The University of Birmingham is committed to providing person-centred support for all students and staff making a disclosure through our Report and Support tool. We can help support you, whatever you decide to do, and for as long as you need us. 

We believe that any form of sexual violence, domestic abuse, harassment, hate crime or other inappropriate behaviour are never acceptable. Our campuses, accommodation and surrounding areas should be a safe space to work, study and socialise in for every member of our UoB community.

Report and Support at the University of Birmingham is an online tool in which students, and staff, can report issues of domestic abuse, assault, hate crime, harassment, sexual violence/harassment, bullying and discrimination. Individuals can report by providing their contact details and meet with a specially trained Responder (for students)/Advisor (for staff) who will provide a tailored service outlining the support and reporting options available. Anonymously reporting is also an option via this service. Report and Support is also home to information about internal and external support.

University of Birmingham students and staff can make a report through Report + Support. Visitors are encouraged to report complaints through the public complaints process.

This is your choice, and we are very much led by you, however, you may want to consider the following: 

Reporting to speak to a responder/advisor
We understand that many of you will find it challenging to provide details, especially around the incident itself. Therefore, submit as much, or as little information as you are happy to share. The minimum information we require from you are your contact details, along with the incident type. That way we can ensure the most appropriate member of the team reaches out.  Please be advised that getting support is just a first step and does not initiate the formal complaints process.

Anonymous reporting
We are unable to contact you should you report anonymously so please be as thorough as you can when submitting this type of report. Once submitted our team will first review the report to identify any risks that relate to a duty of care. If no immediate risk is identified, no further, direct action will be taken. If any identifiable information is provided, the administrator will then remove the identifiable information. The information kept will be for trend analysis and inform proactive prevention. 

Information provided within anonymous reports will be used as statistical data to understand what is happening and to inform proactive prevention work.  

This all depends on the amount of information you provide, however the report should take no longer than 10 minutes. 

We pride ourselves on being a confidential support service. We do not, and will not, share information with others unless we have your consent. This means, if you decide to disclose, we won’t share information with your friends, work colleagues, Personal Tutor, Student Conduct Complaints and Appeals, the police, parents or any other party without your direction and consent. 

It is important to note that there are rare occasions whereby we are required to break confidentiality:

1) A risk of danger to yourself or others, and/or;
2) We are concerned for your immediate safety, and/or; 
3) The information is required by law, or by a court of law. 

On receipt of your disclosure our team will allocate the most suitable Responder to your preferences and needs. The Responder will then make contact with you, usually by email, to set up an appointment and arrange a suitable time to meet. Appointments can take place face to face, virtually (via Zoom) or by telephone, and will usually last up to 60 minutes. Further appointments will also be discussed and these can be arranged directly with your Responder. 

During the appointment, the Responder will be able to provide information about all of the options available to you. The focus of this appointment will be guided by you, taken at your pace and empowering you to decide your next steps. This could include, safety planning, practical support, onward referrals to specialist agencies, mental health and wellbeing support, academic support and formal reporting options.

During your appointment you will have the opportunity to talk through what has happened in as much, or as little, detail as you wish. The decision to share your story is a personal choice, you do not have to explain what has happened in order to seek support.

If a report is found to be malicious or vexatious, such reports will be addressed under existing student and staff procedures.

Data held on Report + Support is GDPR compliant and further information about how data is collected and stored is outlined in the Privacy Notice. The system has been security tested by both the developer, Culture Shift, and by the University of Birmingham. 
 

We will only retain personal data for as long as necessary to fulfil purposes we collected it for; this will usually be for a maximum of seven years in accordance with the University of Birmingham Data Protection Policy. All personal data will be kept according with the relevant policy.