Steps to take immediately Are you in immediate danger? If you are in immediate danger or seriously injured on campus you can call the University Security Service on 0114 222 4444. If you are off campus, contact the Emergency Services on 999.
Find a safe space.
If an incident has just happened try and find somewhere you feel safe. If this isn't possible and you are scared or fearful you can call the University Security Service on 0114 222 4444 or the Emergency services on 999. If you need to get home or somewhere else safely, you can use the Safe Taxi Scheme.
Support for students Talk to a friend or family member: Talking things through with someone you trust can sometimes help.
Sexual Violence Liaison Officers (SVLOs): You can speak to one of the University’s specially trained Sexual Violence Liaison Officers. We can help you to go through your options: including reporting the incident to the police, to the University, or just accessing medical and emotional support and making no formal report.
To speak to an SVLO, please report with personal details via Report + Support.
Making a report Reporting to the police (please call 999 for emergencies and 101 for non-emergencies).
If you would like to discuss this with a staff member in advance of reporting to the police, please report with your personal details via Report + Support, so that you can be put in touch with a Sexual Violence Liaison Officer.
Reporting the incident anonymously to the Police. You can report online to Crimestoppers by calling 0800 555 111.
Report + Support:
You can disclose an incident to the University anonymously or with your personal details using the University’s Report + Support site.
If you choose to disclose anonymously we may be able to take some local, informal action, however we will not be able to offer you direct support and are unlikely to be able to initiate any formal processes.
If you disclose using your personal details, a Sexual Violence Liaison Officer will contact you to discuss support and possible reporting options (male and female advisers are available).
University Resolution Options: A Sexual Violence Liaison Officer can support you in taking your case forward to the University's Resolution Service. This could include informal resolutions or a formal investigation as part of the Student Disclipine Regulations. If you wish to make a report against a member of University of staff then your disclosure would be passed to the University's Human Resources Team.
If you choose to name a member of staff or a student in your disclosure, there are procedures which set out the actions the University may take, this could include initiating an investigation.
When you report an allegation of misconduct by another student to the University, the Resolution Service will consider your report and liaise with you regarding the recommended course of action and next steps. You will be contacted by a member of staff from the Service to discuss your case further.
Details of Resolution Options can be found here:
The full range of possible sanctions is available in section 16 of the Regulations as to the Discipline of Students.
Reporting a member of University staff:
If you report an allegation of misconduct by a member of University staff, Human Resources (HR) will take a lead on investigating your report. It is likely that as a first step you will be invited to meet with them to discuss your case and to establish the details of the incident/behaviour before an investigation is initiated.
It’s important to be aware that University investigations are limited to investigating ‘misconduct’, only the Police are able to investigate from a criminal perspective.
Please note that the SVLO Service is seperate from any of the resolution or discipline processes. Your SVLO will be able to support you, whether or not you decide to make a formal report.