Harassment and violence support
The Harassment and Violence Support Service (HVSS) provides confidential practical and emotional support to students who have experienced:
- sexual harassment, sexual violence or domestic abuse, with support from a Sexual Harassment and Violence Adviser (SHVA)
- religious or racial discrimination or violence, with support from a Racial and Religious Discrimination Adviser (RRDA)
We can support you whether these experiences happened at university or elsewhere, recently or in the past. You do not need to report them to the police or the University to access support.
We understand that everyone experiences things differently, and it’s okay if the words on this page don’t match how you would describe your experiences. You can still access the service and discuss your situation with a member of the team.
Types of support
We can offer both emotional and practical support.
Emotionally, we can provide a safe space to talk about your experiences, help you explore the impact of the incident, and offer guidance on managing its effects.
Practically, we can:
- give impartial information about your reporting options, whether through your College, the University or the police
- support you with any difficulties arising from the incident
- guide you through any reporting process you choose
- refer you to other appropriate services within the University or externally
Our services are free to access and available most of the year, with short breaks over Christmas, Easter and public bank holidays.
The HVSS is not a crisis service. If you have experienced a recent incident and need immediate support, visit our crisis support and information page.
If this is your first time visiting the page, we encourage you to watch the videos and read through the sections below to learn more.
If you’re ready to book an appointment, complete our student support request form.
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You can use HVSS if your course requires College membership, whether you’re in the UK or abroad.
If your course doesn’t require College membership, you can still access the service if you’re on an award-bearing course.
Access to the service continues if you're:
- waiting for your final results to be officially confirmed by Student Registry, the Postgraduate Committee or Degree Committee
- temporarily suspended and waiting for the outcome of a disciplinary case
If you’re unsure whether you meet these criteria, get in touch.
We cannot work with students who are:
- on intermission (medical or non-medical)
- waiting to graduate after their final results have been officially confirmed
- no longer registered as a student / whose registration has lapsed and not been extended
- between two separate courses that require separate applications
- formally suspended following a disciplinary outcome
These measures are in place to make sure we can safely assess and manage risk, deliver the appropriate support and work within professional and legal boundaries.
If these exclusions apply to you, there is still a range of support available across the collegiate University and externally, including specialist support for specific groups.
Learn more or get in touch and we can help signpost you to the right support.
To request an initial appointment, complete our student support request form. You only need to complete this form once per academic year.
You do not need to give long answers. You can also put "I would prefer to talk about this in person" or “Prefer not to say”, if it is difficult to write about.
After you submit the form, we’ll be in touch to offer you the next available appointment slot.
We aim to offer you an appointment within 10 working days. In the last academic year, the average waiting time for an appointment was 3 working days.
The support we provide is confidential. This means your information will not be shared outside the service without your consent.
Exceptions only apply if:
- there are legal or statutory obligations to disclose, or
- there is a risk of serious harm to you or others.
For more details, please see our confidential and privacy page.