Safeguarding

Project CURSV acknowledges the difficulty of speaking about sexual violence disclosure, both from the perspective of student victims/survivors and university staff whose remit it is to respond. It also acknowledges that recovery looks different for everyone and that people will be at different stages of recovery at the time of their interviews. In order to account for these differences, Project CURSV has built several safeguarding measures into its methodology to make sure each participant is supported appropriately.

Interview Guide Screening

The researcher (Erin) has met with a contact at a local survivor support network who reviewed her interview questions with her to ensure they are well-ordered, worded sensitively, and limit the potential for retraumatisation.

Safety Planning

Before your interview starts, Erin will create a safety plan with you. This plan will go over things such as:

• how you would like Erin to respond if you begin crying
• how you will let Erin know if you do not want to respond to a question
• what you plan to do if you realise the following day that you wish you had not participated

This ensures Erin has the necessary information to make your interview as comfortable as possible and allows her to tailor her response to you as an individual–not just as a project participant.

Check Points

Erin will reiterate at the start of the interview that you do not have to participate and that you can end the interview at any point. To reinforce this, she will check in with you every so often during the interview to make sure you wish to continue your participation. She will also reiterate throughout that you can skip any question you do not want to answer. You as the participant will be in charge of the interview.

End of Interview Referral Information

Project CURSV respects that participating in sexual violence disclosure and response research may bring up difficult memories and feelings. It also understands that staff and victims/survivors are not mutually exclusive categories in the sense that staff may also have experienced sexual violence. Therefore, at the end of the interview, Erin will give you referral information for your local rape crisis centre/survivor support network, relevant hotlines, and university provisions (e.g. counselling centres, support groups, etc.) should you want to speak to a professional.