Get in touch
All disclosures should be submitted via the forms and not email. If you email us details of an incident, we may be required to take action without your consent.
Leeds Beckett University - City Campus,
Woodhouse Lane,
LS1 3HE
Student information and disclosures
As a student within the Leeds Beckett community, there are several ways that Support Report Respect is relevant to you, whether you want to access support for yourself or get information on how to support those around you.
If you require urgent support, our Out of Hours and Emergency Information provides details of who to contact in these circumstances including mental health crisis information.
In this page you'll find information on how to disclose or report a behaviour or incident(s) of discrimination, harassment, abuse, violence or hate of any kind, to yourself or someone you know, as well as useful contacts and resources.
What can we support with?
Sexual misconduct such as rape or sexual assault, sexual violence, sexual harassment, intimate partner violence, grooming, coercion or bullying with sexual elements, sexual invitations and demands, unwanted exposure to or production of online sexual content, comments, non-verbal communication, creation of atmospheres of discomfort, and promised resources, advancement in exchange for sexual access or anything unwanted of a sexual nature. For external support, please see our external support page.
Domestic abuse, or relationship abuse, can be defined as an incident or pattern of incidents of controlling, coercive, threatening, degrading and violent behaviour by a partner, ex-partner, family member or carer. For external support, please see our external support page.
A crime or incident committed to protect or defend the 'honour' of a family or community. There isn’t one specific crime of honour-based abuse; it can involve a range of crimes and behaviours, such as forced marriage, domestic abuse (including physical, sexual, psychological, emotional, or financial), sexual harassment and sexual violence, threats to kill, physical and emotional violence, pressure to go or move abroad, being kept at home with no freedom, not being allowed to used the telephone, internet, or have access to important documents like passport or birth certificate, isolation from friends and members of your own family. For external support, please see our external support page.
Abusive, offensive, intimidating or insulting behaviour, a misuse of power through means which undermine or humiliate. Bullying usually involves a repeated course of conduct, it is often in the context of a position of authority or status and may be in person, in writing and/or by electronic means. For external support, please see our external support page.
Unwanted conduct related to a relevant protected characteristic. This could be racial harassment (against person(s) on the grounds of their ethnic group or nationality) or religious harassment (such as Anti-Semitism or Islamophobia) or on the grounds of age, disability, gender reassignment, race, their sex or sexual orientation. Harassment has the purpose or effect of violating a person's dignity or creating an intimidating, hostile, degrading, humiliating or offensive environment. The unwanted conduct can be physical, verbal or non-verbal, online or in-person. For external support, please see our external support page.
Modern Slavery is a term used to define the recruitment, movement, harbouring or receiving of children, women or men through the use of force, coercion, abuse of vulnerability, deception or other means of exploitation. Modern Slavery can also include holding a person of position of slavery, servitude forced or compulsory labour or facilitating travel with the intention of exploiting them soon after.
What is Harassment? Part One: Stalking
What is Harassment? Part Two: Discrimination
How do I disclose an incident?
As a student at our university, you can use our online disclosure form to tell the university if something has happened to you, another Leeds Beckett student or a visitor to our university. Whether you make a disclosure or a formal report is entirely your choice, and there are a number of ways you can do this.
Our Student Harassment and Sexual Misconduct Advisers in Student Services are specially trained to listen to you and your experiences, help you access other professional support services and talk through your options for taking the disclosure further. They can help you find specialist services local to you and understand what to expect. Our team have undergone specialist training to support students who are victims and survivors of harassment, abuse, and violence, or who are engaged in sex work.
If you feel ready to speak to someone, please submit an online disclosure form. Your form will be reviewed by a Student Harassment and Sexual Misconduct Adviser, who will make further contact with you within two working days.
All disclosures are handled sensitively, and we appreciate you choosing to share your experience with us. Please note that completing our online disclosure form does not initiate a formal report through our University Complaints Procedure and Code of Conduct.
If you are not ready to speak with an adviser to access support, or are completing the form on someone else’s behalf without consent, you can still disclose without providing any personal details. You will be able to see urgent support information and resources, but you will not be able to receive any support from an adviser.
Anonymous disclosures support us in better understanding the prevalence of issues within our community, without requiring you to share personal information. This means we can build a picture of the inappropriate behaviours and incidents that have taken place. We can monitor trends in the information you choose to share with us and use this to inform our preventative work on tackling discrimination, harassment, abuse, and violence.
All disclosures are handled sensitively, and we appreciate you choosing to share your experience with us. Please note that completing our online disclosure form does not initiate a formal report through our University Complaints Procedure and Code of Conduct.
What happens in an appointment?
Our Student Harassment and Sexual Misconduct Advisers in Student Services are here to listen to you and your experiences. Our team have undergone accredited training to support students who are victims and survivors of harassment, abuse, and violence, or who are engaged in sex work.
We understand that talking about difficult situations in person can be challenging. To help you feel as comfortable as possible, you can choose whether to speak to an adviser in person, over the phone, or via Microsoft Teams.
The adviser would invite you to talk about what has happened in as much or as little detail as you are comfortable with. The appointment would be taken at your pace, and you can request to take a break or stop at any point. Everything you discuss in the appointment would be kept confidential, unless we have specific concerns which we would explain more about in the appointment. The adviser can help you access internal support, such as the Wellbeing Team, our Police Liaison Officer, or the Money Advice Team. They can also help you access other professional support services and talk through your options for taking the disclosure further. They can help you find specialist services local to you and understand what to expect.
What does an appointment look like?
Disclosing vs. reporting
It's important to understand the difference between disclosing and reporting, as both have very different procedures. Knowing what would happen if you disclose, compared to what would happen if you report will allow you to have control over which path you choose to take.
A disclosure is considered informal. It is a conversation between you and a staff member in which you let them know that an incident of unacceptable behaviour has happened.
Making a disclosure can help you access support whilst you remain in control of what happens next.
We believe that accessing specialist support should not be dependent on going through a formal reporting procedure. A disclosure can lead into a request for support and guidance without the pressure of making a formal report.
If you were to have an appointment with a Student Harassment and Sexual Misconduct Adviser to discuss an incident that happened, you would be disclosing.
A report is a formal procedure, with a view to have an allegation investigated.
The report would be made to the university Casework Team (if the other party is a Leeds Beckett student), or the police, who may initiate a formal investigation. Details of the incident would be recorded and kept according to regulatory requirements. Advocacy and support is encouraged, so you could bring a friend, family, or an adviser from the Students' Union to the reporting appointment.
If you were to make a formal allegation against a named individual(s) for unacceptable behaviour towards you or others, you would be reporting.
Disclosing Vs. Reporting
Making a formal report to the university
If you experience inappropriate behaviour of any kind from a fellow student you can let the university know by making a formal report against the student under the Student Code of Conduct. The Casework Team are responsible for managing student reports. For further information regarding allegations against another student or a member of staff, please read the information below.
The reporting process also applies if you experience inappropriate behaviour from a member of staff. An investigation will be undertaken, and the Staff Disciplinary Procedure applied, as appropriate.
We advise that you contact the Students’ Union for advice and support during either of these processes.
Please be aware that if you disclose the name of the member of staff to anyone working at the university, then they will be required to report it as a duty of care, even if you have not yet asked them to.
If you experience inappropriate behaviour of any kind from a fellow student, you can report this to the university by making a formal report against the student under the Student Code of Conduct Procedure. The Casework Team are responsible for managing student reports. When necessary, your report will be assigned to a senior member of staff who will then undertake a formal internal investigation of the incident. Their findings will inform sanctions under the Student Code of Discipline that the Casework Team will apply as appropriate.
We advise that you contact the Students’ Union for advice and support during either of these processes.
If you have concerns about your anonymity when submitting a formal report, we suggest speaking with the Students Union first.
Police Liaison Officer
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PC Mark Fox
PC Mark Fox is the Leeds Beckett Police Liaison officer, working with West Yorkshire Police. If you choose to report a criminal incident, or just want to know your options for doing so, you can contact Mark on mark.fox@leedsbeckett.ac.uk.
He will be able to guide you through the reporting options, police support, and what measures the police could take if appropriate. Mark can meet you on campus in uniform, or in plain clothes, or can speak via telephone if required.
