PROTOCOL P-02 | Signal Detection & Early Warning

Signal Escalation Protocol

TRIGGER When a captured signal recurs, intensifies, implicates multiple actors, or meets any escalation threshold

STEPS

1. Signal is received and logged in Signal Tracker

Any team member can log a signal (field staff, contractors, ComRel officers, or LGU liaisons). Entry includes: date, source, channel, description, and initial assessment of severity (low / medium / high).

2. Assess against escalation thresholds

Escalate if any of the following apply: (a) signal has appeared 2+ times from same or different sources; (b) signal involves livelihood loss, access restriction, or safety risk; (c) signal implicates more than one stakeholder group; (d) signal concerns a topic with prior history of conflict in the area.

3. If threshold not met — monitor and review

Flag for review at next scheduled Early Warning Review. Document the monitoring decision and set a review date within 7 days.

4. If threshold met — notify ComRel Officer or PCO within 24 hours

Provide: signal description, source, channel, frequency, and reason threshold was met. Use the Signal Tracker escalation field. Do not rely on verbal relay alone.

5. ComRel Officer classifies the signal

Three classifications: Monitor (continue observing, no immediate action), Respond (direct engagement required: acknowledgement, clarification, or support), or Escalate (brief management and LGU: potential dispute or systemic issue).

6. Assign a response lead and set a resolution timeline

For Respond and Escalate classifications, assign a named person responsible for the next action within 48 hours. Document in Signal Tracker.

7. If Escalate — brief Project Manager and relevant LGU within 48 hours

Briefing should include: signal summary, affected stakeholder groups, proposed response, and resource or authority needed to respond.

8. Document the decision and its rationale

Record classification, assigned lead, timeline, and decision rationale in Signal Tracker. This creates accountability and supports the Early Warning Review process.

9. Review at next Early Warning Review session

All escalated signals are standing items on the Early Warning Review agenda until resolved or reclassified.

PURPOSE

To define the steps, thresholds, and responsibilities for moving an early concern from observation to documented concern to institutional response. Without a defined escalation protocol, signals are captured but not acted on, they accumulate in a tracker while tensions build. This protocol closes the gap between detection and response.

Roles and Responsibilities

Primary:

Actor: ComRel Officer / PCO
Responsibility: Receives escalated signals, classifies them, assigns response leads, and briefs management.

First Receiver:

Actor: Field / Contractor Staff
Responsibility: Logs initial signal and assesses against thresholds. Notifies ComRel Officer within 24 hours if threshold is met.

First Receiver:

Actor: Barangay Official / LGU Liaison
Responsibility: Relays community-sourced signals to ComRel Officer. Should have direct channel for this purpose.

Notified:

Actor: Project Manager
Responsibility: Briefed on all Escalate-classified signals within 48 hours.

Notified:

Actor: LGU Focal Person
Responsibility: Briefed when signal involves LGU jurisdiction, public concern, or community-wide impact.

Field Notes and Adaptation Guidance

• Field Note — Silence and low attendance are signals

  One of the most common escalation failures is treating absence of formal complaints as absence of concerns. Silence, consistently low attendance, reluctance to engage directly, or stakeholders deferring to a single spokesperson are all escalation-worthy signals. Train all staff to recognize passive signals, not just verbal ones.

• Field Note — Short-term benefits can mask signals

  At multiple sites, the delivery of livelihood assistance or employment opportunities was followed by a period of apparent calm. Signals that had been logged before the benefit period were closed or deprioritized. Escalation thresholds must remain active even during benefit delivery periods, the underlying concern may still be present.

• Adaptation Guidance

  In sites with multiple barangays, designate a signal focal person per barangay who has direct WhatsApp or phone access to the ComRel Officer. This dramatically reduces relay lag, one of the main causes of escalation failure.

Required Output / Documentation

• Updated Signal Tracker entry with classification, assigned lead, timeline, and decision rationale

• Internal notification to ComRel Officer (for threshold-met signals

• Management and LGU briefing note (for Escalate-classified signals)