SUPPORT GROUP SAFETY PROCEDURES
Our volunteer admins and moderators take many steps to ensure our Facebook support group is a safe and empowering space for all survivors to heal, receive encouragement, and seek advice.
YOUR SAFETY MATTERS.
If you have any questions or concerns about the following safety procedures, please email help@sytt.org.
10 ways we keep our group members safe…
WE TRAIN AND CERTIFY OUR VOLUNTEERS
We make sure that at least 80% of all volunteers scheduled each day are certified SYTT DV Ambassadors, and have completed over 60 hours worth of training in Trauma-Informed Care, Mandated Reporting, Suicide Gatekeeping, and Domestic Violence Advocacy.
OUR ADMINS OF THE DAY
Every day of the week, we have a morning and evening "Admin of the Day" (AOTD). They pin their profile to Featured to announce they are starting their shift, and are available if a member has any questions or concerns. This enables us to have a direct line of contact with all members daily, in case anything urgent or time sensitive needs attention. Our AOTDs review every post before it is published, to ensure it follows all group rules. They also make sure each post receives quality feedback. At least 2-5 other team members are also scheduled each day to ensure all commenting is kind and supportive.
ANONYMOUS POSTING FEATURE
Facebook offers an anonymous posting feature that allows our group members to post and respond to comments completely anonymously. We highly recommend all members who are still in abusive relationships (or in custody / court battles) to post anonymously for their safety.
OUR GROUP RULES
We have many group rules to ensure our group is safe and supportive for all survivors. Some of these rules help avoid triggering content, while others are required for the poster or commenter's safety. You can find these group rules located in our group's description, Guides, and Announcements.
WE ENSURE MEMBERS GIVE CONSENT
We take consent very seriously in our support group. We don't allow members to message or friend request other members without first gaining consent from the member through a comment. If this rule is broken, it jeopardizes your membership. Additionally, our admins and moderators make sure to get consent from members prior to messaging or editing their post to follow group rules. When members join our group, we ask if they are safe to be messaged and maintain a list of members who are "Unsafe to be Messaged."
WE SCREEN ALL MEMBER REQUESTS
All survivors requesting to join our Facebook group are required to answer 3 questions and agree to follow our group rules in order to join. We don't allow profiles under 1 month old, pages, or joint accounts to join. We have one volunteer in charge of all member requests, and if someone doesn't answer the questions completely, they are denied and asked to complete the questions.
OUR 5 LEARNING GUIDES AND WELCOME
Once members are accepted into the group, they are invited to complete our "5 Learning Guides Required for Membership," and provided a welcome video from our founder that explains how to navigate the group. These Guides remind of group rules, provide hotline numbers for a variety of countries, showcase our group's many resources in Files and Albums, and introduces you to our volunteer team. They also provide detailed steps on how to keep yourself safe within the group and how to lock down your personal profile.
OUR BLACKLIST / WATCHLIST
Our volunteer team maintains a "Blacklist" (for people not allowed in the group), and a "Watchlist" (for members who have broken rules.) In some cases, we allow members to remain in the group if they show they can follow group rules after being warned. We have many members in different stagesof healing, and understand that sometimes posts can trigger emotional responses. If a member continues to break repeated rules, they are removed from the group.
OUR CARELIST
Our volunteer team maintains a "Carelist" for members who have recently left their abusive partners, or seem to be in need of substantial support. We have a Volunteer Care Specialist in charge of checking in on these members weekly.
OUR DEI COMITTEE
We are dedicated to ensuring our support group is safe and empowering for all survivors of abuse. We are gender, race, sexuality, ability, and religion inclusive and are actively working towards diversifying our Board of Directors, staff, and volunteer team. Additionally, we have a Volunteer Inclusion Specialist who ensures procedures are followed to ensure inclusivity, and is a point of contact for members.
Speak Your Truth Today strives to ensure our space is safe and empowering for all members. Please email help@sytt.org with any questions or concerns.