JEAN-JACQUES GAUTIER NPM SYMPOSIUM 2016 however, the staff are willing to share their doubts and discuss the constraints in their working conditions. The monitoring mandate and the aims of the visits must be clearly explained so that the staff view the NPM’s observations as a valuable contribution to improve the running of the establishment, including the staff conditions – one of the aspects that the NPM is required to observe. In many cases, the NPMs acknowledged that the use of methods violating the integrity of the individuals was in part the result of staff shortages and a lack of appropriate staff training. “The inspectors have met teams who are equally concerned about the rights of patients and ask questions about how to treat them humanely. They query the merit of using seclusion and are open to discussion on their practices but are short of time and take these practices for granted. They say that in the beginning they were shocked, but now they no longer think about it.” Anne Lecourbe, NPM, France Private interviews with the users The NPMs highlighted the importance of having private interviews with many persons placed in psychiatric institutions, as well as taking all the necessary precautions to maintain their anonymity and prevent the risk of reprisals. However, as part of each visit and depending on the establishment’s specific characteristics, it is important that the NPMs draft selection criteria for these private interviews. During the Symposium, the NPMs identified the following selection criteria: meeting people who would like to see the NPM but also those who have just been admitted to the institution, will soon be leaving it, are or have been in seclusion, as well as persons in particular situation of vulnerability (e.g. children, the elderly). Meeting users who are under physical restraint raises ethical questions. Indeed, these persons are in a particularly vulnerable and degrading situation and having an unknown person visiting them can be an added humiliation. The CPT shared their experience on this matter by underlining the importance of meeting these people regardless, if they consent to it, since the aim of the meeting is to 36