All of Signpost’s work, including how we talk to people online is guided by key principles to ensure that we do not create any additional harm for the people we are trying to support. These principles should underpin every decision we make and every interaction we have with our clients:
| Principle #1 | Principle #2 | Principle #3 |
| People-Centered Approach | Non-Discrimination & Equitable Access | Active Participation |
| Principle #4 | Principle #5 | Principle #6 |
| Safety and Security | Do No Harm | Confidentiality |
1. People Centered Approach:
We work in a way that respects the choices, wishes, rights, and dignity of the people we communicate with. When talking to someone online it is important that we allow them to be the "owner" of the conversation. They decide the direction and pace of the conversation and can stop the conversation at any time without having to tell us why. They are also free to make decisions that we may not necessarily feel are the ‘best’ choices in the circumstances - you never know the other decision-making factors involved that someone may not have shared with you.
2. Non-discrimination & Equitable Access:
We treat all people in an equal, non-discriminatory way. We talk to people with respect and treat them with compassion, empathy and care. Digital Community Liaisons must actively work to be non-judgmental and avoid negative, blaming or judgmental language when talking to people - even if you do not “approve” of their choices or decisions.
We DO NOT discriminate by:
- individual characteristics
- gender
- age
- socio-economic background
- race
- religion
- ethnicity
- political affiliation
- profession
- disability
- physical or mental health status
- sexual orientation
- gender expression or identity
When we prioritize messages from users, we only do so based on the urgency of their needs and not by any of the factors listed above. We also aim to design information so that it is widely accessible to users, including the most vulnerable and those with less direct access to information.
3. Active Participation of the People We are Talking to:
Involving people in the decision-making about their own lives is crucial to ensure that the information we give them is appropriate and effective. Your job is ONLY to give people the information they require to make informed decisions about their needs - NOT to counsel people to do what you think is best.
4. Safety and Security of Our Users:
The safety and security of the people we talk to is our highest priority. Digital Community Liaisons must act, to the best of their ability, to ensure the physical and emotional safety of people who have experienced or are at risk of violence, abuse, exploitation or neglect.
If you suspect that a person is experiencing or at risk of harm, or that you haven't been able to connect them to the right service without asking further questions that might violate their privacy, raise this case with your supervisor, and/or follow the escalation protocol immediately.
5. Do No Harm:
Do No Harm means avoiding exposing people to further risk, deprivation or experience of violence - physical, emotional or psychological - as a result of our actions. Our social media activities should not do any form of harm to people, or leave them in a situation that is worse than when we found them.
It’s easy to cause harm - even if you have the best of intentions. Remember - your job as a Digital Community Liaison is to provide the best and most accurate information you can, not to know the answer to every question or solve every aspect of every problem. It is essential that we do not provide people with incorrect information or seek to perform a service that is beyond the scope of your role.
Incorrect information can have disastrous/dangerous consequences for the people we serve. Similarly, providing psychosocial counseling or gender-based violence (GBV) related services is a highly technical field - to do these kinds of activities without proper training could easily cause unintentional harm to our users - not to mention to you as a DCL.
When information is not enough, you need to hand over the case to the people who have the right skills - to ensure that we provide the best support to people in the safest way possible.
6. Confidentiality:
Upholding the confidentiality of the people we talk with online is essential. Users trust us with information that could reveal their identities, impact their asylum claims, or jeopardize their safety. This means not talking about any Signpost related cases with anyone, including friends or colleagues. If you do need to talk about a case to a supervisor or pass this information on for a referral for example, then only share relevant details, and only contact information if necessary.
This handbook will cover additional key information confidentiality and your role as a Digital Community Liaison. There are rare cases where confidentiality would be broken and those are covered in the Escalation Protocol section of this handbook.