FAQs

Once you press submit, your report goes through to the Respect, Culture and Behaviours (RCB) team. The report is looked at by a member of our team who decides the best person for it to go to. We want to ensure you get the right support, so we will always try to link you with an adviser who has experience in the issue you are reporting. Once an advisor has been assigned to your case, they will contact you via email to arrange an appointment.

We try to keep initial meetings to a maximum of 45 minutes, but it depends on what is being discussed. We understand that some issues may take longer.

Absolutely. If you have a friend or family member who can support you and would feel more comfortable with them around when you speak to our adviser, then you are welcome to bring them. Please ensure the adviser is aware that you are bringing someone along. We ask that you don’t bring more than one person unless this is absolutely necessary. If you need to bring more than one person, please speak to your adviser about this.

Initially, your report goes through to a member of the Respect, Culture and Behaviours (RCB) team who will reach out to offer you support. We will not share the details of your report with anyone else without your consent, unless we are worried for your safety, the safety of another person or in circumstances where we have safeguarding, security or campus safety concerns. We will always try to discuss this with you first. Reports about University of Salford colleagues, go to relevant members of the HR team.

In most cases, you can. However, if we are concerned about your safety or the safety of someone else, we may need to take action, even if you’ve changed your mind. This is because we have a duty of care towards our students and staff. This is rare though and would only happen in situations where there were serious concerns.

It is very rare that we would speak to parents unless a student was under 18 and we had concerns about their safety. In most cases, we would require consent to speak to a student’s parents. This is not part of our standard practice.

Even if you have included your name in the original report, you can request at any point that this information is not shared with the people involved. This may determine what action we can take. We will always ask your consent to share information, unless we have concerns about your safety or the safety of another person.

Yes, there is no time limit on making a report and we will take every matter raised to us seriously. We would always encourage you to report an incident to us as soon as possible, as this often means we have more options in the actions we can take.

‘Report Anonymously’: If you report anonymously, we won’t have information about who you are, so we won’t be able to reach out and provide support directly to you. This anonymous option is generally for people who do not want to be identified but would still like to report an incident.

‘Request contact from an advisor’: If you want to receive support or consider your informal or formal options, you can choose to make a report that includes your name and contact details. A advisor will then contact you (usually via email) to arrange a meeting to discuss your options for support and the courses of action that can be taken.

After you submit a report, a member of the Respect, Culture and Behaviours (RCB) team will be in touch with you to arrange an initial meeting. We realise that it can be really important for some to share whether they feel more comfortable with a male or female advisor, and we will always try out best to meet your needs, although this may depend on which specialist colleagues are available. We have specially trained Sexual Violence Liaison Officers, who will be able to provide you with practical and emotional support throughout the process.  

We do not automatically pass information onto the police, even when a crime has occurred. Once you make a report, an advisor will meet with you and talk you through the options available to you.

If you then decide that you would like to make a police report, your advisor can support you through this process. The only circumstances under which we will share your information is if we have concerns for your safety or the safety of another person.

The fact that the police decide not to proceed with a case or that criminal proceedings have returned a ‘not guilty’ verdict does not preclude us from taking our own disciplinary action. We can investigate whether a student has broken the Student Code of Conduct, which is a completely separate process to a police investigation.

After you have made a report, what happens next will depend on what you’ve experienced and what you want to happen.  It may be that you choose to speak to an advisor and then decline to take any further action. That is completely acceptable, and we will support your choice.

If you do wish to pursue your report, then there are several possible outcomes to this, which your advisor will talk you through in your initial meeting.

If you decide that you no longer wish to pursue your report, you can request this at any time during the process. In some circumstances, we may proceed with an investigation (without your involvement) in cases where there is possible risk to the safety of the University as a whole or other students. The adviser will talk you though this.

We will produce anonymous reports based on this data, which are used to identify trends in the types of cases that are being reported to us, as well as the location and number of incidents. This help us to effectively plan the support students require and use our resources most efficiently.

We will only keep your report for as long as is necessary to fulfil the purposes it has been collected for. All data stored through the Report It system is held securely and managed under our GDPR regulations.

When you submit a report, this is not noted on your general student records. If you are particularly worried about this, you can submit a report anonymously, which means you do not need to include your name or any other personal details. We will only keep your report for as long as is necessary to fulfil the purposes it has been collected for.

In cases where misconduct might have occurred, your adviser will give explain options to you, including that your report is reviewed by the University’s Student Case Management Group. The Group then may refer your case to investigation. If so, an investigator will be assigned to investigate the case.  This process may include: the investigator meeting with the Respondent (the person who has been alleged to have broken the Student Code of Conduct), gathering accounts from any witnesses, and reviewing relevant evidence in relation to the allegation(s).

We are aware that this can be a very difficult and stressful time, and so your adviser will be available to provide you with updates and support throughout the investigation.

Unfortunately, there is no one answer to this question. The length of an investigation will depend on the nature of the concern. We will always aim to ensure that this process is as efficient as possible, and your adviser will remain in regular contact with you to provide updates and support along the way.

Action depends on the nature of the report. If you report with your name, we can offer you practical and emotional advice from one of our advisors, as well as wellbeing support. The university may also proceed with formal action through the Student Misconduct Procedure | University of Salford . It is important to remember that the university’s misconduct procedure is completely separate from any police investigation.
 
If you report anonymously, no action against a particular member of staff or student will be taken unless it is possible to verify the matter reported.

Depending on the severity of the allegations there may be an impact on an International Student’s Visa.  Our Home Office Compliance Team may be able to assist with queries around this. You can contact them at homeofficecompliance@salford.ac.uk or on +44 (0) 161 295 0023. If you are an international student who has made a report/is a victim then this would not impact on your VISA.

Each case will be dealt with according to its own merit; how or the length of any recording on a student’s record will be determined by the sanctions decided upon by the University.  If you find yourself in this situation then the Student Conduct Officer will explain the details of any sanctions placed.

In these instances, we will also provide support to the reporter of the counter-allegation. However, this will never be done by the same adviser to avoid any conflict of interest. All reports will be dealt with in an unbiased and impartial manner.