About the support service

Who we are  

The Sexual Harassment and Violence Support Service is an award-winning provision for survivors regardless of age, gender or sexual orientation who have been affected by any form of sexual harassment or violence. We also support students impacted by domestic abuse, relationship abuse, coercive control and stalking.

The Service is a survivor-only provision and has its own dedicated space in Oxford city centre. We provide free support and advice to current Oxford students, along with a safe place to be heard, independent of your college or department. We also provide remote appointments via Microsoft Teams, depending on your preference.

The Service offers both specialist advisors and the services of an Independent Sexual Violence Advisor (ISVA), seconded from the local Rape Crisis centre.

We support students in all situations, whether their experience(s) of sexual harassment or violence happened in Oxford or elsewhere, and whether it was recent or in the past.  We will support you at your pace, helping you to explore your options, and we’ll be here to support you whatever you choose to do. 

What we do

The team are specially trained in responding to incidents of sexual harassment and violence. We offer a response that is non-judgemental, pro-active, and non-directive that puts you in control of what happens next.

We recognise that everyone's situations are different and the support and advice we offer will be tailored to your own individual circumstances and need. There is no pressure to take action or to report and you are free to change your mind at a later time.

What to expect from the service - We will:

• Listen to your story (as much or as little as you would like to share or feel able to)
• Help you explore the options that are available to you and support you to make an informed decision about what you may wish to do next
• Find practical solutions to help you study (including support on extensions or mitigating circumstances)
• Facilitate support so that you are kept safe and feel safe whilst in Oxford
• Help you put together a plan of what you want to do next, and make sure that it supports your needs
• Help you through college and university complaints processes.

Confidentiality

As a student welfare service we work confidentially, meaning we won't share anything that you tell us with your college, department, tutors, family, or police without your explicit permission. There may be times, such as when you or someone else are at significant risk of harm, where we need to think about sharing some information, and if this comes up we will discuss this with you first, where safe to do so. The full guidance on confidentiality can be found on this page.

How do I get in touch?

To make an appointment, please complete our online form and we will find you a suitable advisor. You do not need to provide any detail in your submission regarding what has happened. If you have any queries or issues with the form, please contact supportservice@admin.ox.ac.uk.