wiki_ghostguild/content/wiki/community-policies/code-of-conduct-procedures.md

title	collection	path	parentDocument	outlineId	createdBy
Code of Conduct Procedures	Community Policies	Community Policies/Code of Conduct Procedures	null	5770d560-d239-4601-bd17-d1eb2f8426fc	Jennie R.F.

These procedures should be used to deal with reports of unacceptable behaviour where the complainant does not want or need to resolve the issue with the Respondent directly. The organization, however, needs to resolve it for the safety of the community. Reports can be anonymous.

Receiving reports

Document the initial incident report

1. Collect a written account or transcribe a verbal report.
2. Enter it in the Incident Log.
3. Report the incident to the Conflict Resolution Committee.

Column	Description
Participant Name	Name of the individual accused of harassment
Violation	Brief description of the harassing behavior
Date & Time	When the incident occurred
Circumstances	Context or situation surrounding the incident
Others Involved	Names of any witnesses or additional participants
Complainant Conversation	Summary of discussion with the complainant
Gather this information from the complainant – do not "interview" witnesses unless they approach staff.

Support the complainant

Follow these steps to help the complainant feel safe:

1. Provide them with a private space. In Slack, this means in a DM.
2. Allow the complainant to decide if further action should be taken: "This sounds like a breach of our Code of Conduct. If you're okay with it, I am going to meet with (other co-executive director or board member/s) to figure out what our response will be." Wait for a response.
3. Let them know that we will handle the matter according to our policies and walk them through the next steps, which involve the Conflict Resolution Committee. If their complaint involves a member of that committee, the Board must be notified, and the alleged violator must be recused from the committee until the issue is resolved.
4. Let them know that they will be informed about any actions taken.
5. Make sure they know their identity will not be disclosed to anyone else – including the offender.

Response procedures

The Conflict Resolution Committee is responsible for responding to CoC violations.

Issue	Response
An interpersonal problem or dispute that is not a violation of the Code of Conduct (i.e., the offender has not engaged in any of the things listed under Code of Conduct#Unacceptable behaviour|Unacceptable Behaviour)	Refer the complainant to the Conflict Resolution Policy and offer support in proceeding with a formal or informal report.
A first Code of Conduct violation has been observed or reported – but it is not severely disruptive	Warn the offender in writing and update the Incident Log.
A second Code of Conduct violation has been observed or reported; the violator exhibits a pattern of harassing behaviour, with or without warnings; the violator continues to harass after any "No" or "Stop" instruction	Immediately remove the offender from the space and indefinitely ban them. Update the Incident Log.
An offender is engaged in sustained or repeat violations of the Code of Conduct and has been warned, or the offence is severe	Immediately remove the offender from the space and permanently ban them. Update the Incident Log.
Anyone's physical safety is threatened	Immediately remove the offender from the space and permanently ban them. Inform Directors, stakeholders, members, and the public at your discretion, as long as it does not violate any victim's privacy. Update the Incident Log.

[!tip] Preventing retaliation The privacy and safety of the complainant is paramount. Be careful about the details you share about the incident and with whom. Do not share details of the people involved or the incident (outside the Committee or Directors) without express permission from the complainant.

Committee meeting

Committee members should meet as soon as possible after a report – ideally within one week.

Before the meeting, let the alleged harasser know there is a complaint about them. Allow them to tell a committee member their side of the story, and if they do, have that person take it into the meeting.

Review the incident report and discuss the following:

• What happened?
• What are we doing about it?
• Who is doing those things?
• When are they doing them?

Neither the complainant nor the alleged harasser should attend, even if they are staff or a Director.

After the meeting

Once it is decided what action will be taken, contact the harasser. Convey the consequences without discussing details or rationale, and say: "If you'd like to discuss this further, please contact us again, but in the meantime, you must [x]."

DO NOT ask the complainant for advice on how to deal with the complaint. DO NOT offer the complainant input into penalties.

Once action has been taken, follow up with the complainant and let them know what has been done and that you are here to support them.

Final incident report

When an issue is reported, whether it is referred to the #Conflict Resolution Procedures or considered a Code of Conduct violation, the committee members should keep the original incident report up to date, covering:

• If the offender has been warned, how did they respond?
• Were they contrite?
• Did they immediately stop the behaviour?

Document every communication from staff or committee members related to the incident, especially to third parties.

Document the date of the directors' meeting(s) and any decisions and follow-up communications related to the incident.

The Committee should follow up with the complainant, record the full details of how the incident was resolved, and prepare a report for the Board.

About apologies

Do not ask the offender to apologize to the complainant. Baby Ghosts has no responsibility to enforce friendship, reconciliation, or anything beyond stopping harassment between members or event attendees.

We will try to facilitate an apology if the complainant wishes. Please see our Loving Justice page for more information about our approach to community repair.

Asking someone who has been harassed to acknowledge an apology from their harasser forces further contact with their harasser. It also creates a social expectation that they will accept the apology, forgive their harasser, and return their social connection to its previous status.

If the harasser offers to apologize to the complainant, strongly discourage it. If a staff member relays an apology to the complainant, it should be brief and not require a response.

If the harasser attempts to press an apology on someone who would prefer to avoid them or attempts to recruit others to relay messages on their behalf, this constitutes continued harassment and is grounds for permanent expulsion.

Data retention

All initial incident reports and logs should be retained permanently, regardless of the action taken against the harasser.

Reports should be stored in an Obsidian note, and access should be shared only with Board members and Conflict Resolution Committee Committee members. The committee Chair should control access, removing and adding privileges as staff and members turn over.

Providing access and information about the records should be part of the board member, staff, and committee onboarding process.