Emergency procedures
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General Legal Guidelines
- AFS’s Legal Responsibility
- AFS can be held responsible for its volunteers’ actions, as long as the volunteers act within their duties. AFS is NOT legally responsible for participants.
- Host Family’s Legal Relationship
- Host families are not the legal guardians for participants nor are they legally responsible for the participant they host. The host family-participant relationship is legally termed a “host-guest” relationship. This means that host families are expected to give due care to participants but are not legally responsible for them. Natural families always have the final say on matters that affect their children.
Death in a Natural Family
Reporting
- Report all available details to the Regional Service Center (or Duty Officer, if after hours). AFS-USA, as the sending country, will then report details to the National Office in the hosting country.
- If the participant is the first one to report a death in his/her family, this information should be verified by the hosting National Office.
Informing the Participant
- The host family will be contacted immediately by the hosting office so that they can inform the participant. If the natural family plans to telephone directly, the sending office will inform the hosting office what action the family plans.
- The natural family may not want to inform the participant or wait until after the funeral services. However, the sending office must do all that is possible to convince the family why it is important that the participant be informed frankly and fully in order to avoid anxiety or a breech of trust on the part of the participant.
- If they do not already know, sending and hosting chapters should also be informed.
Returning Home
- Circumstances:
- If the participant goes home permanently, AFS pays for the transportation.
- If the participant wants to go home only for the funeral, AFS does not pay the round trip airfare.
- The Trip Interruption Benefit as described in the Additional Benefits program may cover airfare. See Participant Medical Plan ver.52010.pdf (pdf) for details.
- The hosting office should arrange travel, ticketing, etc. according to travel guidelines.
Natural Disasters, Civil Strife
- Natural disaster
- flood, earthquake, volcanic eruption, etc.
- Civil strife
- national strike, coup attempt, terrorist incident, civilian riot, etc.
Responding to natural parent inquiries: Respond as soon as possible when receiving concerns about participants from sending offices. These inquiries usually come from natural families, worried because of a media article or story. Although in your judgement there may be no reason for concern, it is important to respond promptly to the partner country and relay factual information so that the sending office can work with the concerned persons’ perception of the facts
When Emergency Strikes
- Volunteer network should be prepared to implement contingency plans in event of emergencies:
- Participants should be told that they are to remain with their host families.
- They are not to leave home independently.
- They are to await word from the AFS national or regional office directly or through the local volunteer contact.
- The AFS national or regional office will initiate the communication process within the country to determine if hosted participants or their families, or families of sending program participants, are affected or not.
- Identify and report any participants or families about whom you do not have information, and actions you are taking to secure this information.
Evacuation
- Conditions
- There are occasions that warrant removal of participants from a country because of security concerns. As is stipulated in the Agreement signed by participants and natural families, AFS maintains the prerogative to remove participants if security concerns warrant this decision. Staff of AFS International decide whether an offer of relocation to another country will be made. If relocation is not an option, arrangements for participants to return to their home country will be made as soon as possible. Under these circumstances, Program Fees are non refundable.
- Procedure
- The decision to evacuate is made by staff of AFS International after consulting with staff of the affected country.
- Sending offices will be informed of this decision and will immediately contact natural families of participants to inform them of this decision. Travel arrangements out of the affected country will be confirmed as quickly as possible.
Death of a Participant
Hosting country
If you receive word of the death of a hosted participant, it is important to get as much of the following information as possible:
- The identity of the person calling or giving the information
- The name of the participant involved, country of origin, and AFS program (Year Program, Semester, etc.)
- Cause of death: If an illness, what illness? If an accident, what kind? Where did it happen? Who else was involved? What is the relationship of the caller to the deceased?
- Time and place of death
- Try to determine if the religion of the participant would require some action.
- If the deceased died in an accident, inquire about local laws regarding autopsy. (If an autopsy is optional, only the natural family may give permission via the AFS office in the sending country.)
- Has the host family contacted the natural family?
- Name and address of undertaker, if available. AFS staff will contact the undertaker and explain that the deceased’s family is being notified and that they will be in touch again if there are specific instructions from the natural family.
- Police report
- If death is the result of an accident or unusual circumstances, it is probable that the police authorities will be involved. AFS staff will request a written copy of the police report.
If after hours, report this information to the AFS Duty Officer. If during office hours, report to the Regional Director or Coordinator of Participant Advising, who will then advise the Senior Vice President. If the call is received directly by AFS staff, they will contact appropriate AFS individuals in the deceased’s host community.
Sending Office Procedures
The natural family should be informed personally by AFS staff when and where possible. If that is not possible, an AFS volunteer may be asked to visit the family and relay the information.
In some situations, the natural parents may want to go to the host country. AFS will pay directly or reimburse round trip international travel costs for one or both natural parents. If the natural parents opt not to be hosted by AFS volunteers, AFS will assume meal and lodging expenses for the natural parents, provided that the choice of lodging is AFS’s and within established expense guidelines. AFS will also be responsible for the expenses of the undertaker and all transportation expenses for the deceased’s body and belongings.
Follow-Up
Continue to gather information and keep a chronological record of events and actions as they occur. Include time and date on all reports. Call on the natural family and the host family and give them whatever help and support possible.
Personal Effects
AFS will arrange for someone to gather all the deceased’s belongings, including the passport, and make an inventory. A copy of this inventory will be provided to the host family, sending country office, and natural parents. Unless the natural family have instructed otherwise, belongings will be sent to the national office in the home country by air freight. Cash and valuables will be shipped by registered air mail, and the home office will forward everything to the deceased’s natural family.
Hospitalization
If an AFS student is admitted to a hospital, this must be reported to an AFS office in order to inform natural parents in the partner country. It is important to have the following information when making the report:
- Name and country of student
- Date of accident or commencement of illness that led to hospitalization
- Date and approximate time of hospitalization
- Name, address, and phone number of hospital
- Name and telephone number of attending physician
- Diagnosis of illness/injury and prognosis for recovery
- Treatment – what medication is being given, what other tests are planned
Situations that May Require Professional Counseling, Intervention, or Assessment
Suicide attempt
Any direct or indirect statements from the participant indicating intention to hurt himself or herself should be taken at full value. They must be assessed within the context of the participant’s situation and overall adjustment. Consult with Regional Service Center staff Participant Advisor on all such situations to determine appropriate intervention.
Rape
Report cases of rape immediately to Regional Service Center staff (or Duty Officer, after hours). It is vital that utmost confidentiality be enforced. Gather as much information about the incident and circumstances as soon as possible, or provide staff with a contact name where this information may be gathered.
- Arrange medical attention immediately.
- AFS will need to have the participant interviewed as soon as possible. (Let staff know if your community has a rape counseling service or some other facility that might be used.)
- AFS must assume responsibility for reporting the incident to the police if the participant is a minor.
- AFS may require some assistance if it is found necessary for the participant to see a professional counselor.
It is important that all details are gathered so that they can be shared with the natural family.
Sexual molestation/harassment
These incidents are often more ambiguous than sexual assault. When reported, the volunteer to whom it is reported should in turn report it to AFS staff. It is important to remain calm and non-judgmental, but to acknowledge and accept that the participant’s emotional reaction to the situation is valid, and requires investigation.
- Remove the participant from the situation immediately.
- Have the participant interviewed (preferably by a person of the same gender) to assess whether there was a misinterpretation of events or whether there was an actual and intended impropriety.
- Consult with regional staff on appropriate actions pending the outcome of the participant’s interview.
- Ensure confidentiality of all information regarding the incident for the protection of the AFS participant, host family member, or volunteer.
NOTE: AFS may need to report suspected cases of abuse to local authorities depending on state law.
If a Participant Gets into Legal Trouble
If a participant is arrested or gets into legal trouble, contact the Regional Service Center staff immediately, so that they can contact the natural family. It is the natural family’s decision if AFS should assist in procuring legal counsel. AFS will not directly hire or pay for this legal counsel – this is the sole responsibility of the natural family.
It should be kept in mind that an individual whom the police seek to interrogate has the right to have legal counsel present during the interrogation and also has the right to remain silent during such interrogation.
Drug Testing
AFS cannot force a participant under suspicion of drug use to take a drug test. If a participant under the age of 18 agrees to have a drug test, it still cannot be given until AFS obtains permission from the natural family in writing. Any suspected drug should be treated as a counseling case in the first
