If you have experienced anything that makes you feel uncomfortable and you would like to tell someone about it, please contact us so that we can support you.
Seeking support following an experience of sexual violence or harassment is not always an easy decision. We recognise this and the specialist team of qualified Sexual Violence Liaison Officer’s will support you and help you to make informed choices about your options.
The SVLO service is based within Student Wellbeing at the University of Lincoln and is available to help any student who has experienced any form of sexual misconduct, domestic abuse or stalking/harassment at any time, however long ago.
Our SVLOs have undergone LimeCulture SVLO development programme training which is an intensive course that equips SVLOs with the knowledge and specialist skills to identify risk and appropriately support the needs of students who have experienced sexual misconduct, both recent and non-recent. (You can see certificates confirming this on request). Our SVLOs also bring lots of experience to the role from previous roles. These include rape crisis, domestic abuse, mental health and crisis work.
We can help you access specialist support services, and discuss your options for reporting either to the University or to the Police. We will never push you to report and we understand how difficult it can be to ask for help. Support we offer is very much led by you so that you are in control of your decisions with empathetic guidance. Where possible we will always aim to accommodate what gender SVLO you wish to work with (in emergency cases this may not always be possible depending on availability).
SVLOs actively listen without judgement and can liaise with other University departments and services on your behalf if you would like us to.
Our team supports students of all gender, sexuality, race or ethnicity, disability, religious belief or faith, or any other part of your identity.
Students are provided with a safe and confidential space where you can talk about what’s happened and the impact on you.
Students who report to us will be assigned an SVLO and invited to complete a first disclosure with us – this is simply an account in your own words of what has happened to you. This disclosure will be stored as written documentation, confidentially and indefinitely. This does not start an investigation and can be accessed by you at any time should you wish to make a formal report.
If there are concerns about you or someone else’s safety, these will be considered carefully and we will discuss safeguarding with you.
If you are a student who has been reported for sexual misconduct, domestic abuse and stalking/harassment, you can still receive support from Student Wellbeing. The Advisor that supports you will not be involved in any way with supporting the reporting student to ensure confidentiality and safeguarding of information.
We welcome feedback regarding our SVLO service. If you have any comments or suggestions, please email studentwellbeing@lincoln.ac.uk