What is Report + Support?Report + Support is an online tool, authored by Culture Shift and used by many UK universities to offer staff and students the opportunity to find assistance and to report unacceptable behaviour.
The University of Sussex has a duty of care towards all members of its community to prevent and respond to incidents of bullying, harassment, sexual violence and/or hate crime. Report + Support allows any student or staff member to discreetly and securely report any 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 do not have to make a report via Report + Support to access our services, you can still contact University services or external support directly if you prefer to. Information about internal and specialist external support is available on the Support page.
Please note that Report + Support is not intended for emergencies. If you require immediate help, please call the emergency services on 999 or see the emergency contact information on the Support pages.
Is my experience something that should be reported?
If you are thinking about reporting then the incident or incidents are clearly on your mind.
Can I report on behalf of someone else? Yes. If you have witnessed an incident or if you are worried about someone else, you can make a report on their behalf. 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.
What happens if someone makes a report on my behalf? There are many reasons why you may not be ready to make a report about something that happened to you. You may feel that it would be helpful if someone else could make the report for you. Anyone who makes a report on your behalf should always agree this with you first. When we receive a report with your contact details, made by someone else about your experience, a member of the responder team will contact you, using the channel you prefer. They will ask you if you are aware that someone else has made a report on your behalf and will only proceed with the conversation if you wish and having checked that you are aware of the report.
Who sees my report? Reports are triaged by one of three senior staff (Assistant Directors of HR) before being allocated to an appropriate Responder from the trained team. The PVC CEI will review a sample of cases periodically to ensure that the team's practice is fair and consistent.
What happens when I make a report with contact details?
When you make a report with contact details, and you ask to be contacted, the team will assign your report to an appropriate Responder from the trained team. That Responder will contact you using your preferred means of communication within a maximum of 5 working days. Your Responder will check that you wish to talk with them - if you would prefer to talk to another responder this can be arranged.
Your Responder will listen, signpost you to relevant information on sources of support, help you think through options, and give you time to consider what you want to do next. Your Responder will not tell you what to do, or pressure you to make a decision. Please also be aware that it is not the role of your Responder to advocate for you or to take actions on your behalf.
What if I'm not contacted within 5 working days?
Responders aim to reach staff who report with contact details within 5 working days, but if you haven't heard from one of the team, or you have heard and have lost their contact details, then please email the team on reportandsupport@sussex.ac.uk
What happens when I make an anonymous report? Making an anonymous report tells us that something has happened. By remaining anonymous, the University will be unable to investigate your report or take direct action. If you would like to discuss action being taken on your report, you can change your mind at any time through the reporting process and make a report instead with your contact details. A responder will then get in touch with you, if you wish, to discuss support and what you would like to happen next. Anonymous reports help the University to understand the experience of our staff and students. The information you provide in an anonymous report will remain confidential and will be used to monitor issues of concern across Sussex and understand the impact of initiatives run by the University. Where there is a weight of reporting that relates to a particular theme or location, the responder team will follow up with the relevant Head or Director. Responders will ensure that information that could be linked to a reporter is redacted so that the possibility of identification is reduced. The exception to this will be when there are safeguarding concerns and when the reporter has provided sufficient information for the necessary protective action to be taken. If you name someone in your report this will not initiate an investigation while you remain anonymous. However we may in certain circumstances have to take safeguarding action.
What happens if a member of staff makes a report about a student?
There are two responder teams; one team receives reports made by students, the other receives reports made by staff.
The staff responder team will receive a report made by a member of staff about a student. If the report is made with contact details and the reporter wishes to be contacted, a responder will contact them using their preferred channel.
The responder will listen and support the reporter to consider next steps. If the reporter consents, the student responder team will be alerted for information and advice.
Action agreed with the reporter will be taken, following the relevant student and staff policy. If required, the reporter and / or the person reported will be supported to make a Student Discipline Report which enters a parallel process (see Regulation 2).
Where a report is made anonymously or with contact details and the reporter does not wish to be contacted, we will follow the same process as with any other report where no contact is requested.
What happens if a student makes a report about a member of staff?
There are two responder teams; one team receives reports made by students, the other receives reports made by staff. The student responder team will receive a report made by a student about a member of staff.
If the report is made with contact details and the reporter wishes to be contacted, a responder will contact them using their preferred channel.
The responder will listen and support the reporter to consider next steps. If the reporter consents, the staff responder team will be alerted for information and advice.
If the reporter wishes to make a formal complaint about the reported this will enter a parallel process (see complaints procedure). The complaint is investigated at level 1, 2 or 3 and if there is a finding relating to the reported, HR will be alerted.
Where a report is made anonymously or with contact details and the reporter does not wish to be contacted, we will follow the same process as with any other report where no contact is requested.
What’s the difference between making a formal or informal complaint and submitting a report with my contact details on Report + Support? Reporters can choose to follow the informal route in the grievance procedure or use Report + Support to raise a concern informally. If you choose to use Report + Support, your responder will support you to think through what you may want to do with your report next. Informal approaches are also outlined in the Dignity, Respect and Inclusion policy. A formal complaint or grievance will involve an investigation by an objective third party and may involve a hearing. Report + Support is not designed as a tool for making or raising a formal complaint or grievance. If you feel you wish to take a formal route, please follow our grievance procedure. Whatever the outcome of a conversation with a responder, you retain the right to raise a formal grievance, as outlined in the grievance procedure. If you wish, you can choose to discuss this with your responder.
What information will be shared about the level of use of the Report + Support tool? Six monthly insight and annual trend reports will be published on the data insights page on Report + Support. The data will inform future targeted intervention and prevention work.
Data will be managed in line with our privacy policy and with data protection legislation.
Is the information I submit managed in confidence?
Our Privacy Notice explains how we use your personal data. In exceptional circumstances, where there are safeguarding issues responders may have to take action using confidential information supplied by a reporter. Where possible, we will alert the reporter to this and seek their consent, but we acknowledge that in an emergency, this may not be practical.
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 staff disciplinary procedures.