Key findings of our complaints, feedback and response mechanism review
Our Sierra Leone Hub is leading the way on safeguarding. So far, we have worked with over 200 communities to ensure that they can recognise potential concerns and report safeguarding issues or incidents to us, irrespective of whether they involve one of our staff members or volunteers.
Community members and participants on our programmes can report concerns through a range of channels. These include a toll-free line, suggestion boxes, reporting directly to various people like staff, volunteers, chairladies, community health officers or religious leaders.
During our “Complaints, Feedback and Response Mechanism review,” we asked community members how they prefer to raise issues or concerns. According to our findings:
- 61% preferred using the dedicated toll-free phone line
- 18% preferred reaching out to the Mammy Queen, Community Health Officer or Restless Development staff/volunteers
- 11% preferred suggestions boxes
- 6% preferred reporting through elderly community members
- 4% preferred reporting through religious leaders
This review was done in 28 communities across 13 districts in Sierra Leone. Restless Development believes that involving communities in reviewing how safeguarding issues are being reported will ensure useful and reliable findings, create ownership in communities, and build more trust in the different reporting channels.