Please note these tips are interim pending the further development of the Prevention of Harassment and Sexual Misconduct Policy and Procedures
General Guidance
- When someone has survived sexual violence, receiving caring and supportive responses from the people around them is crucial to the healing process and can help prevent or lessen trauma.
- If someone discloses to you, it means they look to you as someone who can provide support.
- You don’t need to be a professional to be there for someone who has survived sexual violence.
- Support can take many forms. Each victim/survivor will have different experiences and needs, so it is important to ask them how they want to be supported.
- They may not know what they need right away, and that is okay.
- You may not know how much support you are able to provide going forward, and that is okay too.
- During an initial disclosure, you don’t need to commit to long-term involvement; focus on being present and the person’s immediate needs.
Top tips on how to respond to a disclosure
Believe and affirm.
- Let them know that you believe them, and that the sexual violence was not their fault
Build safety and trust.
- Address any immediate needs – are they safe and do they need medical attention?
- Address confidentiality – remember there may be circumstances, for example if there is a Statutory Safeguarding concern, where confidentiality cannot be promised.Therefore, don’t make promises that cannot be kept - e.g. do not promise confidentiality, do not say that you will make it all right – only make promises you know you can keep.
- Offer re-assurance that they have done the right thing by disclosing
- Remember professional role boundaries to avoid taking on more than you can handle
Listen and be compassionate
- Let them tell their story in their own words, at their own pace
- Be comfortable with silence
- Ask them how they want to be supported
Respect and restore choices
- Respect their experiences and concerns.
- Offer options for internal and/or external reporting
- Signpost to sources of support (internal and external):
- Mental Health & Wellbeing Team via Student Enquiry Point
- https://sexualviolencesupport.co.uk/about-us/
- https://www.lancashire-pcc.gov.uk/lancashire-victims-services/
- Respect their decisions – allow them to regain a sense of control.
- Respect their gender identity and pronouns.
- Respect language choices.
- Check what the person hopes will happen as result of the disclosure.
- Agree with them what you will do next.
Be aware
Be aware of the impacts of trauma for example:
- If someone seems calm and composed, this does not mean that they have not been violated. It could mean that they feel numb or that they are dissociating from the trauma.
- The brain reacts to trauma with a fight, flight, or freeze response. These are involuntary responses to help the person survive.
- The freeze response can be why a victim/survivor did not physically struggle during the violence.
- Trauma’s impact on the brain contributes to why a victim/survivor may have difficulty remembering or recounting details of the sexual violence.
- Further information about common responses of survivors can be found here
- Acknowledge your own boundaries and seek support through the internal safeguarding contacts