The Safeguarding Team can help when you are worried about your own safety or welfare, concerned about somebody else, or something has happened that may place you or another person at risk of harm.
Safeguarding is not only about responding to emergencies. The team can help you understand what is happening, consider risk and safety, explore your options and decide what support or action may be appropriate.
You do not need to be certain that what has happened is a safeguarding concern before contacting us.
What can the Safeguarding Team help with?
Safeguarding concerns can include:
- domestic abuse;
- sexual violence or sexual misconduct;
- stalking and harassment;
- abuse, neglect or exploitation;
- concerns about a child or an adult at risk;
- homelessness or serious housing insecurity;
- threats, violence or coercion;
- forced marriage or so-called honour-based abuse;
- female genital mutilation (FGM);
- modern slavery or trafficking;
- radicalisation or Prevent concerns; and
- other circumstances where somebody may be at risk of serious harm.
There are more detailed support articles across this site if you would like information about a particular concern.
What happens when I contact Safeguarding?
Our starting point is to listen to you and understand what has happened.
Depending on your circumstances, a Safeguarding practitioner may:
- talk with you about your immediate safety and welfare;
- complete a risk or safeguarding assessment where appropriate;
- listen to your wishes, feelings and preferred outcomes;
- help you think through your options without pressuring you to make an immediate decision;
- develop a safety or support plan with you;
- help you access specialist University or external services;
- consider whether other people, including children or adults at risk, may also need safeguarding;
- coordinate support where several services are involved;
- explain whether information may need to be shared and why; and
- remain involved through safeguarding case management where this is needed.
The response will depend on what has happened, the level of risk, what you want to happen and any responsibilities the University has to protect you or other people.
You remain part of the decision-making
Wherever possible, we will work with you rather than simply making decisions about you.
We will want to understand what matters to you, what you are worried about and what outcome you would prefer.
There may be circumstances where the University needs to take action or share information even where this is not what you would prefer — for example, where there is a serious risk of harm, concerns about a child or adult at risk, a significant risk to other people, or another legal or safeguarding responsibility.
Where it is safe and appropriate to do so, we will explain this to you.
Safeguarding doesn't always mean a formal investigation
Telling the Safeguarding Team about something does not automatically mean that a formal complaint or investigation will begin.
Sometimes the appropriate response is support, safety planning, specialist referral or ongoing safeguarding case management.
Where the information suggests that a formal University process may need to be considered, the Safeguarding Team can help explain what may happen next. A case may then be referred to the appropriate University team — for example, Complaints & Student Casework or Human Resources — where formal investigation or another procedure is required.
Safeguarding support can continue alongside another University process where this is appropriate.
Concerned about somebody else?
You can also contact Safeguarding because you are worried about another student, a member of staff, a child or somebody else connected with a concern.
You do not need to investigate the situation yourself or establish that abuse has occurred.
Tell us:
what you have noticed → what you have been told → why you are concerned → whether anybody may be in immediate danger.
The Safeguarding Team can consider what should happen next.
If You Are a Member of Staff
Safeguarding is a responsibility shared across the University.
If, through your work, you receive a disclosure, witness something concerning, or become aware of information that gives you reason to believe that a student, member of staff, child or adult at risk may be experiencing or at risk of harm, you should not assume that somebody else will report it.
University staff have a responsibility to report safeguarding concerns promptly through the appropriate University safeguarding route.
You do not need to investigate the concern, establish whether an allegation is true, or decide whether it meets a particular safeguarding threshold before reporting it.
Your role is to:
- listen and take the concern seriously;
- respond calmly and avoid making promises of absolute confidentiality;
- record the important information accurately and factually;
- report the concern promptly to the Safeguarding Team;
- take immediate action where there is an emergency or immediate danger; and
- seek safeguarding advice if you are unsure what to do.
Where somebody asks you not to share what they have told you, explain sensitively that there may be circumstances in which information needs to be passed to the Safeguarding Team so that safety and the University's responsibilities can be properly considered.
Do not delay reporting because you are trying to gather further evidence or investigate the matter yourself. The Safeguarding Team can assess the information and determine what, if any, further action is required.
Mandatory Safeguarding Training
All staff also have an important role in maintaining their safeguarding knowledge.
Staff should complete the University's mandatory safeguarding training each year, together with any additional role-specific training required for their work.
Annual training helps staff remain able to:
- recognise possible signs of abuse, harm, neglect or exploitation;
- respond appropriately to a disclosure;
- understand how and when to report a concern;
- understand confidentiality and appropriate information sharing;
- recognise when urgent or emergency action may be required; and
- understand their individual responsibilities within the University's safeguarding arrangements.
Safeguarding training is not a substitute for contacting the Safeguarding Team when you are uncertain about a situation. If you are unsure whether something should be reported, seek advice rather than holding the concern yourself.
Report a Concern or Ask for Support
You can use Report & Support to tell us what has happened, raise a concern about somebody else or ask the Safeguarding Team for help.
You do not need to know which safeguarding category applies before contacting us.