Complaints office
Do you have any complaints or suggestions for improvement regarding the structure and operations of the Centre for Research, the content and procedures of the “Safe!” study, or any inappropriate behaviour directed towards you? Here, you have the opportunity to submit any complaints and suggestions.
Who can use the complaints procedure?
The ZEFSG has put in place a complaints procedure and appointed two ombudspersons for use by the following:
- School survey participants and people interested in participating in the “Safe!” study, as well as their guardians
- All members of ZEFSG committees
- The staff of the Centre for Research (including co-researchers)
The three participation and engagement committees – the Youth Advisory Committee, the Survivors’ Advisory Committee and the Expert Advisory Committee – selected the ombudspersons and decided on the specific design of the complaints procedure.
The complaints procedure serves to safeguard participants and continuously improve the Centre’s way of working. The independent ombudspersons deal with all complaints and suggestions.
Examples of complaints and suggestions for improvement
You are a member of one of the ZEFSG committees and are under the impression that important decisions within the Centre are repeatedly made without consulting the committee – for example, with regard to support services or the questionnaire for research on unreported violence.
You are a school student who has participated in the school survey. One of the questions was unclear or you found the wording to be inappropriate and you have an idea about how the question could be better phrased in future.
You are a co-researcher and feel uncomfortable following a meeting in which a member of a project team made an inappropriate comment or tried to engage in unwanted physical contact. You find the behaviour intrusive and harassing.
You are a member of one of the ZEFSG committees and feel hurt or harassed by discriminatory statements made by one of the other committee members.
Which matters would not be handled by the complaints office?
Questions related to the content of the study, as well as any distress caused by participating in the survey, are not handled by the Centre’s ombudspersons but are addressed through the study hotline and nationwide support services.
If you need help, you can access our general counselling service for difficult life situations.
How does the complaints process work?
All complaints and suggestions for improvement are processed and evaluated by the ombudspersons in a timely manner. The ombudspersons assess the relevance and urgency of submissions received, consult with the affected individuals to clarify the facts of the matter, and recommend appropriate measures where necessary. They also regularly report back to the UBSKM and the ZEFSG committees.
Counselor at a specialized support center for survivors of sexual violence
Supervision, counseling, and trainings for professionals in the fields of psychology, medicine, and education.
Susanne Porzelt
Supervision, Coaching, organizational development consultant
Anti-discrimination-trainer
Sebastian Kukla
My professional roots lie in child and youth welfare services. For many years, I worked in the fields of social-pedagogical family support and integration assistance for children and young people with disabilities.
As an ombudsperson for the German Association for Supervision and Coaching (DGSv), I have gained several years of experience in this area of work.
Complaint form
You can submit complaints or suggestions for improvement using the complaint form – this can either be anonymous or you can provide an e-mail address. The ombudspersons will then be in contact within one week.
to the complaint form