FAQ’s / What happens when I make a report?
Robert Gordon University in partnership with RGU Union do not tolerate any sexual violence and harassment behaviours and are committed to providing a working and learning environment where everyone has physical and emotional safety and is treated with dignity and respect.
We want to make sure that your voices are heard. Whoever you are, we will listen to you.
Whenever an incident is reported we will take it seriously, deal with it promptly and ensure that no-one is subjected to victimisation as a result of reporting. Perpetrators will be held accountable through due process and we will utilise our existing University disciplinary procedures if appropriate.
If a report is received where the University believes there is an ongoing situation where there may be danger to either you or someone else we are obliged to pass that report on externally, for example to the Police, and/or internally within the University.
Otherwise, reports received will be kept confidential within a very small support team and will only be shared further when necessary and after discussion with yourself.
Who can make a report?
Robert Gordon University students and staff can make a report through Report + Support. Visitors are encouraged to report complaints through the public complaints process.
Supporting you:
We understand the importance of providing support to any member of our community who has been affected by sexual violence or harassment. We can offer support and counselling, as well as referrals to other specialist partner agencies such as Rape Crisis Grampian.
What is the difference between anonymous and advisor reports?
Robert Gordon University does not know who has made an anonymous report, and therefore cannot reach out to provide additional support. Whereas if someone wants to receive support or consider informal or formal options to address a concern, they should make a named report and speak to an advisor.
How we process Anonymous Reports:
If you choose to make an anonymous report, you will be signposted on completion to several external support services that are able to help you.
Our administrator will review all reports received. If any identifiable information is provided, the administrator will then remove the identifiable information to ensure anonymity. The information is then kept for trend analysis and inform proactive prevention.
How we process Contact an Advisor Reports:
Our advisors are here to support you, to advise you on the options available to you and help you to get additional support. By making a report through Report & Support you do not formally report an incident to the University or the Police, but if you then choose to do so, we will ensure that you are supported throughout the process.
Our administrator reviews all reports received and you can expect to get a response from us within two working days acknowledging that you have made a report.
Our administrator will assign you to a First Responder as your Case Manager. Each of the First Responders are provided with a login and can only access cases that are assigned to them. The First Responder receives an email notification that a case has been assigned to them – no identifiable information is provided within this email alert. They then log into Report + Support to access the information you have provided using their personal login details. The First Responder will then contact you and arrange a meeting to discuss the report, to discuss your options and the support available to you.
We will undertake a risk assessment and, if necessary, will take precautionary actions to ensure the safety and wellbeing of those involved.
On case completion we ensure all reports have all identifiable information removed so they are completely anonymised. Data is compiled together with anonymous report data and is then used to produce anonymised annual reports. This information is kept for trend analysis and to inform proactive prevention. These reports would include the number of cases, most reported types of harassment and location.
How secure is the data and information sent through the system?
Data held on Report + Support is GDPR compliant and further information about how data is collected and stored is outlined in the Privacy Notice. The system has been security tested by both the developer, Culture Shift, and by Robert Gordon University.
How long is data stored on the system?
We will only retain personal data for as long as necessary to fulfil purposes we collected it for. We will keep records of reports for one academic year following case closure on the Report + Support system as outlined in the Privacy Notice. All personal data will be kept according to the Records Retention Schedule.
Who are the administrators on the system?
Fiona Hall – Student Life Project Co-Ordinator – f.hall1@rgu.ac.uk
Wendy Henderson - Administrator & Counselling Co-ordinator - w.henderson3@rgu.ac.uk
Julie Waddell - Inclusion Coordinator - j.waddell@rgu.ac.uk