All staff, students, and visitors can report incidents of discrimination, harassment or assault.
You can report an incident(s) that has happened to you, an incident that you have witnessed or you can make a report on behalf of someone else (with their knowledge) through the Report a Concern process, linked under ‘Report to the University’ below.
We’ve provided information on bullying, harassment, hate crime, and sexual violence.
Bullying
Bullying is behaviour intended to upset, intimidate or threaten another individual. It could include anything from teasing, to threats or physical assault. Bullying is unacceptable, and if the individual persists, you can report this to the University.
Hate Crime
A hate crime is a criminal offence motivated by prejudice against a person’s disability, sexuality, race, religion or gender identity. It doesn’t need to be physical violence, and can include verbal abuse, intimidation, threats, bullying, harassment, assault and damage to property.
Harassment
Harassment, similar to bullying, is intended to intimidate, usually discriminating against a specific group. The unwanted behaviour could include spoken or written abuse, physical gestures, images or graffiti, etc. Some forms of harassment are also considered a hate crime. You can report these incidents to the University or the police.
Sexual Violence
Sexual violence is a general term to describe any kind of unwanted sexual act or activity, including but not limited to rape, sexual assault, sexual abuse, sexual harassment, and Female Genital Mutilation (FGM). All forms of sexual violence are serious, and we encourage you to report it if something happens.
Make a Report
There are different reporting options depending on your circumstances.
All of the reporting teams listed below exist to offer you the space to speak and be heard, with no judgement and will support you with any steps you wish to take.
Report to the University
If the incident has involved another student or staff member at the University, you can report this to the University for investigation. The department who will usually handle your complaint is the University Proctor. They are responsible for investigating all allegations at University. You can report a concern using the University’s ‘Report a Concern’ service, called Safety Net.
Safety Net Report A Concern Service
Report to the Police
If you or a friend are in immediate danger, please call 999.
If you need to report an incident to the police, you can call 101 to report a non-emergency incident or visit your local police station.
Report a Hate Crime
If you do not want to report an incident of hate crime directly to the police, you can report it online via Report It. Our Advisors can talk through the form with you.
The police will investigate each report received. You can report anonymously, but this may affect any ability to prosecute, and limits the support they can offer.
Report Sexual Violence
If you are reporting an incident of Sexual Violence, you can also report this through a Sexual Assault Referral Centre (SARC). At the centre, you will be supported by medical staff as well as staff trained to take a disclosure from you. You can also ask for support from an ISVA (Independent Sexual Violence Advisor) to guide you through the criminal justice system.
These are some of the nearest SARCs depending on your campus:
Report Community Issues
Cheshire West and Chester Council have also put together a useful guide for students on how to report issues in the community, such as anti social behaviour and waste issues.
Chester West and Chester Council Reporting Guide
Support at University
No matter the incident, we understand you may need support both personally and academically.
We’ve provided the details for some of the departments available to you within the University who can help.
The Proctors take all allegations seriously and would investigate any report of misconduct thoroughly.
They sit within the Student Services team at the University, and so can take a report from you and refer you to their wellbeing colleagues immediately if you want this to happen.
Student Services can offer support on general wellbeing, provide mental health support, discuss academic options, advise on financial assistance and funding, and much more.
They can also help with referrals to the counselling team if you are struggling to complete the reporting process.
You can either request support by attending the Student Services helpdesk in Binks Building on Exton Park campus, or by emailing studentservices@chester.ac.uk.
The University offers counselling services to students, which may be suitable if you have been strongly affected by what has happened.
You can self-refer to student counselling by contacting studentservices@chester.ac.uk.
The Wellbeing team may also recommend counselling if they believe it will be of benefit. You will be asked to complete a referral form which will ask questions about you, your availability, and about what you would like to discuss with the counsellor. They will then offer you an initial meeting with a counsellor to identify what support may work best for you, and there will also be an opportunity to opt-in for further sessions if needed.
Whether you want to tell them all the details or not, your PAT is there to offer support and explain your options if you feel your University work will be affected by circumstances outside of your control.
They can talk you through extensions and deferrals and arrange academic support for you.
Your tutors may also be able to send through lecture notes or other useful information if you feel unable to access it.
External Support
We understand that you may want to access support away from University while processing what has happened. We have provided the external links below for a number of services available to you online and locally if you need them.
If you would like to book an appointment with an Advisor you can do so through our appointment booking page.