If you’ve experienced harassment or sexual misconduct from another student or staff member at ARUL, you can make a formal report to the university. We’ll usually investigate this under one of the relevant procedures below to determine, on the balance of probabilities, what has taken place and whether the conduct is a breach of our university rules.

You can tell us what happened via Report + Support and we’ll get in touch with you to discuss your reporting options. You can also report formally to ARUL here: Behaviour and conduct concerns

We might put safeguarding measures (precautionary action) in place if you report something formally to us. These actions might be taken to protect other students, staff or visitors or to allow a full investigation by ARUL or the police.

The Student Disciplinary Procedure

This will be used to investigate allegations of harassment and sexual misconduct which are made about students. You can find the Student Disciplinary Procedure within our Rules, Regulations and Procedures for students here: Rules, Regulations and Procedures for Students 

The Staff Disciplinary Procedure

This will be used to investigate allegations of harassment and sexual misconduct made by students against staff. As a student, you’ll receive a Complaint Outcome from the university under our Student Complaints Procedure.

The Student Disciplinary Procedure sets out how we approach a formal investigation fairly, including the timeframes for us to investigate a disciplinary matter, the procedure for how it will be investigated and the possible outcomes.

As part of the investigation, you’ll be invited to a meeting to discuss what happened and we’ll give you the opportunity to provide evidence and witnesses that you would like us to talk to.

A formal investigation of the behaviour will be conducted to determine whether or not, on the balance of probabilities, it has taken place and breaches the Rules of Behaviour. For a behaviour to meet the balance of probabilities standard of proof, it must be considered as more likely to be true than not true.

Where ARUL’s Rules of Behaviour have been breached, sanctions can be put in place which include warnings, no contact with specified people, restrictions on the use of buildings, facilities or services, or for very serious matters, suspension or exclusion from ARUL.

You can choose to make an informal report for incidents of harassment and sexual misconduct. If you want to make an informal report, you can tell us something has happened via Report + Support.

An informal report is a way for you to limit contact with another student without a formal investigation. This means you don’t have to tell us what happened if you don’t want to, but you do need to let us know that it relates to harassment and sexual misconduct.

Once you’ve made your informal report, we’ll meet with you and discuss the measures that you want in place to feel safe. We’ll then meet the other student to agree those measures and let you know what has been agreed.

You can find more information about that here: Informal Procedure for cases involving sexual misconduct 

Please note, there might be some cases where the informal reporting process is not suitable, for example, where the reported individual is a staff member or on a professional registration course.

You have the option to tell us what happened anonymously, where you don’t share any personal details about yourself or others. ARUL will not have a record of who has made the report or who the report is about. You can also make a report on behalf of someone else. No direct action can be taken as a result of your report. Choosing this route means that, whilst no formal action will be taken, it helps the university to understand what is happening in our community

We’ll consider what action, if any, we can take on each anonymous report we receive, but please note, this is unlikely to result in a formal investigation and we might not be able to take any direct action. Because the report is anonymous, we won’t be able to update you on any action we’ve taken. It will, however, help us see trends for statistical purposes.

To anonymously report, please use Report + Support.

Flow chart of how your anonymous report will be processed 

If you believe a crime has been committed, this can be reported to the police. The police have a legal duty to investigate crime and have investigative powers beyond ours at ARUL.

We will support anyone wishing to make a complaint to the police. Any internal procedure will be paused while a police investigation is ongoing. We won’t usually report matters to the police without the consent of the person reporting.

We might take precautionary action against the student reported to the police while a police investigation is ongoing.  These actions might be put in place to protect other students, staff or visitors, or to allow a full investigation by ARUL or the police.

Precautionary Action can result in temporary suspension from study or exclusion from ARUL, or can impose conditions on how a student can interact with their studies and other ARUL members.

Confidentiality is key in creating a culture where anyone affected by harassment and sexual misconduct feels safe to make a disclosure. We’ll respect and protect the confidentiality of our students both through the support services they access and their use of the reporting and Student Disciplinary Procedures.

If a staff member becomes aware of an incident of harassment and sexual misconduct either following a disclosure or report from a student or third party or as part of a response to an incident, they might need to share information internally to make sure you and other students and staff members are safe and protected.

We’ll only share information when it’s appropriate and necessary to help keep you and others safe, secure, and supported in your studies. We’ll make sure that only relevant details are shared, and only with staff who need to know in order to assess and manage any potential risks.

You can find our privacy information here: Privacy information for current and prospective students 

Please note, there might be circumstances (e.g. in order to protect an individual at risk) where we need to share information with other agencies.

Further details about confidentiality and information sharing are provided in the Student Disciplinary procedure here

The second option to report is to “Report with your contact details”.

This route means you will be asked to provide your contact details, and an adviser will contact you to discuss your report further.

Your report will be reviewed by an adviser who will contact you within 5 working days of submitting your report.

Please be aware, submitting a report through the Report and Support portal does not automatically prompt an investigation through our disciplinary or grievance process. You will be raising awareness of the incident to one of our advisers who can then take you through the options available to you.

If you wish to report an emergency, you should always call 999 for emergency services.

You will be able to choose which email address the adviser contacts you by - if you choose a personal email, please be sure to check your spam folder.

Your adviser may ask some additional questions about the incident over email to make sure your incident is handled by the appropriate team. They will explain the next steps and the options available to you. They may offer an appointment to discuss the circumstances further and explore the best avenues of support.

Your adviser can also explain the process for making a formal complaint, if this is something you are considering.

If you submit a report but decide you do not want to proceed with a formal complaint, you are not under any obligation to do so. We would ask that you kindly reply to the initial email sent by the adviser to let them know your decision not to continue at this time. You can change your mind at any time.

If you would like to know more about howw ARUL processes your report please refer to the flow chart below

Report and Support Process with Contact Details 

Current ARUL Students 

If you are a current student, you can reach out to the student union for help submitting a report. The student union are separate to our university and can offer you help and support prior to you submitting a report. 

If you would like to discuss adjustments to the reporting process you can contact complainats@aru.ac.uk

Visitors or members of the public 

If you are a visitor or a member of the public and you would like help reporting or an adjustment made to the process, you can reach out to complaints@aru.aru.ac.uk

I’m nervous about reporting. What should I do?

We understand that sharing your concerns can be daunting, but we encourage you to make the report so that we can help with your problem. If you’re comfortable, please include your contact details so that we can reach out and discuss your report with you. Otherwise, you are welcome to report anonymously and consider using our anonymous two-way messaging process.

What happens if I submit a report anonymously?

• You will not be asked for any form of contact details.
• ARUL will not have a record of who has made the report or who the report is against.
• No direct action can be taken as a result of your report. You will not be contacted about your report.
• Reporting anonymously helps the university to understand what is happening in our community and review preventative and support measures.
• Anonymous two-way messaging: You will be offered the opportunity to contact one of our advisers anonymously through our anonymous two-way messaging tool. This may be useful in future if you wish to ask questions, provide further details about the incident, or decide to provide your contact details.

What happens if I submit a report with my contact details?

• Your report will be assigned to an adviser who will contact you within 5 working days of your report.
• Please be aware, submitting a report through the Report & Support portal does not automatically start the university disciplinary process and investigation. You will be raising awareness of the incident to one of our advisers who can then take you through the options available to you.
• If you wish to report an emergency, you should always call 999 for emergency services.
• You will be able to choose which email address the adviser contacts you by, but if you choose a personal email please be sure to check your spam folder.
• Your adviser may ask some additional questions about the incident over email to make sure your incident is handled by the appropriate team. They will explain the next steps and the options available to you. They may offer an appointment to discuss the circumstances further and explore the best avenues of support.
• Your adviser can also explain the process for making a formal complaint to the university disciplinary process, if this is something you are considering.
• If you submit a report but decide you do not want to proceed with a formal complaint, you are not under any obligation to do so. We would ask that you kindly reply to the initial email sent by the adviser to let them know your decision not to continue at this time. You can change your mind at any time.

How quickly will my report be seen and processed?

Your report will be reviewed and you will be contacted by an adviser, by email, within 5 working days. To review the process following the submission of a report, please refer to the following two flowcharts depending on your report type.

Anonymous Report

Report and Support Process with Contact Details 

If I submit a report on Report & Support, will it automatically trigger some kind of formal process?

In short, no.

Report & Support is a confidential online platform designed to help guide you through your options and has two options for confidential disclosure. If someone chooses to submit with contact details, a trained adviser will be in contact within 5 working days.

If you’re 18 or over, your report won’t automatically be shared with the police or formally investigated by the university. Our trained advisers will help guide you through both your reporting and support options, in complete confidence. Your adviser will help you decide how far you want your disclosure to go and support you all the way, whatever your decision.

Or you can disclose incidents anonymously. No direct action will be taken by the university as a result of the anonymous disclosure; however, it will feed into our data and trend analysis.

Who can I submit a report about?

You can submit a report about anyone. Report & Support is available to all staff, students and campus visitors.

Your report can be about a staff member, a student or a campus visitor, regardless of which category you fall into. Your report can be about something that happened to you, or something that happened to someone you know or witnessed. If your incident took place away from campus, you can still use this portal to report it and find out what support is available to you.

Can I report on behalf of someone else?

Yes. You can use the tool to report your concerns about someone else, or an incident which happened involving someone else.

Can I report something that happened off campus?

Yes. You can report something, even if it happened off campus.

Report & Support is available to all staff, students and visitors who have experienced sexual misconduct, discrimination, harassment, bullying or violence.

The team understands that this could happen to students and staff beyond the university campus and even overseas. Support is available regardless of where the individual is based in the world or where it happened. The adviser will simply work to tailor the support and reporting options to the individual’s circumstances.

What if I’m not sure how to categorise my report?

It’s always better to report any concerns or issues, even if you’re not sure about the category. Your report will be directed to the appropriate person to handle it. Remember, your report doesn’t have to be perfect or complete.

How secure is my information?

Data held on the Report and Support portal is GDPR compliant, and further information about how data is collected and stored is outlined in the privacy policy.

The system has been security tested by both the developer and the university.

Is there a time limit on reporting an incident?

In short, no. Report and Support offers a platform to report any incident that has impacted you or someone you know, regardless of when the incident occurred.

If you report with contact details, our trained advisers will help guide you through both your reporting and support options, in complete confidence. Your adviser will help you decide how far you want your disclosure to go and support you all the way, whatever your decision.

It is worth noting that, in some cases, the time passed may impact the formal reporting routes available to you, and our advisers will be able to guide you through this.

How will ARUL manage malicious complaints?

If a report is found to be malicious or vexatious, such reports will be addressed under existing student and staff disciplinary procedures.

As a member of staff, will the responses I provide to the personal data questions change any of my personal data held on my HR record?

The responses you provide to the personal data questions on the Report and Support form do not change the personal data held on your HR record. The anonymised data feeds into high-level statistical reporting to help us gain a better understanding of whether certain groups of people within the university are experiencing problems with harassment, bullying, discrimination, hate crimes, etc.

If you are a staff member and have any further questions, please email HR@london.aru.ac.uk.