If you have been spiked in any way at any point in your life, what happened was not your fault and there is support available.
If you know someone who has been spiked, you can support them by sharing the information below and supporting their decisions about what to do next.
There is support available through the University of Law and in the community. You may also be able to formally report what happened to the University and/or to the police. More information on these support and reporting options can be found below.
Safety
Immediate support: if you are in danger or require the police or an ambulance, call 999.
Find a safe space. If an incident has just happened, try and find somewhere and/or someone where you feel safe. Stay in a safe place or seek medical attention until the effects wear off.
Support
Support at the University of Law: ULaw has a team of trained Advisors who can help you understand and access your options for support and reporting spiking and any other unacceptable behaviours. Your Advisor can help you access all of the options below. You can access support from an Advisor by sharing some information here.
Who offers specialist domestic abuse support at the University of Law?
Support is provided by Advisors in Student Support and Wellbeing who have received training to develop knowledge and specialist skills to identify risk and support the needs of students and staff who have been subjected to domestic abuse. These Advisors are not investigators but can support students alongside university disciplinary procedures.
The Advisor service is confidential, meaning: you do not have to provide full disclosure of the incident to receive support and Advisors’ notes are confidential and shared only on a need-to-know basis.
In rare circumstances, confidentiality may need to be broken if: there is a risk of harm to you or others; there is a safeguarding concern (e.g. involving a minor or vulnerable adult); or when the police or courts order notes to be provided in criminal investigations.
You can access University's Privacy Policy for further information and guidance.
If you have been spiked and subjected to sexual violence, you can find safety, support, and reporting information here. A Sexual Assault Referral Centre can discuss options relating to drug testing.
More information about spiking, support, and reporting is provided by the organisation Stamp Out Spiking.
Reporting
If you would like to report to the police, there is more information and an online reporting pathway here.
If you would like to report to the University of Law, this is something more than making a disclosure which you can do to a member of staff in order to access support. Reporting means sharing your information for the purpose of a disciplinary decision being made and punitive action being taken. The Dignity and Work and Study Policy outlines the university’s approach to all unacceptable behaviours. There are formal and informal reporting routes which can be taken, and more information and support through these procedures can be provided by a university Advisor.
For more information about the University of Law’s approach to unacceptable behaviours, please see here.