Training and resources

Know how to respond

Support and advice for students who have experienced gender based violence (GBV) is a specialist matter. Due to the complexity and potential risks to the safety and wellbeing of those affected, there are experienced staff within the university's Equally Safe Team (EST) to advise and support those affected. Staff members may contact the EST to directly refer a student (with their permission) and you can also contact the team in confidence for advice on supporting a student whom you know/suspect is affected by GBV. It is not expected that non-specialist staff provide this sort of support.

However, a student who has experienced recent and/or historical abuse may elect to disclose it to you in the course of their interactions with you.

This may happen as the student feels safe to inform you of this and we want to ensure that all staff have the knowledge, skills and awareness to be able to handle disclosures or reports of GBV safely, and know how to escalate or signpost effectively.

For more information or to access confidential support contact:

equallysafeteam@ed.ac.uk

Our work on gender-based violence | The University of Edinburgh

Take our training courses

Take the time to complete our Responding to Disclosures of Sexual Violence training course,  and other training courses especially if you have regular contact with students.

The training provides high-quality, interactive and comprehensive training on handling disclosures of abuse & cover important issues such as assessing risk & basic safety planning for those affected. The training recognises the impact that such disclosures can have on staff & offer support & guidance as well as good practice guidelines

Responding to Disclosures of Sexual Violence:

Evidence based online training on how to respond appropriately and sensitively to disclosures of gender-based violence from students and staff members within a university setting.

This updated course provides training on gender-based violence (GBV) in the university context which aims to upskill staff members on appropriate & trauma informed responses to disclosures of abuse. The refreshed materials will equip all staff with the practical knowledge base and skills needed to provide an effective & survivor centred first and signpost to potential sources of further support.

This new edition has been updated to reflect a broader focus on GBV and coverage of image based abuse has been expanded, including how to recognise forms of abuse and is a  trauma informed resource designed by GBV for all staff at Higher Educational institutions – with student facing roles and student leaders.

Instructions for accessing the courses

1.    Click on this link to register https://courses.epigeum.com/register.

Complete all the required fields, leave the ‘Institution-specific field’ blank.

IMPORTANT: You must use your University of Edinburgh email address to register.  

2.    In the 'Token' field enter the relevant code for the course you wish to complete.

• Consent Matters: 20dbe410
• Responding to Disclosures of Sexual Violence: ea2372f3

3.    Click the 'Register' button at the bottom of the page.   

4.    You'll receive an account activation email to the address you entered during registration. Click on the link in the email to activate your account.

If you don't receive the email you can resend it here https://courses.epigeum.com/register/revalidate.

5.    Once your account is activated you can log in using your username (your email address) and password.

6.    You'll see the Epigeum programmes in the 'My Courses' screen.

If you don’t see the programmes you may need to enter the 'Token' in the user menu which is at the top of the page on the right.

7.    Click on a programme to see the available courses, then click on a course to launch it.   When your account active you can access it here https://courses.epigeum.com/login.

If you have any problems please see the help page https://courses.epigeum.com/help or contact the Epigeum customer support team here https://www.epigeum.com/epigeum-technical-support/.

Course Content – Understanding and Responding to ... (ed.ac.uk)

Course Content – Rape Crisis Scotland GBV E-Learning (... (ed.ac.uk)

Refer to our Dignity and Respect Policy

The University’s Dignity and Respect Policy outlines the University’s position on promoting a positive culture for staff and students and its commitment to take action within these situations.

Read our guidance

We have also created some brief guidance to assist staff who may need to have such a conversation and refer the student on for more specialist support elsewhere

Guidelines for staff- updated November 2022 | The University of Edinburgh

A similar set of guidelines have also been produced for students.

Gender based violence | The University of Edinburgh