Samvera’s model for responding to incidents of Code of Conduct or Anti-Harassment violations is to have a team of responders, called the Response Team, responsible for and capable of handling incidents reported either online or at in-person events and determining if a violation has occurred. The Response Team is a separate body from the Samvera Helpers, though membership may overlap (individuals may serve in both capacities, but do not have to do so). The Response Team comprises 5-10 members. Names of the members and their term dates are recorded on the Samvera wiki. Each individual serves on the Response Team for a two-year term. At the end of a year, the individual has the opportunity to confirm their willingness and availability to continue to serve their term on the Response Team. Membership is renewable for subsequent two-year terms.
In the event of a reported violation, a member of the Response Team assumes the role of Incident Responder. The first responsibility of the Incident Responder is to take the incident report and confirm the safety of the people. Based on the report details, an Incident Team may be formed from a subset of the Response Team, and an Incident Lead is named. The size of the Incident Team should be as small as needed, and the names of the members should not be intentionally publicized or hidden; they should be shared only as is helpful or on a need-to-know basis. The Incident Responder may continue to serve as the single point of contact for the reporter, or may turn over this responsibility to another designated member of the Incident Team if appropriate or necessary.
Collectively, the Incident Team shares the responsibility to:
Protect the reporter’s privacy
Discuss the incident
Determine if a violation has occurred
Make decisions as the investigation unfolds
Follow up with the reported person
If necessary, suggest a behavioral modification plan
Articulate the consequences of not adhering to the modification plan
Respond to the impacted person
Throughout the process, communicate updates as necessary to: reporter, accused, event attendees/community, witnesses
Document the incident
When the incident is considered handled, the Response Team hands off any related documentation to the Samvera Board, who is responsible for maintaining it as part of the organization’s records.
Sections of the Incident Response Manual related to the Response Team are (to be linked once the manual is posted):
"Preparing Response Team Members For Incident Handling"
"Onboarding Response Team Members"
"Assemble Incident Team" (step 6 on the checklist)