sexual exploitation and abuse (PSEA).
The VIFM review team will examine regulation and compliance with ACFID’s Code of Conduct; the culture of reporting issues of sexual misconduct; and the capability and organisational culture of ACFID’s members in relation to sexual misconduct.
How will the review work?
The methods of the independent review will include survey and data collection from ACFID’s members; a confidential reporting telephone line and email address; face-to-face interviews and focus groups with an agreed subset of ACFID member organisations (to be determined in consultation with the review team); and a critical analysis of ACFID and DFAT’s reporting and accreditation systems in relation to sexual misconduct. The review team will publish an interim report in July followed by a final report and recommendations which will be published in October 2018.
How can I contact the review team?
Staff within ACFID’s membership, and within members’ beneficiaries and partners, who have been affected by sexual misconduct and have experiences they wish to report into the review confidentially, can contact the review team at VIFM on 1800-00-PSEA (1800-00-7732) or contact the review team at [email protected]. This phoneline is available Monday to Friday from 9 – 5pm and will be answered by a senior forensic physician (on roster).
VIFM’s forensic practitioners provide acute sexual assault services to hundreds of women and men per year and are highly skilled at providing psycho-social support. The reports made to the review team will become part of VIFM’s analysis and findings but will be anonymised and de-identified and only used for the purposes of the review.
However, if during the course of collecting information for the review VIFM form a reasonable view that a crime may have been committed, they will be obliged to report the matter to the relevant authority, which may be the Australian Federal Police, depending on where the alleged incident occurred.
Further support
A partnership with 1800RESPECT, the national sexual assault, domestic and family violence support service, has been established to provide support—including information, referrals and counselling—for anyone affected by sexual misconduct in relation to the review’s remit. If you have experienced violence as a result of this issue or know someone who has you can contact 1800RESPECT at any time of day to speak to a trained counsellor. You can call 1800-RESPECT on 1800 737 732.
You can also find further information online about understanding sexual assault, harassment and coercion (https://www.1800respect.org.au/violence-and-abuse/sexual-assault-and-violence/), including how to report to police, and how to support someone who has experienced sexual violence (https://www.1800respect.org.au/violence-and-abuse/sexual-assault-and-violence/support) on the 1800 RESPECT website.
State based services with additional resources and support are available across Australia:
ACT – Canberra Rape Crisis Centre http://www.crcc.org.au/
NSW – NSW Rape Crisis http://www.nswrapecrisis.com.au/
NT – Sexual assault referral centres https://nt.gov.au/wellbeing/hospitals-health-services/sexual-assault-referral-centres
QLD – BRISSC – https://brissc.org.au/
SA – Yarrow Place Rape and Sexual Assault Service http://www.sahealth.sa.gov.au/wps/wcm/connect/public+content/sa+health+internet/health+services/yarrow+place+services
TAS – Sexual Assault Support Service https://www.sass.org.au/
VIC – Sexual Assault Crisis Line https://www.sacl.com.au/
WA – Sexual Assault Resource Centre http://www.kemh.health.wa.gov.au/Our-services/Statewide-Services/SARC
Using the ACFID Code of Conduct Complaints Mechanism
ACFID’s Code of Conduct (the Code) offers an independent mechanism to address concerns relating to the conduct of ACFID’s members. Anyone can make a complaint against a specific member that is believed to have breached the Code.
Complaints should first be raised with the relevant ACFID member. All ACFID members have their own mechanisms to handle complaints and information can be found on their websites. If you are not satisfied with the response, you can then lodge a complaint with the Code of Conduct Committee who are responsible for investigating the complaint. For further information on complaints under the ACFID Code of Conduct visit ACFID’s website.
Further Information
If you would like to speak to ACFID about the review, please contact [email protected].
