Our service is delivered by trained and experienced staff who are qualified Domestic Abuse and Sexual Violence practitioners. We take a holistic and multi-disciplinary approach to the delivery of our services within Student Wellbeing to ensure that you get the best support possible.
Student Wellbeing is based on College Lane Campus and De Havilland Campus and is available for all students to use. The Harassment, Domestic and Sexual Misconduct team offers short term support and information around violence harm and abuse in intimate relationships, and relationships with family members.
We support around many different challenges which you may face at University in your academic and personal life. The team will also make onward referrals to specialist organisations where needed.
Student Wellbeing support is delivered in a blended way, with appointments offered online, face to face and by telephone. Support will be offered in the most appropriate way for students needs and may be a mix of online and face to face.
Domestic abuse is defined as an incident or pattern of incidents of controlling, coercive, threatening, degrading and violent behaviour, including sexual violence, in the majority of cases by a partner or ex-partner, but also by a family member or carer.
Domestic abuse can include, but is not limited to, the following:
- Coercive Control - (a pattern of intimidation, degradation, isolation and control with the use or threat of physical or sexual violence). This can include: pressuring you; sulking; threatening to withhold money; disconnecting the phone and internet; taking away or destroying your mobile or laptop; destroying /deleting your university work; taking a car away; taking the children away; threatening to report you to the police, social services or the mental health team unless you comply with demands; threatening to deport you/ interfere with your visa; threatening or attempting self-harm and suicide; withholding or pressuring you to use drugs or other substances; lying to your friends and family about you or telling you that you have no choice in any decisions.
- Psychological and/or emotional abuse - this can include: shouting; mocking; accusing; name calling; verbally threatening; putting you down and shaming you in front of other people; controlling you, what you wear and where you go; making you call them/ be available on your phone or displaying jealousy.
- Physical or sexual abuse - this can include: hitting; kicking spitting; hair pulling biting or pinching you; pressuring you to have sex; recording you during sex or sharing naked images without your consent.
- Financial or Economic Abuse - this can include: taking money from your purse; taking loans out in your name; taking your benefits/child benefit into their name or taking disability benefit.
- Harassment and Stalking - this can include: following you; tracking you via your phone or by Air tags; sending unwanted messages or calling you repeatedly; opening your mail/emails; accompanying you wherever you go, including medical appointments or monitoring your movements via social media.
- Online or Digital Abuse - this can include verbal threats of harm, to rape, kill or harm you or your loved ones.
- Threats - this can include: making angry gestures; using physical size to intimidate; shouting you down; destroying your possessions; breaking things; punching walls; wielding a knife or a gun; threatening to kill or harm you and the children; threatening to kill or harm family pets or threats of suicide.
- Isolation - this can include: stopping you seeing your friends and family or talking to them; monitoring, listening to or blocking your phone calls, e-mails and social media accounts; telling you where you can and cannot go or shutting you in the house.