Reporting to the University

Introduction

At UWTSD we care about all members of our community, and we are here to listen to and support you.

The first step to knowing how the university can help to safeguard you is to share what you have experienced. Sharing with us does not oblige you to pursue any action against anyone who has harmed you, but it does enable us to work with you to understand what the university can do to remove or manage harm, support you emotionally, and to manage any impact on your studies.

There are two main routes in which you can tell us about an incident, and it is important to know the difference between them.

Main Body

Disclosure is simply sharing your experience of an incident. A disclosure does not launch any kind of formal process, and it does not need to include specific detail.

You can disclose to anyone – a friend, fellow student, teaching assistant, colleague, faculty member or a staff member (a disclosure to a staff member is a disclosure to the University). If there is a risk to you, or someone else, the disclosure may be shared with the wellbeing team via the cause for concern process.

When you disclose to the University, we can make available services and support, as well as discuss whether counselling, access/referrals to medical services, and academic and/or other accommodations may be appropriate.

Remember: A disclosure does not lead to a report unless you want it to or you or someone else is at immediate risk.

You can make a disclosure using our Support Request Form, speak to a trained first responder member of staff, or contact our Safeguarding lead.

A report is a way of officially sharing a complaint and requesting for this to be considered and responded to by the University. We use the terminology of ‘reporting party’ and ‘reported party’ instead of ‘victim’ and ‘perpetrator’. If the reported party is a student, measures can be taken to safeguard both parties whilst an incident is investigated. There is more information regarding this process below.

A report includes specific details of what happened, when, where and who was involved. It is up to you whether, when, how, and to which body you want to report an act of sexual misconduct. You may wish to seek independent legal advice as part of your decision-making process.

  • To initiate a formal process, such as a disciplinary process through the University, a report must be made.

    You can report an incident to the University through academic office using this form: Report to the University. To make a formal report to the University on behalf of somebody else, please use our Cause for Concern form.

    Help and advice on completing the form is provided by UWTSD Students’ Union and can be found here: Concerns and Complaints.

    Formally reporting about an incident involving a member of the University Community may trigger an independent internal investigation or other process that can ultimately result in academic or workplace accommodations, suspension, expulsion, or other forms of disciplinary action.

    The University may impose interim measures to safeguard the reporter and the reported including (but not limited to):

    • Changes to residence accommodations;
    • Changes to class, academic or work schedules;
    • Other measures provided for under the Non-Academic, collective agreements, employment agreements, or human resource policies depending on whether the respondent is a student, staff, or faculty member;
    • Establish a behavioural agreement between the reporting and the reported party to manage any shared educational spaces.

  • Where you have experienced abuse or feel at risk from another member of the university community, making a direct report to the university is the quickest way to help us keep you safe. The university expects that all members of the community act in accordance with the Student Code of Conduct and it takes any breaking of this agreement very seriously. This would include incidents of sexual misconduct, bullying (including cyberbullying), harassment or Prevent concerns.

    Making a formal report to the university/Academic Office is the quickest way to help us keep you safe. It does not oblige you to pursue a complaint, but it does help us to give you options for how the university can act to support you. For reporting/reported students, this would be in line with the Non-academic Misconduct Policy; all reports related to staff will be referred to HR.

    1. We only ask for relevant information, and we do all we can to minimise how many times you have to share with us.
    2. Reports are assessed on the basis of probability, not evidence beyond reasonable doubt like a court of law.
    3. Our aim is always to safeguard the individual concerned and the university community.
    4. We cannot guarantee absolute anonymity if you choose to pursue a report against a reported party. This is because a reported individual has a right to know why the university is taking action against them. We will work with you to manage any concerns about this.

  • The university treats all reports as confidential, and we share information on a need-to-know basis only. The university would only break confidentiality where there is an immediate risk to you or to someone else. In all other circumstances, they would work with you to understand what you want from making a report and that we are doing all we can to keep you safe and support you.

    We understand how difficult it can be to share an experience of abuse and we value your privacy. You will not be asked to give any more detail than necessary in the reporting process to enable us to understand the risk and respond appropriately. This might include:

    • A Case Officer to investigate the issues you have reported and establish the facts. They will also work with you to ensure you understand the process, and that you are clear on your options.
    • Wellbeing Advisor or a relevant member of the Wellbeing team to support you emotionally and ensure you have access to appropriate university-led or external specialist support services.
    • Safer Communities Officer (based in the Wellbeing Service) to support liaison (where appropriate) with any statutory services – for example, the police or social services.
    • Where appropriate, cases will be considered by formal panels. Further information about this can be requested from the Academic Office.

  • When you submit your report, it will be reviewed by the Head of Student Cases, and they will assign an independent Case Officer who will reach out to you to discuss what you have shared. They will work with you to understand what has happened and what you want from making the report. They can ensure you have appropriate support and that where needed ‘precautionary measures’ are taken to safeguard you. This may include suspending someone who has been ‘reported’ whilst the case is considered. Where necessary they will start a Non-Academic Misconduct Procedure to manage this.

    Making a report does not oblige you to continue this process, but it is important for understanding what you have experienced, and it also enables the Academic Office to determine whether the reported party has other reports against them, and whether the University needs to take independent action. This can be very important for building a safeguarding picture, but it does oblige you to pursue a complaint against them. If you opt to continue the process formally, the Case Officer will interview those who have been identified as able to provide information on what has happened.

    1. We only ask for relevant information, and we do all we can to minimise how many times you have to share with us.
    2. Reports are assessed on the basis of probability, not evidence beyond reasonable doubt like a court of law. The formal investigation process will work with both the reporting and the reported parties to ensure that all available evidence is considered.
    3. We will share information on a need-to-know basis to follow due process, establish the facts, and to safeguard all individuals and the university community.
    4. Our aim is always to safeguard the individual concerned and the university community.
    5. We cannot guarantee absolute anonymity if you choose to pursue a report against a reported party. This is because a reported individual has a right to know why the university is taking action against them. We will work with you to manage any concerns about this.