What support is available if I’ve experience a hate crime?
If you think you or someone you know has experienced a hate crime, there is a variety of support options available to both students and staff.
If you think you or someone you know has experienced a hate crime, there is a variety of support options available to both students and staff.
For students
- Speak to someone from your school or faculty. If you are a student you can talk to your personal tutor, or a student success adviser for your faculty.
- BCU Mental Health & Wellbeing Team. This University service offers support and advice on issues affecting your student life, with signposting and referral to more specialist services. There is also a free counselling service for all students. If you're not sure where to go, this is a good place to start. Call or complete a form by following the link and you will be offered an appointment.
- BCU Disability Team. The Disability Team have specialist advisors and can offer support and advice to all students.
- BCU Student Union Advice Centre. This is a free confidential, impartial service where students can get advice and information on academic and personal issues, including advice on procedures and representation at hearings.
- Extenuating Circumstances. If you feel your studies have been affected by what has happened you can consider applying for extenuating circumstances.
For staff
- Contact Human Resources. If you are a member of staff or manager your HR partner will be able to identify the support that’s available for you.
- Employee Assistance Programme. As a staff member at BCU, you can utilise the EAP by following the link for more information.
- Trade Unions. If you are a member of a trade union, you may be able to access further support by getting in touch with them directly.
- Equality, Diversity and Inclusion Team. The team provides advice, support and guidance on equality, diversity and inclusion related issues to academic advisors and other staff in student-supporting roles.
Further sources of support
- Citizens Advice provides 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.
- 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.
- LGBT Foundation has a number of groups covering a wide section of the LGBT community. They provide a safe and comfortable environment for people who may feel isolated, are coming out, or are new to the area.
- Disability Equality NW runs the Developing from the Negatives Project (DFN) which aims to raise awareness of Disability Hate Crime and encourage reporting.
- Tell MAMA supports victims of anti-Muslim hate and is a public service which also measures and monitors anti-Muslim incidents.
- Community Security Trust (CS) helps those who are victims of anti-Semitic hatred, harassment or bias.
- 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.
- BCU’s wellbeing app is an online support service that can be accessed by BCU students and staff for free. There are self-help resources and information on anxiety, stress, managing emotions and building confidence readily available.