Reporting a safeguarding concern about the welfare of a member of our University community
The University is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of those who are under 18 years of age, or who are adults at risk, within our community.
If you are concerned that a member of our University community, or a visitor to one of our campuses, is at risk of abuse or neglect, or may be vulnerable to radicalisation, you are responsible for reporting this. If your concern is about a child, you must make this a priority. .
However, you do not have any responsibility or authority to attempt to resolve this concern and you must not attempt to do so.
If the matter is urgent and you feel that the person is at immediate risk of harm to themselves or others
How to report a concern
The University has a team of trained Designated Safeguarding Officers who are available on each of our campuses.
Their role is to act as a source of support, advice and expertise when staff or students have a safeguarding concern about a possible risk of abuse or neglect, or when a person may be vulnerable to radicalisation. They are familiar with our Policy on Safeguarding Children and Adults at Risk and our safeguarding procedures, and have knowledge of our support services for both staff and students.
Designated Safeguarding Officers are available in People & Culture and the Student Wellbeing and Inclusivity Team and you may also have a Designated Safeguarding Officer in your department.
- Designated Safeguarding Officer contact list (.pdf) (Essex users only)
If you are concerned about a student, you can also share your concerns by submitting the online form.
What happens when you report a concern
Sometimes a concern that you raise or report may not become a safeguarding case. When a concern has been raised, the Designated Safeguarding Officer will share the information with one of our Safeguarding Case Work Leads who will carry out an early assessment to establish whether the case will be managed by one of the University’s safeguarding leads or if the information should be referred to other University support services.
Confidentiality
In accordance with data protection legislation, we'll keep information you submit in confidence. However we may need to take specific action based on the information you give us to protect the health and welfare of our University community. Although we strive to ensure privacy we can't always guarantee absolute confidentiality.
