Social safety coordinators

1. Submit a contact request 
   You can do this by sending an e-mail to sociale-veiligheid@vu.nl. In most cases, we will get back to you immediately and make an appointment shortly.  
2. Appointment
   You will have the opportunity to share what is going on. We will then discuss with you what might be the appropriate response and how we can best support you with this.

1. Risk assessment and action plan
   The coordinators will start a risk assessment to determine how great the risk is of the situation in question. In case of an imminent safety risk, a direct response is possible. After the risk assessment, an action plan is created. Sometimes the case is transferred to another responder, such as a confidential counsellor, mediator or one of the external parties we collaborate with.  
2. You are in charge at every step
   Which steps are ultimately taken depends on the person who submitted the original report. The social safety coordinators can advise and, where necessary, supervise the process of restoring safety for everyone involved.
3. External parties 
   Our social safety coordinators do not handle reports regarding concerning or inappropriate conduct alone. In order to resolve situations carefully and responsibly, we may call on the expertise of the social safety expert team, who have specialist knowledge in this area. If this is necessary, your case will be discussed completely anonymously, and your report will not be traceable.

Sometimes it may be necessary to bring in external partners in order to resolve a situation properly, or transfer it to a relevant authority. This may be a local police officer, the Centre for Sexual Violence, or the Blijfgroep (which supports victims of domestic violence).

Sometimes it is necessary to bring in external partners in order to resolve a situation properly, or transfer it to a relevant authority. This may be a local police, Sexual Assault Centre, or Blijf Groep (which supports victims of domestic violence). 

Concerning behaviour can be broadly classified into three categories: 

• Personal
  Psychological symptoms, addiction, obsession, anxiety, trauma, neglect, delusion, depressive, loneliness, missing person
• Transgressive behaviour
  (Sexual) transgressive behaviour, abuse of power, honour-based violence, domestic violence, extortion, humiliation, bullying, threats, physical aggression, stalking, harassment
• Social problems
  Radicalisation, extreme ideology, polarisation, completism, systemic hatred

Your situation may well be better suited to another VU staff member (e.g. confidential advisor, company doctor or Student Advisor). The Director of Social Safety is happy to think along with you and, where necessary, will refer you or ensure the appropriate transfer. So please contact us if you are unsure about your situation.

If you would like to remain anonymous when making a report, this is possible to a certain extent. We recommend to talk to a confidential counsellor first. This is almost confidential and anonymous, and is thus possible without sharing your contact information. Alternatively, you can make an appointment with the coordinator to explore possible ways to deal with your (anonymous) report.

Are you worried about a (fellow) student), teacher or colleague who is expressing suicidal thoughts or mental health problems? VU Amsterdam has a guide that can help in this situation. This guide can be used by employees, PhD's and students. Feel free to spread it among people you know and may need it. 

At VU Amsterdam, as well as outside of VU, there are parties/organisations that can help you with a specific situation/help request. The social safety coordinator is connected to many of these parties and can help you contacting the right one or give you more information. 

Are you still not sure who best to reach out to with your question? Then a designated help matrix may be useful for you. View the help matrix for PhD's, employees or students. The social safety coordinator can explore your options with you as well.

The Social safety coordinators want to hear both sides of the argument after a report has been made. This means that the person making the report is allowed to tell his/her side of the story. The Social safety coordinators remain neutral and do not pass judgment on the situation. Their aim is for everyone involved in the situation to feel safe at VU Amsterdam.

If you are invited to an interview, you may always bring someone with you if you feel comfortable doing so. In the interview, you will be given the opportunity to tell your side of the story in an open and transparent way. This information is also fed back to the reporter.

The aim is to make a plan of action after the conversation, so that VU Amsterdam remains a safe place for everyone involved. Sometimes this requires agreements, to which both parties must adhere.

In some cases, the result may be the imposition of a measure, depending on the situation. This usually does not happen after the first interview. A measure is never imposed by the Social safety coordinators; this is the responsibility of the faculty, who receive advice from the coordinators.