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AMEBO user manual

Incident reporting and case management

Screenshots use invented example data. Contents shown for your role.

Getting started — What AMEBO is, who uses it, signing in and finding your way around.
Reporting an incident — Step-by-step guide to the report form, with or without an account.
Email notifications — Which emails AMEBO sends, to whom, and what they contain.
Privacy, security and FAQ — How your information is protected, and answers to common questions.

Chapter 1

Getting started

What AMEBO is, who uses it, signing in and finding your way around.

What AMEBO is for

AMEBO is where incidents at our foodbank sites are reported, routed to the right people, investigated and closed. Anyone can report an incident — you do not need an account. Staff with an account follow each case through to closure.

Screenshot: The AMEBO home page. Report an incident is always available in the menu. — The AMEBO home page. Report an incident is always available in the menu.

Who does what

Role	What you can do
Anyone (no account)	Report an incident and get a reference number. Leave an email address if you want updates.
Reporter (signed in)	Report, save drafts, see your own reports and their progress.
Investigator	Investigate the reports assigned to you, record findings and corrective actions, and submit them for review.
Case Manager	Handle reports in your categories: assign an investigator, review, refer back or close. Some Case Managers also hold Triage (reports nobody else is set up to receive) or SensitiveCases (safeguarding, data-breach and restricted reports).
Action owner	If you are named as the owner of a corrective action, you can read that report (read-only).
Admin	Oversee every case, reassign investigators, and manage users, roles, sites, categories and routing.

Signing in

Select Login at the top right.
Enter your email address and password, then select Sign in.
You arrive on My dashboard, which lists the work waiting for you.

Screenshot: The sign-in page. — The sign-in page.

Locked out? After 5 wrong passwords your account is locked for 15 minutes. If your account has been deactivated you cannot sign in — contact an Admin.

Forgotten password

On the sign-in page select Forgot your password?, enter your email address and select Send reset link. Follow the link in the email to choose a new password (at least 10 characters, including an upper-case letter and a number).

Screenshot: Requesting a password reset link. — Requesting a password reset link.

Finding your way around

Report an incident — the report form (everyone).
My dashboard — your work list and summaries (signed in).
Incident register — searchable lists of the reports you may see (signed in).
Insight → Overview — charts (Case Managers and Admins).
Admin — users, sites, categories and routing (Admins).
Help — this manual.

On a phone or small screen, open the menu with the button at the top left.

Chapter 2

Reporting an incident

Step-by-step guide to the report form, with or without an account.

The report form has up to ten short sections and a final review page. Only the sections that apply to your incident are shown. Everything is checked again before it is saved, so nothing you type is lost if something needs correcting.

No account needed. You can report anonymously. If you are signed in you can also save a draft and come back to it later — see Drafts and following your reports.

1. Start the report

Select Report an incident in the menu. The row of numbered steps at the top shows where you are; you can move between sections with Next → and ← Back, or by selecting a step.

2. Section 1 — Classification

Title / short summary (required) — for example "Slip in warehouse aisle 3". Please do not put people's names in the title: titles appear in email notifications.
Nature, Severity (your initial view), and whether it is ongoing or needs immediate assistance.
Does any of this apply? — tick injury, food safety, safeguarding or personal data. Each tick adds the matching section (5–8) to the form.

Screenshot: Section 1 — Classification. — Section 1 — Classification.

Choosing categories

Open the Categories list and tick every category that applies — more than one is fine. You can type to filter the list. Chosen categories appear as chips; select a chip's × to remove it. Categories decide which team handles the report, so choose carefully.

Screenshot: Ticking categories. The chosen ones appear at the top of the box. — Ticking categories. The chosen ones appear at the top of the box.

If something is missing

If a required answer is missing or not valid, a red There is a problem box lists each issue. Select an issue to jump to the field.

Screenshot: A missing title stops you moving on and is explained at the top and next to the field. — A missing title stops you moving on and is explained at the top and next to the field.

3. Section 2 — Reporter & location

About you — optional name, email and phone if you are not signed in. Give an email address if you want a receipt and progress updates.
When — the date and time of the incident (dates cannot be in the future).
Where (required) — choose one of our sites, or, if it happened elsewhere (for example on a delivery round), leave the site empty and enter the off-site address.

Screenshot: Section 2 — who is reporting, when and where. — Section 2 — who is reporting, when and where.

4. Section 3 — People & witnesses

Enter how many people were involved (and how many witnesses). A form appears for each person, one at a time — use the Person 1, Person 2 buttons to move between them. Names are free text; describe people if you do not know their names.

Screenshot: Section 3 — the number you enter sets how many person forms appear. — Section 3 — the number you enter sets how many person forms appear.

5. Section 4 — What happened

Describe what happened in your own words. You can attach files here: PDF, JPG, PNG, TXT or DOCX, up to 10 MB each.

6. Sections 5–8 (only if ticked in Section 1)

5 Injury & treatment — each injury and any first aid given.
6 Food safety — affected products, added one at a time with Add a product. Temperatures are in °C; quantities are a number with an optional unit, for example "12", "3 boxes" or "2.5 kg".
7 Safeguarding and 8 Data breach — what you know and what has already been done. These reports are only seen by staff authorised for sensitive cases.

Screenshot: Section 6 — Food safety, with the Add a product button. — Section 6 — Food safety, with the Add a product button.

7. Sections 9–10 — Immediate response and agencies

Summarise what was done straight away (required), list any actions taken, and any organisations already contacted (for example the police or the environmental health officer).

8. Review & submit

The last page shows everything you entered, section by section. Select Edit next to any section to change it — nothing you have entered is lost. When you are happy, tick the declaration that the information is accurate and select Submit report.

Screenshot: Review & submit — check each section, and use Edit to change anything. — Review & submit — check each section, and use Edit to change anything.

Pressed Submit twice? Don't worry — AMEBO recognises a repeated submission and only saves one report.

9. Confirmation

You will see your reference number (for example INC-2026-00013). Keep it — quote it if you contact us about the report. If you gave an email address you will also receive a receipt.

Screenshot: The confirmation page with the reference number. — The confirmation page with the reference number.

Screenshot: The receipt email. Signed-in reporters also get a link to the report. — The receipt email. Signed-in reporters also get a link to the report.

Chapter 3

Email notifications

Which emails AMEBO sends, to whom, and what they contain.

AMEBO sends emails at each stage of a case. Emails never include investigation notes, internal comments or referral reasons.

When	Who is emailed	What it says
A report is submitted	The reporter (if an email address is known)	A receipt with the reference number. Signed-in reporters also get a link.
A report is submitted	Admins	A new-incident alert. The title is left out for sensitive reports.
An investigator is assigned	The investigator; the reporter	Investigator: the assignment. Reporter: "is being investigated".
An Admin reassigns the investigator	The new investigator	The assignment. The reporter is not emailed.
Submitted for review	The Case Manager; the reporter	Case Manager: ready for review. Reporter: "is being reviewed".
Referred back	The investigator; the reporter	Investigator: further investigation needed. Reporter: "needs further investigation".
Closed	The reporter	"has been closed", with the outcome.

Screenshot: Example receipt email. — Example receipt email.

Not receiving emails? Check your junk folder. Anonymous reporters only receive emails if they entered an email address on the form. Drafts never send emails.

Chapter 4

Privacy, security and FAQ

How your information is protected, and answers to common questions.

How your information is protected

Reports are only visible to the people handling them. Safeguarding, data-breach and restricted reports are limited to staff authorised for sensitive cases.
If you report anonymously, staff names are never shown to you, and you are not asked to sign in.
Reporters see their own account and the progress of their report, not internal investigation notes.
Changes to status, routing and roles are recorded with who made them and when.

The privacy notice explains who is responsible for your information and how long it is kept.

Screenshot: The privacy notice (the example shown is a draft awaiting approval). — The privacy notice (the example shown is a draft awaiting approval).

Frequently asked questions

I opened a link and AMEBO says "not found".: Either the report does not exist or you are not allowed to see it — AMEBO does not say which. If you think you should have access, ask your Case Manager or an Admin.
Can I change a report after submitting it?: No. Contact the team handling it, quoting the reference number, and they can add the information to the case.
I lost my reference number.: If you gave an email address it is in your receipt. Signed-in reporters can find it under Incident register → My reports.
The form will not let me move on.: Read the red "There is a problem" box at the top of the section — it lists each issue and links to the field.
There is a limit on how many people / products / actions I can add.: The limit is shown next to each list. If you need more, summarise the rest in the free-text description.
My file will not upload.: Only PDF, JPG, PNG, TXT and DOCX files up to 10 MB each are accepted.
I can't sign in.: Wait 15 minutes if you entered a wrong password 5 times, or use Forgot your password. If your account was deactivated, contact an Admin.