Training and continuing education During the year under review, the AOB conducted a number of continuing education events and trainings in order to ensure an optimum performance of the new competences. In the period from November 2011 to March 2012, AOB executives put on a series of lectures for all its employees that provided informa- Continuing internal education tion about the forthcoming expansion of competences and explained the impact and the legal background thereof. The lectures focused on the AOB’s obligations under OPCAT, the position of the AOB as a National Institution for the Promotion and Protection of Human Rights, as well as the investigative standards. Additionally, they provided an initial overview of the customary international procedures of commissions when undertaking preventive monitoring and control. The topic of another internal training course was the reporting system. As the new competences of the AOB also impacted the AOB’s reports, a number of adjustments were necessary. In November 2012, three one-day writing workshops were conducted for AOB experts to establish the new reporting standards in house. On 14 and 15 September, the AOB conducted a kick-off workshop for the Commissions, the purpose of which was primarily to provide some Kick-off workshop for the Commissions basic knowledge regarding the fundamental legal principles of the National Preventive Mechanism and to develop a basic common understanding of the applicable investigative standards. National and international experts spoke about monitoring and control visits in care facilities, psychiatric institutions and prisons. The focus was on the individual phases of the monitoring process. In early November, there was another custom-tailored training module for the Commissions that was held jointly with the Council of Europe. The primary objective of this shadow monitoring was to enable Shadow monitoring in cooperation with the Council of Europe the sharing of experience and knowledge at the international level. Six internationally recognised experts accompanied the Commissions during their visits of three selected facilities. The module was divided into three sections: joint planning of the visits, the visits themselves as well as debriefing and concluding evaluations. This form of training was another important step in ensuring that international standards are complied with when conducting visits. 23