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You can reach out to us via walk-in, our Helpline, Help Email, Help Form, and/or through another source (e.g., CES, ORMC, SSMs, Residential Staff). Our Care Managers (CMs) will usually:

• Gather brief information about your situation and to make an initial assessment of your wellbeing;
• If you’d like, schedule an appointment at the earliest convenience, either electronically (via Zoom or phone call) or in person at a safe location on campus.

Our Care Managers (CMs), who are trained care professionals, will be ready to assist you at your first appointment. If this happens on campus, the CM would arrange to have the conversation in a safe and private location. If this happens virtually, the CM would check to see if you are in a safe and quiet space, and if the connection is stable for communication.

Our CMs will usually:

• Take the time to learn more about you, your situation and needs;
• Share more information about our suite of services to you;
• Explain the terms of the Care Manager-Client relationship and the limits to confidentiality so that you can make an informed choice on whether to register as a client of the NUS Care Unit (NCU).

The decision to receive help and support from NCU is yours, including when you choose to do so or when you may want to leave an existing partnership with us.

After registration, it is normal for you to have one or more sessions with a Care Manager (CM) throughout your time at NUS. Your CM may periodically check in on you. You may also contact your CM at any point in time to discuss your needs.

There are several channels available for filing a report of alleged sexual misconduct — lodging a disciplinary complaint to the Campus Emergency & Security (CES) or the Office of Risk Management and Compliance (ORMC) under the University’s Code of Conduct for Students and Staff regarding sexual misconduct ^[1] AND/OR filing a police report.

In most cases, the decision to proceed is yours. However, in some circumstances (e.g., where the alleged misbehaviour is an arrestable offence) ^[2], NUS may be obligated to file a police report. This would be discussed with you in advance, and NUS would ensure that you have support throughout the process.

• For NUS investigations, an NUS Care Unit Care Manager (NCU CM) is empowered to accompany you during interview (i.e., be in the same room). A No-Contact Order (NCO) ^[3] may be issued to both the affected individual and the accused;
• For Police investigations, an NCU CM, can accompany you to the Police station, but will not be able to sit in the interview.

Footnotes:

[1] Sexual Misconduct is a general term used in this Code of Student Conduct and Code of Conduct for NUS Staff to refer to a range of acts of a sexual nature committed against a person by force, intimidation, manipulation, coercion or without that person’s Consent, or at a point when that person is incapable of giving Consent.

[2] Section 424 of the Criminal Procedure Code states that:
“every person aware of the commission of or the intention of any other person to commit any arrestable offence punishable shall … immediately give information to the officer in charge of the nearest police station or to a police officer of the commission or intention.”

[3] NCO is a No-Contact Order issued to one or more parties involved in disciplinary investigations or proceedings for a sexual misconduct offence. Persons subjected to NCO must not be subjected to any acts of retaliation, harassment, threats, intimidation and coercion.

NUS and Police investigations proceed independently of each other. After the completion of investigation, which usually involves one or more interviews with an investigation officer, NUS will submit their findings to the Office of Student Conduct (OSC) and Office of Risk Management and Compliance (ORMC). The Police will be similarly submit their findings to the Attorney-General’s Chambers (AGC). In general, the following will happen:

• For NUS cases, a Board of Discipline (BOD) or Committee of Inquiry (COI) may be convened to determine the sanctions, if any, to be meted out to the accused. Some NUS cases may be adjudicated at the Faculty/Department level. You may be invited to the hearing session and an NCU Care Manager (CM) is empowered to accompany you through this process.
• For Police cases, the AGC and court may require further information from you, before an outcome is determined.

Throughout this process, your CM will provide you with informational, practical and relational support. You will not be alone in this process.

Recovering from a traumatic incident is a gradual and individual process. Trauma symptoms may last from a few days to a few months, and typically fade gradually as time passes. Even if you think you have moved on, it is normal to feel occasionally troubled by painful memories or emotions, especially in response to certain triggers like the anniversary of the event.

The NUS Care Unit (NCU) will continue to provide you with quality care and support throughout your journey in NUS. From time to time, we may check in to review your needs. We may also organise and invite survivors like you to join specially curated activities.

As you approach the end of your journey at NUS, we will contact you once more. We would appreciate if you could complete a 10-minute feedback form to help us improve on our services.

We thank you for being kind and understanding towards our staff.