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 and you will be contacted to arrange an appointment.
If the harassment involves someone under the age of 16 or they are otherwise classed as a vulnerable person, the abuse should be reported to the University Control Room on 0114 222 4085.
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 an appointment can be made for you 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 report an incident to the University anonymously or with your personal details using the University’s Report + Support site.
If you choose to report anonymously we will not be able to offer direct advice and are unlikely to be able to initiate any formal processes.
If you report using your contact details, a Sexual Violence Liaison Officer will contact you to discuss support and possible reporting options (male and female advisers are available).
University disciplinary processes. A Sexual Violence Liaison Officer can help you to make a report to the Student Conduct and Appeals Team (if you are making a report against another student) or to Human Resources if your report relates to a member of University staff.
If you choose to name a member of staff or a student in your report, 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, we have a dedicated team who will consider your allegation and liaise with you regarding next steps. It is likely that you will be invited to meet with one of the team to discuss your case in detail to establish the details of the incident/behaviour you wish to report. We do this using student regulations and policies such as the Disciplinary Regulations for students and the Student Anti-Harassment Policy and Procedure.
The full range of possible sanctions is available in section 16 of the Regulations as to the Discipline of Students.
Similarly 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.
Your SVLO will be able to continue to support you through whether or not you decide to make a formal report.