Investigation
How do I strive for a fair and just process for all parties?
Curiosity and the desire to inquire into the experience of each party empowers me as an investigator to explore and discover the issue(s) in a neutral capacity. Understanding my own triggers and biases ensures that I can remain as unbiased and objective as possible.
This mindset is grounded in a desire to learn from the participants prior to assessing (judging) what I believe to have occurred. My training in self-reflexivity will help me to determine if I am the right person to undertake the investigation.
How do the principles of Trauma Informed Care and Restorative Justice arise in the investigation process and impact the development of findings and recommendations?
Trauma informed care and restorative justice serves to promote an accessible process that aims to restore the parties to their pre-conflict state - as much is feasible. This means going beyond a finding under a specific policy, but thinking about the needs of the parties once the investigation is complete.
When establishing the Terms of Reference (TOR) for any investigation, I work with the contracting party to explore ways of incorporating these practices into the investigation process, as well as taking specific queues from the conflicting parties, where appropriate.
Other factors that will impact the development of a clear and transparent TOR are:
predefined policies and procedures;
contractual requirements (eg. collective agreement provisions, etc); and
statutes that inform the requirements of an investigation process.