Frequently Asked Questions

Report + Support allows any student or staff member (on behalf of students) to discreetly and securely informally report an incident that they have experienced or witnessed.  Reports may be made anonymously, or you can give your contact details if you would like to discuss your options for support and/or taking further action.  You can access University or external services directly if you prefer to. Information about internal and specialist external support is available via the Support link tabs which you can find at the top or bottom of the Report + Support web pages.
  

Please note that Report + Support is not intended for emergencies.  If you require urgent help, please call the emergency services on 999 or 01707 28 1010 on campus. 

If you need urgent advice and help on your options following an incident, please approach either the Office of the Dean of Students, our Sexual Violence Response Advisor or if on campus and out-of-hours, the Student Support and Welfare Team who can be reached through Security.  Full details can be found via the Support tabs here.
 

Yes, if you have witnessed an incident or if you are concerned  about someone else, you can make a report on their behalf, but it is better if this can be done with their knowledge and consent.  Please note that if you report on behalf of someone else, we will not be able to discuss any of their personal details or their case with you.
  

 

Making an anonymous report tells us that something has happened.  This will not instigate any action or formal process.  Without a reporter’s contact details we are not able to act. The rare exception to this will be when the reporter describes  concerns which fall within the legal parameters of safeguarding, for example, if the incident involves someone under the age of 18 and sufficient information is provided in the report for necessary protective action to be taken. 

 

Anonymous reports help the University to understand the experience of our staff and students. They provide information on the range, frequency and sometimes location of incidents.  There may be patterns of incidents that emerge that provide real insight into the nature of proactive work that may be required. 

 

If you choose to report anonymously, we will not ask you for any personally identifiable details, therefore we won’t be able to contact you to offer you advice or support.  You can of course still access support services within the University.  Details of which can be found here.  If you would like action to be taken on your report, you can change your mind at any time through this process and, instead make a report with your contact details.  An advisor will then get in touch with you to discuss support and what you would like to happen next. 
 

 A small, specialist team will review incoming reports on each working day (Monday to Friday).  If you provide your contact details and if you request a response, your report will be assigned to , a relevant specialist from the  team who will contact you via your preferred means within 5 working days to discuss your options. 

  

It’s important to recognise that reporting with your contact details does not automatically initiate disciplinary action within the University or a report to external services such as the police or another emergency service. 

You will be asked what you want to do next and you can discuss your options with our response team. Please be assured that we will listen, we will not make assumptions and we will not act without your consent.  

This report will remain confidential and the information contained in it will only be passed on to relevant and specifically trained staff members on a strictly need- to- know basis.  However, there may be rare situations where confidentiality can’t be kept, but this will be made clear to you at the time.  An example of this, is if either your safety or that of others is at serious risk. 

If you or the subject of the report are under the age of 18 then we will be unable to keep this confidential.  For your/their safety, we would need to make a safeguarding referral. 

 

If you have requested a response, a member of the specialist team will contact you via your preferred means within 5 working days.  The relevant specialist will explain the options available and support you to make the decision which is right for you.  We will not contact the staff member you have named without your consent.  Depending on the route that you feel is right for you we will ask for your consent so that we can share your case with the Human Resources specialist who is trained to work with staff members on cases via the Report + Support mechanism.  

 

The small specialist team who will respond to student reports via this route are trained advisors who have lengthy experience of advising and supporting students every day.  They have specialist skills in a variety of areas within the report and support remit. 

 

 

University of Hertfordshire formal complaints procedure
Complaints tend to be made about a service received or an element of the student experience that a student may not be satisfied with.  The Complaints procedure can also be used to make a complaint about the actions of a member of University staff.  Making a complaint will involve an investigation at one of three levels and this may be one of the options/outcomes suggested to you when you speak to one of our specialist Advisors. 

You don’t have to go through the Report + Support process to make a complaint, you can access the complaints procedure here.

 

Making a formal complaint or a disciplinary report are both possible outcomes and options which will be given to you, when appropriate, by your Report + Support Advisor after you have made your report through this system. 

Making a report through Report + Support will not automatically initiate either of these processes. 

If you do not want to make an initial report using this system but would prefer to go straight to our formal reporting routes, then you can do so here. However, if you do report using Report + Support, we will make sure that you are fully informed of all your options and that you are empowered to make your own choices.  It will also help give us a better overview of incidents at the University. 

8.  How is my data used?

Our Privacy Policy explains how we use your personal data.

9. How will malicious or vexatious complaints be handled? 

It is possible that a report could be made for malicious or vexatious purposes. Where this is the case, the situation will be addressed using existing student and staff disciplinary procedures.

10. How quickly will the University respond to my report?
If you have requested a response, a member of the specialist team will aim to contact you via your preferred means within 5 working days.