What is Report + Support?
Report + Support is an online tool developed by Culture Shift, which enables Royal College of Music students, staff and visitors to report incidents and issues relating to harassment, discrimination, sexual violence, hate incidents, bullying, microaggressions or any other concerning behaviour. Reports can be made anonymously or with contact details, to allow us to get in touch to offer support. Report + Support is also home to information about internal and external support, policies and procedures.
Who can make a report?
Royal College of Music students, staff and visitors can make a report through Report + Support. Visitors may also report a complaint directly to the Academic Registrar (elly.taylor@rcm.ac.uk).
What happens when someone makes an anonymous report?
The report will be viewed by the following staff:
Academic Registrar – Elly Taylor
Student Services Manager – Nic Smith
Head of Human Resources (where relevant) - Jennifer Allison
The report will first be reviewed to identify any risks that relate to duty of care. If no immediate risk is identified, no further direct action will be taken. If any identifiable information is provided, this will be removed.
The information will be kept for the purpose of trend analysis and to inform proactive prevention work.
What happens when someone wants to report with their contact details?
The report will be viewed by the following staff:
Academic Registrar – Elly Taylor
Student Services Manager – Nic Smith
Head of Human Resources (where relevant) - Jennifer Allison
The Academic Registrar (or the Head of Human Resources if the report is relating to staff) will contact the reporting person and offer them the opportunity to discuss their report and their options. The Student Services Manager may also reach out to a reporting student to offer emotional support and guidance.
I'm worried I won't be taken seriously
Incidents of harassment, discrimination, sexual violence, hate incidents, bullying, microaggressions or any other concerning behaviour are never okay. We promote a culture of inclusivity, diversity, equality and safety, with the expectation that all students and staff will be treated with respect and dignity. Any reports of conduct that does not align with our ethos and values will be taken extremely seriously. Allegations on the part of students or staff will be dealt with promptly under either the RCM Student Code & Procedures and/or the Staff Grievance and/or Disciplinary procedures as appropriate.
Why should I report? This kind of thing happens all the time. I'm not bothered by it and it's not worth saying anything.
Reporting leads to awareness, action and, crucially, change. If incidents are not reported, negative behaviours persist and may become normalised. While you might not be offended, someone else might. If you think the behaviour is wrong, we strongly encourage you to report it in the knowledge that you will be taken seriously and will be supported. This is an important step in tackling prejudice in our community.
How can I be sure that my concern will be kept confidential?
Data held on Report + Support is GDPR compliant and further information about how data is collected and stored is outlined in our Privacy Statements.
You have the option to report an incident anonymously. The Royal College of Music will always do its best to maintain confidentiality. In some situations (for example, if you have told us who you are, or given the name of the reported person and there are serious concerns about safety) this might not be possible. In which case we will let you know. We will provide a range of options and support for taking forward your concerns.
I'm worried that my studies and/or opportunities at the Royal College of Music may be adversely affected if I report an incident
We expect all students and staff to be treated with respect and dignity and promote a culture of inclusivity, diversity, equality and safety. Conduct that does not align with our ethos and values will not be tolerated. Anything you report will be treated separately to your studies and taken seriously. We have processes in place to ensure that students do not experience unfair disadvantage following a report about a member of staff or another student.
What action can you take from anonymous reports?
Choosing to report anonymously means we might not be able to help you directly but can help others. The information you give us will help us to provide better support to others and inform prevention work. However, reporting anonymously is unlikely to lead to formal action being taken. If we identify risks relating to duty of care or other serious concerns, we may take action but would remove any identifying information as far as possible. We will contact you if this is the case.
Information provided within anonymous reports will be used as statistical data to understand what is happening and to inform proactive prevention work. The Royal College of Music will work on any areas identified to address any concerning trends.
What is the difference between reporting anonymously and reporting with contact details?
If someone reports anonymously, we do not know who they are and therefore cannot reach out to provide support. If someone wants to receive support and/or consider informal or formal options to address a concern, they can report with their contact details which will enable us to get in touch with them.
How will the Royal College of Music manage malicious complaints?
If a report is found to be malicious or vexatious, such reports will be addressed under existing student and staff procedures.
What do you do with the data gathered from reports submitted with contact details?
The data collected from Report + Support is used to produce anonymised annual reports. These reports would include the number of cases, most reported types of incidents, number of reports from certain departments/faculties and the location of incidents.
How secure is the data and information sent through the system?
Data held on Report + Support is GDPR compliant and further information about how data is collected and stored is outlined in our Privacy Statements. The system has been security tested by both the developer, Culture Shift, and by the Royal College of Music.
How long is data sorted on the system?
We will only retain personal data for as long as necessary to fulfil purposes we collected it for. In general, we will keep records of reports one year from case closure on the Report + Support system as outlined in our Privacy Statement. However, if the report leads to a complaint or disciplinary case against a member of staff or student, data will be retained in accordance with the relevant data retention policy.
Who are the administrators on the system?
Academic Registrar – Elly Taylor
Student Services Manager – Nic Smith
Head of Human Resources (where relevant) - Jennifer Allison