ANNEXE E: UNIVERSITY CASE STUDIES
CASE STUDY 1: SOUTH WALES UNIVERSITIES: RECOGNISING AND RESPONDING TO DOMESTIC AND
SEXUAL ABUSE
This project is a collaboration between the South Wales Police crime commissioner, the
Ministry of Justice, Atal Y Fro (domestic violence services) and universities in south Wales,
Cardiff University being the lead.
The project aims to establish a range of joined-up services across university campuses in
south Wales, recognising and responding to domestic and sexual violence.
Over the past three years, awareness-raising in this area has highlighted a significant
increase in the levels of domestic and sexual violence experienced by 16 to 24-year-olds,
including the level of vulnerability that students can feel within universities, particularly in
relation to sexual assaults.
Core principles of the project
Domestic abuse and sexual assault training for all identified staff, with tiered training
dependent upon the job role within the educational institution
Identification of domestic abuse ‘champions’ from among both the academic and
pastoral staff to provide leadership and cultural change
Training student counsellors to recognise and respond to suspected or disclosed
domestic abuse; this includes raising awareness of indicators and providing skills to
respond effectively and refer to specialists
Training security staff to identify increased vulnerability and to recognise and
positively respond to issues relating to disclosures of domestic abuse and sexual
assault
Developing links with relevant specialist agencies
Providing of advocacy, support and referral to specialist agencies
Providing a clear pathway to a single point of contact
Outcomes
The following have been shared with the Ministry of Justice as indicative outcomes:
Increased awareness within tutors and support staff of domestic abuse and its
indicators
An increase in targeting and asking students if they have any concerns about
domestic abuse or sexual assault
Increased referrals to counselling university support services
Increased confidence to report incidents to the police and a subsequent rise in
reporting of incidents (domestic violence/sexual assaults)
Increased referrals to specialist agencies for ongoing support and advocacy
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