What is Report + Support?
Report + Support is an online tool through which anyone (including staff, students, members of the public and visitors) can report concerns regarding unacceptable behaviour. This includes, but is not limited to, sexual misconduct, bullying, harassment, and discrimination. Reports can be made anonymously or with a name and contact details.
Report + Support is also home to a wealth of information about internal and external support, policies and procedures.
What happens when I submit a report?
1. When a report is submitted, it will send a notification to the the Report Triage Team. This will be the Director of HR if the person who experienced the incident is a staff member, and the Head of Student Support if the person who experienced the incident is a student, visitor, or member of the public. The Report Triage Team is intentionally small to respect the privacy of the reporting parties and the confidentiality of the reports.
The Report + Support tool requests information to determine whether the report relates to students or staff so that the most appropriate member of the Report Triage Team can investigate and respond. The Director of HR does not access student reports, and the Head of Student Support does not access staff reports.
2. After the report has notified the relevant member of the Report Triage Team, this individual will review the details of the report and conduct an initial risk assessment. The report will then be allocated to an appropriate caseworker. This may include a Sexual Violence Liaison Officer (SVLO), a member of Student Support, a HR Coordinator, or another staff member who is best placed to look into the content of the report. Any reports relating to sexual misconduct will be allocated to an SVLO as they hold specialist training qualifying them to support survivors of sexual violence.
3. When the caseworker has been allocated, they will aim to respond to the reporting party within 48 hours (over their working hours), if the report is named. If it is anonymous, it will still be reviewed within this 48 hour timeframe, but the reporting party will not be contacted as they have chosen not to include their name or contact details.
4. If a report shares identifying information about other members of our University community (such as the full names of students or staff), those individuals may also be contacted by a caseworker, as the University offers support to both the reporting and reported parties. Should this be the case, each party will be supported by a different caseworker, and the details of the proceeding support will be kept separate.
What happens if I report someone else - for example, if I am a staff member who makes a report about a student?
The initial report triage process and caseworker allocation process mentioned above will still take place. You will be contacted by the caseworker acknowledging your report and potentially inviting you to share further information. The person(s) named in your report will be contacted following this outreach to you.
What does the University do about malicious reports?
If a report is found to be deliberately malicious or vexatious, the conduct of the individuals involved will be addressed under existing student and staff procedures.
Please remember that Report + Support is not an emergency service. If you or someone else is in immediate danger, call the UK Emergency Services on 999.