Today marks the start of Anti-Bullying week (14th-18th November), an annual event co-ordinated by the Anti-Bullying Alliance, which aims to raise awareness of bullying and highlight ways of preventing and responding to it. The theme this year is ‘Reach Out’ – Bullying affects millions of lives and can leave us feeling hopeless. But it doesn’t have to be this way. If we challenge it, we can change it. And it starts by reaching out.
Staff and students can use the Report + Support tool to seek advice and support for any incident of unacceptable behaviour which includes bullying, harassment, sexual harassment, sexual violence, domestic violence, hate crimes or discrimination. Report + Support is an initial way to seek advice and is best used before any complaint processes are instigated.
Who can I speak to for further guidance and support?
Staff – When making a report, Staff can choose to speak to a Conflict Resolution Advisor to discuss their issue, or they can report anonymously where the information will be used for monitoring purposes only.
Students – Students have the option to discuss their issue with a Wellbeing Advisor from the Student Advice and Guidance Team, and can also report anonymously if they wish.
You may have also seen stickers, posters and banners around campus highlighting Report and Support, with a quick-access QR code which enables you to report an instance of unacceptable behaviour from your smartphone.
More information on Report + Support can be found here for staff, and on the University homepage for students.
Further information and training
A number of training modules and resources for staff and students relating to bullying and harassment can be found here under the ‘Policy and Training’ section.