3. INDIVIDUAL SITUATIONS

In all individual situations the Site Director/On-Site Program Coordinator will start an incident report and contact the On-Call Emergency Staff (the holder of the emergency phone) as soon as practical. Report the incident to Headquarters ASAP. When contacting Headquarters in an emergency, we will first call the emergency telephone number. If there is no response on the emergency number, the Director of Programs should be contacted directly using cell phone numbers. If the Director of Programs is unavailable, one of the other persons on the emergency response team will be contacted.

The Director of University/School Relations will alert and involve the home university/school as appropriate and submit a copy of the incident report once it is complete. Other relevant parties will be informed as required or necessary. Information will be shared continuously until the incident is resolved.

a. Life threatening accident or illness, Hospitalization, Crime against a participant, Arrest of a Participant

The Site Director or On-Site Program Coordinator is responsible for coordinating all emergency situations. Depending on the individual situation at hand, the Site Director/On-Site Program Coordinator will tailor a response with the welfare and best interests of the participant as the top priority.

b. Life threatening accident or illness, Hospitalization

1. If the participant is in critical condition, the Director/On-Site Program Coordinator will call an ambulance immediately. In the event of a non-critical situation where immediate medical attention is still needed, the Site Director/On-Site Program Coordinator will use a reliable form of local transportation. The Site Director/On-Site Program Coordinator will normally accompany a participant to the hospital (and identify an English-speaking staff member) in coordination with the University/school Faculty.

2. The Site Director or On-Site Program Coordinator will stay with the injured participant until which time it is determined that his or her condition has stabilized.

3. Determine whether a medical evacuation is necessary by consulting with Site Director or on-site contact, local physician, emergency contact overseas, and insurance representative.

4. If medical evacuation is required, work with insurance companies and airlines to determine how to proceed, determine whether the participant will be accompanied (by Site Director, on-site contact, or emergency contact), determine if any special immigration documentation is necessary (if being deported out of country).

5. If no evacuation is necessary, the Site Director or On-Site Program Coordinator will monitor the participant’s health and report back to the office as often as the situation requires.

6. If condition improves, begin to work with the local institution to prepare for the participants return.

7. If condition worsens, determine if emergency contact or next of kin will visit. Our Headquarters will assist with all logistics related to this. Determine if insurance will cover cost of emergency contact flying to site location.

8. If death results, Headquarters will work with the family and insurance company to repatriate the remains. See section Death of a participant.

c. Crime against a participant

1. We tailor our response in accordance with the welfare and best interests of the participant as the top priority. We will determine if a participant has been physically harmed. If so, and it is life threatening, see Life Threatening Accident or Illness. If not, but participant is hurt, medical attention will be sought in coordination with the University/school Faculty.

2. If a participant has not yet done so, but wishes to report the crime to the police, we will assist.

3. Ensure that the participant follows proper local laws in reporting the crime (completing any paperwork, acting as a witness, etc.). The Site Director or On-Site Program Coordinator will act as a liaison with the local authorities to ensure that the participant is treated fairly. Where warranted, a local attorney should be consulted.

4. If no life threatening physical or mental harm has taken place, determine, in conjunction with the representative of the home university/school, whether or not the participant wants us to contact his or her emergency contact or if the participant will do so personally.

5. After the incident has been taken care of, meet with the participant individually to determine if there are any lasting effects. If so, refer the participant to a local medical professional skilled in dealing with post-traumatic stress.

Arrest of a participant

1. We tailor our response in accordance with the welfare and best interests of the participant as the top priority. Once the Site Director/On-Site Program Coordinator has been notified of participant’s arrest, the Site Director/On-Site Program Coordinator will assess the situation, collecting as many details as possible (who, what, where, why, when, how) in coordination with the university/school Faculty.

2. We will ascertain whether the participant wants/needs legal representation i.e. how serious is the crime of which he/she is accused. If the participant wants legal representation, they will be steered towards their embassy for guidance. We will also attempt to determine the physical/mental state of participant. If a personal visit is allowed, the Site Director/On-Site Program Coordinator will visit to make above determinations.

3. If allegations are minor i.e. no jail time, only fines, the participant will be given moral support by Site Director/On-Site Program Coordinator and, if needed, referred to local medical staff for counseling. The Site Director/On-Site Program Coordinator or on-site contact will follow up with participants on a regular basis until it is felt the situation is resolved. The Site Director will consult with the home office about any code of conduct violations related to the incident(s).

4. If allegations of criminal activity are serious, in consultation with the participant and the participant's home university/school, the Crisis Management Team will contact the local Embassy. The Site Director/On-Site Program Coordinator will ask the Embassy / Consular Office what legal counsel is available to the participant. The participant will then be informed of their options. The Consular Office will ensure that the participant’s human rights will be preserved and usually notify the imprisoned participant’s family or friends if given permission by the imprisoned participant.

5. If allegations of crime are serious (pending jail and/or prison time), emergency contact(s) will be notified by the Crisis Management Team, if participant has not already done so. The participant's Home University will also be kept fully informed. In most cases the participant will be dismissed from the program, and we will discontinue assisting the participant with any and all matters.

6. When possible the Site Director/On-Site Program Coordinator will provide food, a change of clothes, or other basic necessities as appropriate.

7. The Site Director/On-Site Program Coordinator or on-site contact will continue to monitor situation and, where appropriate and necessary, will provide support to participant and participants family (if in-country)

e. Missing participant

1. We tailors our response in accordance with the welfare and best interests of the participant as the top priority. A participant is missing if he or she is more than 30 minutes late to a designated rendezvous point and cannot be located via phone calls or PA announcements. If this is the case, the Site Director or on-site contact will contact local authorities to begin an inquiry in coordination with the University/school Faculty.
At the same time, the Site Director or on-site contact will interview all persons with whom the participant has come in contact (roommates, host family, professors, etc.).

2. The Site Director or On-Site Program Coordinator will comply fully with local authorities once an investigation is open and will report regularly to Headquarters, the home university/school faculty and, when warranted, with emergency contact.

3. The situation will be closely monitored by On-Site Program Coordinator and Headquarters to determine if a requestative from the panticipant's family should go to the site location. Our Headquarters will assist with arrangeing this.

4. If the participant is found and there are no problems, assist with adjusting back to normal academic and social life.

If the participant is found and he or she is traumatized, refer to local medical authorities and assess the level to which the participant has been affected. Determine if continuation of the program is possible. If participant is dead, follow protocol for Individual Crises – Death of a participant.

f. Sexual assault

1. Our response in this situation will make paramount the welfare and best interests of the participant.

2. The Site Director/On-Site Program Coordinator will talk to the person reporting the crime and determine the location and identity of the victim. When talking to the victim, the Site Director/On-Site Program Coordinator will reassure them that they understand their situation and offer their full support / help in coordination with the University/school Faculty.

3. The Site Director/On-Site Program Coordinator will notify the local police, in coordination with the University/school Faculty, and help the victim file a report, allowing them to provide the associated information, and obtain appropriate medical and psychological help if wanted by the participant.

4. After the participant has received the proper immediate medical attention, the Site Director/On-Site Program Coordinator will meet with the participant and discuss the participant’s desire to continue with the program or return home.

5. If the participant is no longer in physical danger, the Site Director/On-Site Program Coordinator in coordination with the University/school Faculty will allow the participant to make decisions about their continuation on the program as well as who should be notified.

6. The Site Director/On-Site Program Coordinator will monitor the situation and follo

7. If the entire group has been made aware of the situation from the victim or other sources, the Site Director/On-Site Program Coordinator will call a meeting to address the situation with the rest of the group, being careful not to divulge the name of the participant or explicit details of the event, but to reassure the group that the situation is being handled professional and all relevant parties have been communicated with.

8. The participants will be instructed not to communicate the situation to any media (social or otherwise).

9. The Site Director/On-Site Program Coordinator will also urge the group to protect the identity of the victim by not informing their parents, friends or other about the name of the victim or hearsay details that have been passed along to them.

10. Every attempt will be made to help the victim feel comfortable, including involving staff of the same gender as the victim to help him / her.

g. Severe emotional distress

1. We tailor our response in accordance with the welfare and best interests of the participant as the top priority. The Site Director/On-Site Program Coordinator in conjunction with the University/school Faculty will assess the participant's level of distress, taking notes of the behavior of the participant, and notify the Home University faculty leader, police and/or campus security (if applicable), in the case of a potential suicide.

2. The participant may need to be hospitalized. Signs of psychological or emotional distress may be as follows:

• • Expression of wish/intent to harm self or others
• • Precipitous decline in functioning i.e. academic, social, hygienic
• • Unusual conduct: oddly disruptive or antagonistic acts, self-injury, talking to self
• • Excessive energy, agitation, extremely elevated moods
• • Extreme anxiety in the form of worry or panic
• • Odd thought patterns i.e. delusions, paranoia, disorientation, rambling or nonsensical speech
• • Extreme weight loss / gain
• • Attending class or field trips under the influence of drugs or alcohol

3. If a participant is struggling academically, having trouble adapting to their surroundings or having culture shock, the Site Director/On-Site Program Coordinator will meet with the participant - listen to them and provide potential solutions in coordination with the University/school Faculty.

4. The Site Director/On-Site Program Coordinator may refer the participant to local or on-campus counseling services if available. It should be noted that we a r e also aware that some overseas Universities/school may also provide distance counseling services to participants based overseas - in the event that local support is unavailable.

h. Death of a participant

1. The Site Director or On-Site Program Coordinator will notify the Crisis Management Team immediately upon verifying death of a participant.

2. The Executive Director will consult with Crisis Management Team, the overseas Embassy and the Home University/school to determine best protocol for notifying next of kin.

3. Other participants on the program will be notified and grief counseling will be arranged.

4. We can assist next of kin with travel plans, collecting participant's personal effects, and repatriation of remains, in close coordination with the Home University.

5. We will communicate with local authorities, overseas Embassy, legal representatives, the Home University etc. to ensure that all necessary organizations are notified by appropriate parties.