Report a Concern is an online tool developed by the University of Chester where anyone can report incidents of unacceptable behaviour including (but not limited to) bullying, domestic abuse, discrimination, harassment, hate crime, assault, sexual violence and victimisation. The system allows you to report providing your contact details or anonymously.

All students, staff, visitors and employers can report using this tool. You can report an incident wherever it has occurred, for example off campus, during placement or in the workplace.

You can make a disclosure about an incident(s) that happened to you, on behalf of someone else (with their knowledge) or an incident you have witnessed.

If you choose to report something anonymously, this means that we will not be able to contact you and offer you any advice or support. Making an anonymous report informs the University that something has happened and allows us to better understand the prevalence of issues within our community and take positive action to address these.

It will not instigate any part of our formal disciplinary or complaints process. However, you should be aware that in certain circumstances the University may have an obligation or legal duty to disclose information or take action.

Reports relating to staff will be viewed by a member of HR and reports relating to students or other members of the community will be viewed by a member of Student Services. They will first review the report to identify any risks that relate to our duty of care or legal obligations. If no immediate risk is identified, no further, direct action will be taken.

Information provided within anonymous reports will be used to produce statistical data to understand what is happening and to inform proactive prevention work. The University will work to address any concerning trends.

Reports relating to staff will be reviewed by a member of HR and will be responded to within 3 working days.

Reports relating to students or other members of the community will be reviewed by a member of Student Services and you will be contacted within 2 working days.

You will be provided with information about support available to you and options with regard to informal and/or formal processes to address your concern.

Your report will not normally instigate any part of our formal disciplinary or complaints process unless you wish to pursue this. However, you should be aware that in certain circumstances the University may have an obligation or legal duty to disclose information or take action.

If a report is found to be malicious or vexatious, it will be addressed under existing procedures such as the Student Disciplinary and Staff Disciplinary Policy and Procedure.

The data collected from Report a Concern is used to produce anonymised annual reports. These reports would include information such as the number of cases, the types of behaviour and location. Anonymised collected data may be shared when legally required, such as Freedom of Information Requests.

The system has been built and tested by the University of Chester to ensure it is secure. All data held on Report a Concern is GDPR compliant. Further information about how data is collected and stored is outlined in the Privacy Notice.

Personal data is kept, deleted or archived in accordance with our Privacy Notice

Staff: The University has a panel of Dignity and Respect advisers who can advise on any matters relating to complaints or concerns relating to Dignity and Respect or bullying/harassment or you can contact your HR Adviser. The University also has an Employee Assistance Programme, a confidential employee benefit designed to help you deal with personal and professional problems that could be affecting your home life or work life, health and general wellbeing.

Students: Matters of unacceptable behaviours can be discussed with members of the University Proctor's Office, who can be contacted by emailing: universityproctor@chester.ac.uk. If you would wish to access additional support, please contact our Wellbeing and Mental Health team by emailing: wellbeing@chester.ac.uk

This Report a Concern form is not an emergency response service. If you or someone else is in immediate danger, or if emergency assistance is required, and you are in the UK, CALL 999.

If you are on university premises, you should also call the Porters on 01244 511541.