Hate incidents hurt individuals and communities and reporting them allows the University and the police to better understand and deal with what is happening.
Hate incidents and crimes include bullying, harassment and sexual harassment which are contrary to the Equality Act 2010 and the university's disciplinary regulations.
If you think you have experienced a hate incident, it may be hard to know what to do or how to feel. What happened was not your fault. What you do next is your choice.
Steps to take immediately
· Are you in immediate danger? If you are in immediate danger or seriously injured, you can call 999.
· Finding a safe space. If possible, try and find somewhere you feel safe.
On campus
If you feel unsafe or need help, call security on 0114 225 8888.
Off campus
You can call 101 for the police.
If you need to get home or somewhere else safely, use the Safe Taxi Scheme.
Talk
· To a friend. Talking things through with someone you trust can sometimes help.
· The student wellbeing team. We can help you to go through your options: including reporting the incident to police, to the university, or to access medical and emotional support only and make no formal report. To access this support, please report with personal details and you will be contacted to arrange an appointment.
· Multifaith Chaplaincy. Confidential personal support to people of any religion or none.
· Independent specialist support. There are a number of support services you can call or visit who you can talk with about what has happened to you, such as Stop Hate UK.
Report
· Report to the police. If you want to report directly to the police you can call 999 for emergency or 101 for non-emergency. South Yorkshire Police have an online form for reporting hate crime.
· Report to the police using a third party organisation or online form. True Vision and Stop Hate UK both offer online reporting
· Report the incident anonymously. You can report online to Crimestoppers or call 0800 555 111.
· Sheffield Hallam Student Union is a designated Hate Crime Reporting Centre, which means they provide a free, confidential service to help support you if you feel you have been the victim of a hate crime or hate incident, and to assist you in reporting any incidents as either a victim or a witness.
· Report to the University. You can report anonymously or you can speak to specialist members of student wellbeing team. We can help you to go through your options: including reporting the incident to police, to the university, or to access medical and emotional support only and make no formal report.
To access this support, please report with personal details and you will be contacted to arrange an appointment.
· Report the incident through University disciplinary processes. A specialist member of student wellbeing team can help you make a report to the disciplinary team.
If you choose to name a member of staff or a student in your report, there are procedures which set out the actions the university may take. This may include carrying out conduct investigations.
When you report an allegation of misconduct to the University, we have a dedicated team who will consider your allegation and liaise with you regarding next steps. It is likely that you will be invited to meet with one of the team to discuss your allegation in detail to establish the details of the matter. We do this using student regulations and policies such as the Disciplinary Regulations for students and the Student Anti-Harassment Policy and Procedure which are available on shuspace.
The full range of possible sanctions is available in section 48 of the Disciplinary Regulations.
Support
If you think you or someone you know has experienced a hate incident there are a variety of support options available, in addition to the reporting options listed above. You have the right to choose which support options you wish to access.
Sheffield Hallam support for students
· Student Wellbeing Service We have a range of different professionals including counsellors and mental health practitioners who can support students experiencing emotional and psychological difficulties. To access this support, please register.
· Student Union Advice Centre The Students' Union provides a confidential, non-judgemental and free service available to all Sheffield Hallam Students. It is independent from the university, so issues with the advice service will not appear on your file without your consent.
The advice team provides specialist advice and support on academic issues such as concerns about your university experience, formal complaints and appeals, disciplinary hearings and academic misconduct investigations.
Student Support Advisers You have an allocated Student Support Adviser who can give advice around academic, course and welfare issues and signpost you to helpful services in the University.
Disabled Student Support Our dedicated disability advisers can provide advice, guidance and support to staff and students about a range of practical adjustments to your work or studies if you have a disability, specific learning difficulty or mental health difficulties.
Equality, Diversity and Inclusion Team The team provides advice, support and guidance on equality, diversity and inclusion related issues to students, academic advisors and other staff in student-supporting roles.
The University Misconduct Team If a complaint is made about another student's conduct, the team can offer an variety of dispute resolutions.
Sheffield Hallam support for staff
· Staff Wellbeing. The University's staff wellbeing pages link to a range of support services including Staff Counselling, you can find more information HERE.
· Trade Unions. Sheffield Hallam recognises a number of trade unions. UNISON, UNITE, UCU and GMB. Search for trade unions on the staff intranet for more information about contacts and how to join
· Line management. You can report what has happened to your line manager if you feel able to do this.
Stop Hate UKprovides independent, confidential and accessible reporting and support for victims, witnesses and third parties.
True Vision offers guidance on reporting hate crime and hate incidents. If you do not wish to talk to anyone in person about the incident or wish to remain anonymous, there is an online form for reporting hate crime; you can report non-crime hate incidents to the police to try and prevent any escalation in seriousness.
Citizens Adviceprovides some useful information on the different types of harassment and hate crime people may experience including disability hate crime, racist and religious hate crime, sexual harassment, and sexual orientation and transgender identity hate crime.
Tell MAMAsupports victims of anti-Muslim hate and is a public service which also measures and monitors anti-Muslim incidents.
Victim Support. When you report a crime to the police, they should automatically ask you if you would like help from an organisation like Victim Support. But anyone affected by crime can contact them directly – you don’t need to talk to the police to get Victim Support help.
Race and religious hate crime
Racist and religious crime is particularly hurtful to victims as they are being targeted solely because of their personal identity: their actual or perceived racial or ethnic origin, belief or faith. These crimes can happen randomly or be part of a campaign of continued harassment and victimisation.
Citizens Advice on Racist and Religious Hate Crime. Citizens Advice provides further information on racist and religious hate crime.
CPS Policy on Prosecuting Racist & Religious Hate crimes. The Crown Prosecuting Service sets out their policy and provides further information.
Homophobic and transphobic hate crime
In the past, incidents against lesbian, gay, bisexual people or transgender people have been rarely reported and even more rarely prosecuted. Research studies suggest that victims of, or witnesses to, such incidents have very little confidence in the criminal justice system.
Citizens Advice on Homophobic and Transphobic Hate Crime. Citizens Advice provides further information on homophobic and transphobic hate crime
CPS policy on Prosecuting Homophobic and Transphobic Hate Crimes. The Crown Prosecuting Service sets out their policy and provides further information.
Disability hate crime
Feeling and being unsafe through violence, harassment or negative stereotyping has a significant impact on disabled people's sense of security and wellbeing. It also impacts significantly on their ability to participate both socially and economically in their communities.
Citizens Advice on Disability Hate Crime. Citizens Advice provides further information on disability related hate crime.
CPS policy on prosecuting Disability Hate Crimes. The Crown Prosecuting Service sets out their policy and provides further information.
· Take care of yourself. You too can access student wellbeing and/or staff wellbeing services for support.