Sexual Violence Liaison Officers
Our Sexual Violence Liaison Officers (SVLOs) are highly qualified specialist staff who provide support to students who have experienced sexual violence at any time in their lives.
Our SVLOs can work with you one-to-one to talk you through your options in relation to the support you may like to receive, either from within the University or from external partner organisations, as well as explaining your reporting options.
They will support you through whatever choices are right for you right now and can provide ongoing support if needed.
Support is confidential and you will not be pressured into taking any particular course of action.
You can access support from an SVLO whether something has happened recently or some time ago.
How can I access this support?
To get in touch with the team, complete our contact form (link below), and we will do our best to contact you within two working days.
If you feel unable to complete the form please contact us by email svlo@york.ac.uk.
What happens when I submit the contact form?
Your form will be sent directly to the SVLO team, and they will get in touch with you within two working days wherever possible.
If you need more immediate help, and are on campus, you can call Campus Safety on 01904 32 3333.
If you are in immediate danger elsewhere, please call the police on 999.
An SVLO will contact you for an initial conversation, and may ask you some questions to establish how they can best support you, but will not ask you to describe what has happened in detail, and there is no obligation to engage in continued support.
Our Report and Support web page around sexual violence (link below) provides lots of information about other places you may be able to seek additional support, should you find this helpful.
Student feedback about SVLO support
We understand that you might feel anxious about taking the step of contacting us. Please be reassured that you won't be the first to do so, and that other students have found the support from the team really helpful.
"It is an amazing service and I'm so glad I found it..."
"I think the SVLO has been amazing over the year, she understands my situation and how I’m feeling a lot more than most and gives relevant advice to help with any issues I have. I've definitely become more confident and been able to cope a lot better after talking with her for a year."
"If I didn't have the SVLO to talk to or this place to go to I would have struggled with this for much much longer and it would have affected my studies even more. I wouldn't have had the bravery to talk to someone outside of the uni to get help about it. I like that it's within the University still, I really think this is the most vital service that the University could provide."
"I felt very comfortable talking to my SVLO and she has helped me in many areas such as [applying for] exceptional circumstances."
"I found that my SLVO really played a huge role in the improvement of my mental health and has been super helpful with teaching me how to cope and really listened to me. There’s nothing I would improve personally."
"The SVLO has been the most useful support I have received."