Certain situations must be immediately reported to AFS-USA Participant Support staff. During business hours, contact your Participant Support Specialist.
In case of emergencies involving current AFS participants on program during non-business hours, weekends and holidays, the AFS-USA Duty Officer is on call to provide guidance and support. Emergency situations include:
- Emergency Moves
- Medical Emergency: Hospitalization and serious medical issues/injuries
- Allegations of Sexual Misconduct: Student victim or perpetrator
- Arrest/Police involvement
- Runaways
- Suicidal thoughts or self-harm
- Natural Disasters that impact student placements
- Death in natural family
- Student’s physical and psychological safety compromised in any way
- Breaking any of the three AFS rules: No driving, No hitchhiking, No drugs.
To reach the AFS-USA Duty Officer in case of emergency, call 1-800-237-4636 ext. 9. You will be connected with an answering service, which will take down your information and forward it to the AFS Duty Officer on call at that time. The AFS Duty Officer will then be back in touch with you directly as soon as possible. If you do not get a call back within 15 minutes, please call the answering service again and state clearly that you are calling for the second time. Duty Officers are not in an AFS office when on call. AFS-USA Participant Support staff serve as Duty Officers on a rotating basis.
For non-emergencies, please contact your Participant Support Specialist and they will follow up with you during normal business hours.