theless predictable that individual cases will be submitted to the Federal Agency. In such cases, it should be made clear that the Federal Agency has neither investigational powers nor other possibilities to provide guidance. In individual cases, persons concerned may be referred to a facility (e.g. Weißer Ring or the like) if it can be recognised that they are seeking a contact. 6.2 Documentation and archiving of individual complaints Individual items of information shall be documented where they appear plausible, and these shall be available as background information in the visiting planning. In cases of doubt, they should be documented, particularly where they contain specific accusations against a named facility. 6.3 Confidentiality of the information received Personal data that have been received shall always be treated absolutely confidentially. This should also be made clear to the persons concerned (particularly on visits). They may only be passed on to third parties with the prior agreement of the person concerned or in anonymised form. No. 7: Cooperation with non-governmental organisations, interest associations, etc. 7.1 Non-governmental organisations (NGOs), interest associations, etc. Cooperation with NGOs and the like (e.g. Amnesty International, Association for the Prevention of Torture – APT) is highly important to the Federal Agency. Reports by NGOs and the like are an additional source of information for official visits. It is advised to contact locally-active groups when preparing visits. This makes it easier to focus, and to highlight problem areas. At the same time, personal meetings with individual representatives on an official visit may also help to complete the picture. 7.2 External presentation towards NGOs and the like When cooperating with NGOs, it should always be clarified that the Federal Agency is not an NGO, but an independent public institution. The approach and depiction of the Federal Agency is hence quite different than that of an NGO. The Federal Agency should therefore also ensure that it does not become the mouthpiece of an NGO, as this might question its independence and impartiality. No. 8: Cooperation with international bodies and other national prevention mechanisms (NPMs) 8.1 Cooperation with the Subcommittee on Prevention (SPT) and the Council of Europe’s Committee for the Prevention of Torture (CPT) 136