DALO - Keele University

Domestic Abuse Liaison Officer Service

Our team of externally trained Domestic Abuse Liaison Officers can provide support and advice to any student experiencing domestic abuse (or relationship abuse). The team is survivor-led and can help students to understand the reporting options available, facilitate referrals to counselling and local authority services, and coordinate appropriate support across all aspects of the University. Above all, the team acts as a liaison service to ensure that students feel believed, supported and safe while they are studying.

Click here if you need to hide this page quickly

Our Domestic Abuse Liaison Officer service can help you with both the emotional and practical aspects of domestic abuse support. We handle disclosures of abuse with confidentiality and discretion, and we only share information without your consent in serious circumstances where we are required to take safeguarding measures to protect a child, adult at risk, or the wider campus community. We offer a survivor-led service, which means that we will listen and help you decide what you need going forwards. We won’t make you report the abuse to the police if that’s not what you want. We will listen and talk you through the different support options available.

Our team will support you if you have experienced any type of domestic abuse (or relationship abuse), regardless of whether the abuse happened on or off campus, or whether you experienced abuse before or during your studies at Keele.

With your consent, a DALO can:

Complete a DASH (Domestic Abuse, Stalking and Honour-Based Violence) risk assessment
Implement University-based support, such as changing classes, moving accommodation and financial support
Advise you on reporting options if this is something you want to explore
Facilitate referrals into specialist external organisations, such as Glow, New Era or Galop

Please note that our service is available during standard University opening hours and does not operate as a crisis provision.

If you are in immediate danger, please call 999 or, if you're on campus, call the Campus Safety Team on 01782 733999.

If you call 999 and can't talk, if you are calling from a mobile phone, press 55 and your call will be put through to the police. If you're calling from a landline and don't speak and the operator can hear only background noise, they'll put you through to the police.

You can find out more about how our DALO team can support you below:

A trained member of staff from the Domestic Abuse Liaison Officer (DALO) team will be able to provide appropriate advice and support throughout the process and be a listening ear for your concerns.

Although our DALOs are not counsellors, they will be able to refer you for counselling if this is something you would like to explore.

Your Domestic Abuse Liaison Officer (DALO) will ensure that appropriate referrals for specialist support can be put into place for you, with your consent. This may include referrals to the following services:

Local Multi-Agency Risk Assessment Conference (MARAC)
Police
Independent Domestic Violence Adviser (IDVA)
University counselling and mental health services
Appropriate medical services
Specialist external counselling services (such as Glow, New Era or Galop)

We work with a wide range of external organisations and ensure to tailor any referrals to your individual circumstances.

Where possible, appropriate adjustments will be made to enable you to continue with your course. These may include:

Liaisons with the academic school regarding timetabling and attendance
Support with exceptional circumstances claims
In some cases, alternative modes of assessment, e.g. written work to replace group work or presentations will be considered
In-person exams in an individual or smaller room
Assessment adjustments (such as extra time or rest breaks)

If you feel that taking some time out from your course will be beneficial, your Domestic Abuse Liaison Officer (DALO) will be able to help you to request a leave of absence from your course.

They can provide you with appropriate supporting evidence for this and will advise your of any practical and financial implications of this. If you need to request an additional year of Student Finance funding in relation to your circumstances, your DALO may also be able to help you with this.

You will be offered support through the period of leave, as and when you need this, and with your transition back into study.

Your Domestic Abuse Liaison Officer (DALO) can help you with:

Short-term emergency campus accommodation if you don't feel safe in your current accommodation
Moving to another room on campus if you live in campus accommodation already
Support for off-campus students to move onto campus accommodation on a longer-term basis

Your Domestic Abuse Liaison Officer (DALO) will be able to help you to understand the financial support available to you to support you with:

Urgent access to food and basic items if you have needed to leave your accommodation suddenly
Additional costs incurred due to moving accommodation
Replacement equipment if your devices have been stolen by your abuser, compromised by trackers, or are needed for police investigation
Transport costs if there are safety concerns about your use of public transport
Income lost if you are no longer being able to work your part-time job

We may also be able to prioritise your application to the Hardship Fund, if you choose to apply.

Depending on your case circumstances, your Domestic Abuse Liaison Officer (DALO) may be able to:

Inform our out-of-hours support teams about your case so they can treat any calls from you as a priority
Organise transport to take you to an emergency medical appointment or the police
Arrange for the Campus Safety team to conduct additional patrols at your campus accommodation for a short-term period
Approve a campus parking permit for you, if you're not ordinarily eligible
Enforcement restrictions against the perpetrator, if the incident has been formally reported to the University

Contact our Domestic Abuse Liaison Officer (DALO) team via Student Services for advice and support