The FPMT Inc. board of directors are pleased to be able to share with you an update on what is being done in the organization, especially regarding the steps taken in the area of safeguarding, that is, protecting all those at FPMT centers, projects and services from abuse.  The recommendations of two safeguarding organizations, Faith Trust Institute (FTI) and Thirtyone:eight, have been implemented, and a significant amount of work accomplished in the last year.

As you will see, the safety from all kinds of abuse of all those who interact with FPMT centers, services and projects in any way is being taken very seriously. On all levels, efforts have been made, and continue to be made, to ensure that safety.

The first two points below are related to actions mentioned in our February update, taken following the Dagri Rinpoche investigation, for which we commissioned FTI.

Therapy Support: In our last update we explained that we had reached out to each of the five victims who shared their testimony with FTI during the Dagri Rinpoche investigation to offer financial support for therapy, even when their experience did not occur in an FPMT center: this funding is all now provided to those who wished to receive it.

Processing Other Complaints: As mentioned in the February update, additional complaints related to other FPMT teachers and FPMT affiliate staff were submitted to FTI during the course of their investigation of Dagri Rinpoche. The FPMT Inc. board established a subcommittee to review these complaints, working closely with any affiliates concerned. We have now concluded a review of these complaints. A summary of the steps taken and conclusions reached are outlined below with the intention to be as open and transparent as possible about these complaints, while also respecting the need for confidentiality. Therefore, in the interests of the individuals and affiliates concerned, the specifics of situations that have come to the FPMT safeguarding subcommittee, comprised of board members and IOF staff, will not be made public. We ask for your understanding of this approach, as it is very challenging to give details and at the same time uphold the requirement to protect confidentiality of those involved.

• A complaint was received from a third party individual outlining an allegation that a lay teacher and a lay teacher assistant each had an intimate relationship with an individual who was their student, while that student was engaged in a study course in the center. This complaint was shared with the center concerned, which established a committee to review and investigate the details of the allegations. The investigation process included interviewing the alleged victim, who submitted a written testimony that no relationship had taken place during the time that the student was studying in the center. The committee concluded that there had been no breach of the FPMT Ethical Policy. FPMT Inc. also updated our guideline regarding ethics and protecting from abuse with further guidance about relationships, in order to provide greater clarity on this topic.
• An anonymous complainant alleged harassment, retaliation, and the creation of a hostile work environment by a former staff member in an FPMT center. Neither the complainant nor the staff member concerned work at the center any longer. To prevent similar situations in the future, the center reported to us that they have done an extensive review of their policies and procedures for staff management, and for managing complaints and protecting from abuse, and continues to make updates and improvements to those policies and procedures. These include improving staff communication policies and establishing committees for ethics and human resources, to ensure that clearly defined reporting protocols and safeguarding procedures are now in place.
• An anonymous complaint was received about a former staff member in an FPMT center having had inappropriate images on a computer. The center was already familiar with the issue as this claim had already been made several years earlier to the center. At that time, the center had the computer reviewed by an independent IT analyst; no evidence to support the allegation was found. Upon receiving notice of the same complaint – this time through FPMT Inc. – the center, exercising an abundance of caution, sent the computer to a company specializing in criminal technology investigations; they found no evidence to support the allegation.
• An anonymous complaint was received related to inappropriate habits of speech of an FPMT registered teacher. As the complaint did not specify a location, the details of the complaint were reviewed by the Teacher Services Committee, which then issued a formal warning to that teacher, and the committee will continue to monitor reports from their teaching program.
• An anonymous complaint was received outlining dissatisfaction about how a complaint was processed and managed by an FPMT center and International Office, including a recommendation to improve our complaints procedure to allow a formal process to raise complaints in a way that feels fair, confidential, and safe at local, national and international level. This recommendation was reviewed and assessed for incorporating into the new Protecting from Abuse Policy and complaints procedures.

Then, in response to recommendations we received from FTI and Thirtyone:eight during our safeguarding audits, the following steps have been taken in order to help enable those in leadership positions in the FPMT organization maintain safe and healthy environments in their center, project, or service. It is our sincere hope and belief, that with the support of all involved in our community, these steps will be of help to us all.

Protecting from Abuse Policy:  A Protecting from Abuse Policy was developed and has been put out as a new FPMT policy, with a training course designed to unpack and support the policy. We are also reviewing whether additional new guidelines related to complaints about FPMT teachers may be needed in order to supplement the Protecting from Abuse policy. Our aim in providing these new resources, in addition to the current ethical policy and guidelines, is to help provide learning, tools, and strategies to better ensure protection from abuse in FPMT affiliates, and to help ensure that any complaints can be appropriately reported, processed, and resolved.

Protecting from Abuse Training: Alongside the new policy, a new online Protecting from Abuse training course was developed and launched. This training is mandatory for all in leadership positions within the FPMT organization, including registered teachers, and has been reviewed by Thirtyone:eight and other stakeholders within the FPMT organization. It includes guidance regarding sexual abuse, healthy boundaries, power imbalance, and crisis intervention. The training course is currently being provided in English, while being translated into several languages, including Tibetan. Additionally, FPMT Foundation and Teacher Development Service Seminars will refer to and make use of the new Protecting from Abuse policy and training.

FPMT Inc. Policies: We implemented a number of new policies specifically for FPMT Inc., including updating our complaints procedure and confidentiality policy. We implemented additional internal steps to ensure that clear pathways are described for making and processing complaints, as distinct from requests received for spiritual advice.

Education Materials: Guru Devotion: We have received various requests to have additional guidance and materials available about Guru Devotion, and have implemented steps to develop further guidance in this area.

FPMT Inc. Board of Directors: The FPMT Inc. board worked extensively on the Dagri Rinpoche investigation and the adjudication of the findings from the report.  This was a difficult and challenging process. The board made efforts to conclude the initial work to the stage where the final report from FTI was received and adjudicated, and that those initial conclusions were all accepted. Due to various reasons, some board members resigned at that time. We thank them sincerely for all their effort and for the invaluable contribution they made under such challenging circumstances. New board members have accepted to join the board, as was recently announced. Our intention is to have a mixture of ordained and lay individuals, a gender balance, and a good range of professional skills and FPMT organizational experience.

To find out more about current FPMT policies and guidelines instituted to uphold a safe, respectful environment in local FPMT centers, projects, or services, please visit Safeguarding in FPMT Entities. This leads to our public information about Ethics and Protecting from Abuse in the FPMT organization, and includes links to our policies, including the FPMT Ethical Policy.

 We are sincerely grateful to all those who have contributed to the process of making these changes and improvements, directly or indirectly through their feedback or input. We want to express our deep thanks for the support of all involved in our community for the implementation of these important new policies.