Bath’s Support and Report Service provides a vital avenue for staff and students to get support for and report any kind of unwanted behaviour that they experience or witness. However, we recognise[1] that Black students and staff face additional, significant challenges and barriers when it comes to reporting and seeking support for incidents of racism, racial harassment, and discrimination.
We spoke to Britt Sawyerr, Dignity and Respect Liaison & Resolution Officer, to learn more about the Support and Report Service, and to discuss the specific barriers Black students and staff may encounter if they are considering whether to use it.
Britt, thank you for speaking with us. Firstly, please could you explain what your role involves?
My role is to work with students who have experienced unwanted behaviour, understand what they would like to happen, and work with them to find solutions to improve their situation. This can vary from person to person, but might include connecting them with relevant support services, explaining to them their reporting options (which are always their choice), and working creatively to find solutions that hopefully make their situation better.
When someone completes the Support and Report form, they can choose who they would like to receive their report. I receive the ones that are sent to Student Support and Safeguarding. There is a counterpart role in Human Resources, who receives the reports if they are sent to that department. If a report is sent to the Students’ Union, it is received by the Students’ Union Advice & Support Service.
You mentioned reporting options. Could you explain a bit more about what that means?
Telling the Support and Report Service about an incident doesn’t mean you’ve made a formal report or complaint.
If a student provides their contact details – or those of someone they trust - I can explain to them the different options available when it comes to reporting, what might be involved in each of these, and answer any questions they have.
The student can then decide whether they would like to make a formal report, deal with the issues non-formally, or take no further action.
It’s entirely their choice, and we will never pressure them to follow a particular route.
We understand that Black students and staff face additional barriers to reporting bullying, harassment, and discrimination. Could we discuss some of the most common challenges?
Certainly. One common concern is that students may feel their experience isn’t “serious enough” to report. I would say that no experience is too trivial. If it mattered to you, it matters to us. Daily, negatively racialised microaggressions which are pervasive in society are, unfortunately, present at Bath as well. We know how damaging these can be to the university experiences and lives of Black students. If you feel hurt or exhausted by the way others react – or fail to react – to your experiences, those feelings are valid. So, nothing is too small to report.
Another significant barrier is the fear that Black students won’t be believed or taken seriously, especially by white staff.
This is a tough barrier to break down because it’s often rooted in past experiences – either their own or someone they know. I understand that it’s not enough to simply say “trust me”. Instead, I suggest, “try me”. We take every report seriously. I start by outlining the actions we could explore with the student’s permission. This gives students a sense of how seriously I will take their report before they even meet with me.
We understand it’s too big a step to ask for students’ trust. Instead, I’d like to emphasise that I will work with each student on an individual basis to try to build that trust.
Fear of victimisation or negative repercussions is another reason some Black students tell us they may hesitate to report.
Yes, for many students this isn’t just a fear – it’s a reality they may have already experienced. Unfortunately, reporting in the past may have made things worse, or the response to raising concerns might have been more damaging than the original incident.
But this must not be the case at Bath. If we are asking our Black students to report incidents, it’s essential that the outcome is positive and doesn’t result in any detriment to them. When I work with a student, my main goal is always to ensure they feel glad they chose to report – that is what we are trying to achieve.
This means taking the time to explore all possible solutions, understanding their concerns, and ensuring that no action is taken without their permission. Students remain in control of what happens next. If they choose to take action, they are protected. Reports are entirely confidential, and informal solutions can often be implemented anonymously.
If a student is worried about providing their contact details to the Support and Report Service, there is an option to provide the contact details of someone they trust instead. This could be a friend, their academic adviser, a Student Support Advisor. The Support and Report Service will then contact that person on their behalf, so they can still receive advice and support but remain unknown to the Service.
There is also an option to submit a report without any contact details. In these cases, I cannot contact the individual and I am not able to act on the information provided. However, these reports are used to monitor the experiences of our student body.
Finally, what do you think are some of the solutions to continuing to break down these barriers to reporting?
The most important thing is acting on what we are saying, which I hope to be able to show more students we are doing. I respond positively and comprehensively to all reports and do everything possible to improve the individual’s situation, driven by what they want. Positive experiences with the Support and Report Service, and each person being glad they contacted us, is the main way we will continue to build trust. Students need to see us acting on their experiences.
Another way we can continue to build trust is improving our community’s understanding of the Support and Report Service and its positive impact. We are currently working towards being able to securely publish reporting and impact data in relation to our Service. We also gather feedback and satisfaction scores from every student we work with so that we can continually improve.
Also acknowledging these challenges and being prepared to hear there is more we can do. We need to listen and understand what else we can continue to do to address these concerns. If you have feedback about what more we can do, or what we can do differently, please get in touch via neverok@bath.ac.uk.
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If you would like to report or discuss an experience of racism, racial harassment or discrimination, or any other unwanted behaviour, you can find out details of how to access the Support and Report Service here.
[1] Living Black At University, Unite Students, (2022)
Tackling racial harassment in higher education: progress since 2020, Universities UK, (2023)
Tackling racial harassment: Universities challenged, Equality and Human Rights Commission, (2019)
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