Filing a Report
What happens when I fill out an iReport form?
When you submit an iReport form through the L’Arche USA website, a notification is sent to our iReport Team, a group of external people. Members of the National Leadership Team are alerted that a report has been submitted but do not have access to the contents of that submission.
The iReport Team serve as liaisons between the complainant (that’s you – the person making the report) and L’Arche to ensure proper investigation protocols are activated for any incident, past or present. They will not share identifying information with L’Arche unless the complainant consents to do so.
If a complainant has provided contact information, the report recipients will follow up within 72 hours to consult about the complainant’s desire to identify or not identify themselves to investigators, to whom they wish to be identified or not, to consult about potential actions and to keep the person updated throughout the process.
With the information provided, the team assesses who is the most appropriate body to ensure investigation, usually one that is equipped to do the work and is as close as possible to the incident without being impeded by conflict. Note that when an incident involves a vulnerable adult or criminal activity, the matter will usually need to be referred to adult protective service regulators or local law enforcement.
How is the anonymity of the person making a report protected?
The iReport reports are not accessible to anyone employed by L’Arche. They are accessible to the iReport Team through a password protected account.
If information is passed on in an anonymous basis, the information must be corroborated through further investigation before action can be taken. Individuals who choose to file anonymous reports are advised that it may be very difficult for L’Arche to follow up and/or take action on anonymous reports, where corroborating information is limited.
Who are the members of the iReport Team?
These confidential report recipients are professionals, skilled in safeguarding, confidentiality, assessment and referral practices. They have been confirmed to the team by the L’Arche USA Safeguarding Commission. To protect their privacy, we do not identify them here. They act as a team to review report submissions and decide recommended actions. They will consult with appropriate L’Arche authorities as needed to effectively make their inquiries and referrals. They will not share identifying information without the permission of complainants.