#5 Preparing for the Gender-Based Violence (GBV) Code: Safety and Support

This article is the fifth instalment in a 12-part series supporting institutions to prepare for the proposed National Code to Prevent and Respond to Gender-Based Violence in Higher Education.

Policies, prevention programs and campaigns are important, but when someone experiences gender-based violence, what they need most is safety, clarity, and care. The Safety and Support standard of the Code reinforces a fundamental truth: if our response systems are slow, confusing, or retraumatising, we risk causing further harm and undermining all the work we’ve done to build trust and change culture.

What the standard says

Institutions must provide safe, timely, and trauma-informed responses to anyone impacted by GBV, including:

• Accessible and confidential reporting and support options,

• Clear and consistent processes for disclosure and referral,

• Specialist support services,

• Immediate safety and risk management planning,

• And information that is transparent, multilingual, inclusive, and survivor-centred.

For leaders and decision-makers

Here’s where you should focus:

• Understand your institution’s current support model: Who responds to disclosures? Are support services adequately staffed? Is there access to trained professionals with GBV expertise? Do people know where to go?

• Invest in trained responders: Too often, GBV response falls to one or two overstretched staff. Institutions should fund specialist positions, provide clinical supervision, build out referral networks, and ensure 24/7 or after-hours options. If internal expertise doesn’t exist, fund external partnerships, especially with culturally specific or LGBTIQA+ services.

  
  

• Streamline access: Don’t make survivors navigate a maze. There should be a central hub (digital or physical) with all relevant info, a single, safe place to make a disclosure or report, and options for anonymous contact or informal consultation.

  
  

• Monitor quality of care: Support is as much about availability as it is experience. Are people treated with dignity? Are wait times reasonable? Do staff listen and validate? You need feedback mechanisms that capture the voice of those who use the services, and a commitment to act on it.

For practitioners leading the work

You’re often the first line, or the ones picking up the pieces when systems fail. This standard gives you leverage to improve and embed quality care.

• Map the support journey: Walk through the process from the survivor’s perspective. How do they find out where to go? What happens when they make a disclosure? How is their safety managed? Identify breakdowns, delays, or barriers, and recommend improvements. Small changes (like simplified intake forms or dedicated contact emails) can have a big impact.

  
  

• Build a Triage and Referral System: Consider immediate safety concerns, counselling and mental health needs, academic adjustments, and legal or reporting pathways. Create a referral flow that ensures no one falls through the cracks, especially during peak times or staff absences.

  
  

• Centre equity and intersectionality: Those affected by gender-based violence are not a homogenous group. Tailor your support to international students navigating visa concerns, students with disability who may need adjustments, First Nations and culturally diverse students who may prefer community-based supports, LGBTIQA+ students with specific needs around privacy, identity, and trauma. Work with specialist partners where appropriate and don’t assume one model fits all.

  
  

• Keep staff supported too: Staff managing disclosures and trauma need training in vicarious trauma, regular debriefs or supervision, and clear escalation pathways. You can’t pour from an empty cup and neither can your team.

When someone experiences GBV, their first point of contact can shape their healing or compound the harm. This standard reminds us that compassion, consistency and clarity are non-negotiables and that support services are essential infrastructure.

Interested to learn more? Read the rest of our series: Raising the Standard: A Practical Blog Series on Preventing GBV in Higher Education