The support offered to the victim/survivor must be tailored to their
individual needs. This is essential as individuals will differ in their
response to the trauma of sexual violence and every case will be
different.
Ideally, an effective response should involve the identification and upskilling of specialist staff within the university to act as the key people
who will manage the response to a reported incident of sexual violence
affecting a student within the university. To ensure a clear definition of
responsibilities, care should be taken to avoid replicating the function of
specialist roles such as the police or Independent Sexual Violence
Advisors (ISVAs) although specialist staff in the university are likely to
liaise closely with both. These specialist staff must be recognised both
internally and externally as the ‘go to’ people to ensure that (i) police and
specialist agencies can contact them if a student approaches these
agencies directly, and (ii) university staff, irrespective of role, know who
to refer individuals to for the right support. The ‘go to’ staff will know
what specialist external support is available to refer to (any available
support will depend on the local area). They will also be able to inform
students what their options are including forensics, reporting to the
police and available internal and external support. This will empower the
victim/survivor to make informed decisions. Giving these staff an easily
identifiable title will make their role clear, for example, Sexual Violence
Liaison Officer.
In summary, the following principles are important to an effective strategic response:
Separate out prevention activities from response
Ensure clear lines of accountability – ultimate accountability should lie with a
senior staff member
Have a clear understanding of risk and who owns each risk
Ensure appropriate governance
Embed across all relevant university functions
Involve the student body as much as possible
The support offered must be tailored to meet the needs of the individual
Identify and up-skill ‘go to’ people in the university – make sure all staff are made
aware of them
OPERATIONAL RESPONSE
166. An effective operational response will be far easier to achieve if the right
strategic response is in place to support it. Without a coherent university-wide
response, the operational response is likely to be less effective and individuals
may fall between the gaps or receive insufficient support.
167. An effective operational response is contingent on universities having a clear
process for handling an initial disclosure of sexual violence. If this is insufficient,
then there is a high probability that it will lead to a breakdown in the provision
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