Student Support Intervention Team (violence and abuse support)
We are a team of specialist university staff trained to respond to disclosures of violence and abuse.
We support students affected by harassment, hate crime, sexual violence, relationship abuse, bullying and other forms of unacceptable behaviour.
If you believe you are in immediate danger or you are concerned about your safety, learn how to access further help and keep yourself safe.
The Student Support Intervention Team is an amalgamation of the previously named Disclosure Response Team and Student Intervention Team, creating one streamlined team of practitioners who specialise in violence and abuse support or mental health support and intervention.
If you are looking for urgent support with your mental health you can find more information here.
How we can help
We are available to speak to you and support you if you have experienced any kind of violence or abuse, including harassment, hate crime, sexual abuse, relationship abuse, bullying or any other form of unacceptable behaviour that you may find distressing or offensive.
We can support you by:
- supporting you with managing your safety if this is an immediate concern
- contacting you via phone, online or face-to-face, to talk about what you have experienced and look at options of support
- providing practical support with housing, financial and academic needs with specific information on what to do if you live or study with someone violent or abusive
- signposting to specialist agencies
- explaining reporting options and offering support whilst reporting, if this is an option that is right for you
- explaining university complaint procedures
Tell us
To access the support available through the Student Support Intervention Team, you are required to make an identified disclosure using our Report & Support tool.
An anonymous disclosure option is also available using Report & Support. You can use this to make us aware of your experiences without identifying who you are, which helps us to identify patterns of violence and abuse that affect our students. If you choose to make an anonymous disclosure you will not be contacted directly.
We aim to respond to all disclosures within two working days, between the hours of 09:00-16:30, Monday to Friday, excluding bank holidays and the Christmas closure period, and aim to offer an appointment within 7 working days.
We understand that it can be difficult to trust other people to tell them what has happened. Some common worries about sharing these experiences include:
- what if no one believes me?
- what if I’m judged?
- what has happened to me is not that bad
- the person who is responsible is someone I know
It is your choice whether you tell someone about your experiences. However, it is important to know that the University can support you.
We take all disclosures seriously and will believe what you tell us.
What will happen next?
A member of the team will contact you via the Student Connect portal to offer an online appointment to provide advice and guidance. They will explain the different support and reporting options available and can refer you to specialist services if you choose.
Anonymous disclosure
If you decide to disclose your experience of violence or abuse you can remain anonymous or you can choose to identify yourself so we can contact you and offer support.
If you choose to submit an anonymised disclosure we are unable to take action in response to the information you share. However, we can use the information to look at trends of incidents taking place on and off campus, which helps inform how we educate students and helps us take precautions to increase student safety.
This information can also be viewed on the Cardiff University Student Intranet