Ending sexual violence, supporting survivors and promoting consent
RCSI is implementing a multifaceted approach to end sexual violence, support survivors and promote consent (ESP).
ESP Forum
Building on work that began in 2016, a dedicated ESP Forum for students and staff was launched in January 2021. The ESP Forum meets three times a year and oversees the implementation and monitoring of RCSI’s dedicated ESP Action Plan. The ESP Action Plan aims to ensure RCSI effectively supports all students and staff, delivers awareness-raising campaigns and educational trainings as well as fulfils internal and external reporting requirements. The Dublin Rape Crisis Centre (DRCC) and Transgender Equality Network Ireland (TENI) continue to support RCSI as an external partner on this forum.
RCSI is a member of the HEA’s Ending Sexual Violence and Harassment Practitioners Network aimed at ending sexual violence and harassment in higher education in Ireland.
If you are interested in learning more about the forum work or getting involved, please contact equality@rcsi.com.
Consent Framework and ESP Action Plan
The RCSI Ending Sexual Violence and Promoting Consent Action Plan was launched in April 2018. This action plan was subsequently updated and mapped to the Higher Education Authority’s Framework for Consent for HEIs in Ireland which was published in 2019.
The current ESP Action Plan was published in January 2023 and is available below.
RCSI ESP Forum: Three-year action plan summary PDF | 514.1 KBSupport and report
RCSI has established support and report pathways for students and staff. Full details are set out in the policy documents and guidelines below.
Speak Out
In 2021, RCSI joined 18 higher education institutions in launching Speak Out, an online report and support tool for the higher education sector across Ireland. Speak Out provides a platform for students, staff and visitors to safely and anonymously report incidences of misconduct including bullying, cyberbullying, harassment, discrimination, hate crime, coercive behaviour or control, stalking, assault, sexual harassment, sexual assault and rape. A Speak Out report can be made by the person directly affected or on behalf of someone else. RCSI’s Speak Out tool is available at rcsi.speakout.ie and the resource directs users to support services available through RCSI and on a national basis.
The RCSI Year 1 Report October 2021-October 2022 summarises the key findings from the data collected by the tool and is available here.
Policies and guidelines
RCSI has developed dedicated policies and guidelines in this area including:
Training
Prior to the establishment of the ESP Forum and the annual delivery of Active*Consent training to all new students, RCSI held the official launch of the Safe Sexual Health programme at RCSI (#RCSIGetsSECSE) in September 2019 which coincided with introducing all incoming first year students to online consent training, Consent Matters, and the publication of the RCSI Student Sexual Misconduct Policy.
The following trainings are offered on an ongoing basis:
- Consent training for RCSI students: All new students attend Active*Consent training as part of their orientation programme. An online version of this training is also available on Moodle for all students.
- Bystander Intervention training: This training aims to support students and staff to stand up to inappropriate attitudes and behaviours including sexual misconduct, as well as racism, bullying and harassment. The RCSI Bystander Intervention programme for students and staff is now available on Moodle.
- Disclosure training for RCSI staff: RCSI Student Welfare Officers have completed intensive support training with the Dublin Rape Crisis Centre (DRCC). RCSI's HR partners have also completed a day programme with the DRCC. In September 2019, all student-facing staff completed online 'receiving a disclosure' training. This training is part of the staff induction programme and will be re-issued on a three-year re-training cycle for all staff.
Awareness raising
Since 2022, the ESP Forum delivers dedicated Sexual Health & Wellbeing campaigns for students and staff every autumn. These weeks recognise World Sexual Health Day (4 September) and include both online and in-person activities sharing educational resources and facilitating interactive student and staff-led events on priority themes.