When you refer a report of alleged misconduct to the appropriate office, this is the general sequence of next steps:
- Intake (an office reaches out to the complaining party to collect key information);
- Supportive measures (an office may put interim supportive measures in place, as needed to protect parties);
- Prima facie determination (an office determines if, should the allegations turn out to be true, a policy would be violated);
- Informal or formal resolution (an office conducts a formal investigation or resolves the matter informally);
- Disciplinary sanction (if a formal investigation resulted in a finding of policy violation).
As a third-party reporter of misconduct allegations, you may not be informed about the progress or resolution of a case. If you are a supervisor, or supporting a supervisor, of parties involved in a case, you may be informed and involved along the way.
Regardless of your level of involvement, it is important to respect the privacy of parties and to maintain a stance of neutrality while a case is in process.