Safeguarding and Student Safety at ACU

Learn more about how the Safeguarding and Student Safety Team support students at ACU.

Who are the Safeguarding and Student Safety team?

The Safeguarding and Student Safety Team work directly with students to support them through disclosures of sexual harassment, sexual assault, family and domestic violence, historical child abuse or any other unwanted or unwelcomed behaviour. The team provide students seeking support with trauma-informed care as well as informing them of both internal and external support services, safety strategies and reporting options.

What we do:

Awareness and prevention
We provide education and awareness on respectful relationships, gender-based violence, sexual harm, bystander action, how to report harm to ACU as well as student safety. We train, manage and support Safety Support Officers. These are specially trained ACU staff members who assist the ACU community with disclosures of sexual misconduct and/or family and domestic violence. You can find one of our local officers on the Safety Support Network Website.

If you are interested in becoming a Safety Support Officer, you can express your interest here.

Response
We provide short term case management support which is trauma informed and student led. We respond to any disclosure of sexual harm, family and domestic violence, historical child abuse or any other inappropriate behaviour regardless of where or when it happened.

We can conduct welfare checks, develop safety plans, arrange alternative accommodation, assist with academic adjustments and link with further internal and external services to ensure the person receiving support is safe as possible and supported appropriately.

Support and compliance
We are able to support staff who are assisting a student through a disclosure. For further guidance, information is available on how to respond to a disclosure on the Respect. Now. Always. website.

The Safeguarding and Student Safety Team also maintain the University’s compliance to overarching national and legal standards such as TEQSA, ACCORD, National Principles for Child Safe Organizations and National Catholic Safeguarding Standards.

Referrals:
We welcome referrals from both students and ACU staff. If you are referring a student to our team, you must have their consent to do so first. If you are unsure whether to make a referral, or if you just want to chat, please reach out to the team. We can be contacted via:

• Emailing us at respectandsafety@acu.edu.au
• Calling us on (03) 9230 8811
• Making a disclosure or report online
• Contact a Safety Support Officer

These topics can be confronting, and it is important to take care of yourself. Allow yourself the space, time and energy to do so. Please reach out if you need support from the team or please contact ACU’s EAP provider - Acacia EAP on 1300 364 273.

SafeZone app
The SafeZone app allows you to call for emergency help, first aid or security assistance with one-touch on any ACU campus. It can also help ACU security to locate you quickly if you need help.

For other support services please contact:

• 24/7 Mental Health Support Line: Call 1300 638 485 or text 0488 884 191
• 1800 RESPECT (24/7) - 1800 737 732
• Full Stop Australia (24/7) - 1800 385 578
• Mens Line (24/7) - 1300 78 99 78