What can be reported via the Incident Report Form?

What Can Be Reported	What Can’t be Investigated
Disagreements between Executive members, including the Grievance Officer, in issues related to the running of the Club.	Issues involving a non-Arc member
Abuse of Executive powers	Personal grievances against another Club member
Financial mismanagement of the Club	An incident that occurred outside of a Club event
Bullying	Personal messages of a Club member that was not in relation to the Club
Personal injury that happened during a club event	Academic misconduct
Any event where emergency responders were contacted	Defamation
Concerns with Club activities
Discrimination
Violation of RSA guidelines at a Club event
Physical and sexual assault
Criminal behaviour

What can Arc do?

Arc Can:	Arc Cannot:
Liaise with UNSW Conduct and Integrity Office, UNSW Security and Arc Legal	Make arrests or charge anyone with a criminal offence*
Initiate and lead mediation	Suspend or expel a student from UNSW
Provide constitutional interpretation	Access individuals' private accounts
Provide advice on policy and grievance procedure	Force a club member to cooperate during an Arc investigation or participate in resolution practice
Provide you with information on relevant mental health, legal and academic support services	Force a particular outcome, such as an apology from any party.
	Block or ban a member from a public server

* In an emergency, call 000 for help.

A criminal offence should be reported to the police. Contact the Randwick police station on 9697 1099 to make a report.

Arc has created an interactive flowchart for you to use to self-assess your issue. By answering the questions within the form below, this will allow us to better respond to your specific incident. 

External Mental Health Support 

SANE Mental Illness Helpline: Ph: 1800 187 263

WayAhead Anxiety Disorders Information Line: Ph: 1300 794 992

MindSpot Phone Clinic (Anxiety & Depression): Ph: 1800 614 434

Butterfly Foundation Support Line (Eating Disorders): Ph: 1800 334 673

Mensline: Ph: 1300 789 978

Beyondblue: Ph: 1300 224 636

Headspace: Ph: 1800 650 890

What will my first meeting with Arc involve?  

The purpose of this meeting if for Arc to gain more information on the issue, evaluate Arc's scope of power and discuss options and next steps with you. Should you choose to, the meeting can take place in a private meeting room or a location of your choosing. On average, these meetings can go for around 45 minutes. 

What if my complaints handler is away? 

You will be notified if your complaints handler is expected to be unavailable. If they are away, a secondary complaints handler will take over to continue the investigation as needed, and with your consent. Detailed files are kept throughout the complaints process to ensure appropriate and efficient handovers between team members.

If I file a report naming a perpetrator, will they see my incident report submission? 

Arc will always value and respect the confidentiality of those who choose to let us know about an incident, and the perpetrators of your incident will never be given direct access to your submission. 

The only party privy to your submission will be the Incident Management Team, yourself, and any other people you choose to provide consent to see your submission.

During the course of an investigation, it may become necessary to share information you have provided with the perpetrator/s or other relevant parties, however, the details provided will only be shared with your positive consent. 

You may choose to decline consent to the release of this information at any time.

Can I withdraw a complaint? 

You are free to withdraw a complaint at any time. However, even if a complaint is withdrawn, Arc may be required to fulfil mandatory reporting duties in the case of criminal behaviour or serious concerns of safety.  

If an incident report informs Arc of serious issues within clubs or gaps in policy, Arc may act despite a withdrawn complaint. However, you will be removed from the process upon request and Arc will continue with an independent investigation.  

All complaints regardless of their status are kept on our system to enable us to better respond to any future complaints, and to assist with the future training of clubs and their executives. 

If you wish to have your complaint removed, we can de-identify you from our system, but the details of the complaint will remain in our system. 

All complaints submitted remain 100% confidential and will only be accessed by the Incident Managment Team. 

Can I make an anonymous complaint? 

Yes, you may ask for your complaint to be handled and treated anonymously, however, we will still ask for a name and other contact information. If you are concerned about using your own name or contact information, please use a false name and contact details so that you can submit your report. 

Those making an anonymous complaint should be aware that this can curtail Arc's ability to investigate the incident fully.

How do I get an update on my complaint? 

Arc will communicate with all parties throughout the stages of the complaints process to provide relevant updates. If there are any unexpected delays, such as waiting for a response from another party, you will be informed of this. 

Your complaints handler will also ask you at the beginning of the process how often you would like to receive updates on the progress of your complaints.

Will my complaint be resolved? 

Arc aims to resolve all incidents. However, there may be situations where Arc is unable to resolve a complaint. This may be due to the following: 

1. There is not enough information to progress an investigation

2. An incident may fall outside of Arc's scope (e.g an incident does not involve a club member) or should be reported elsewhere (e.g a criminal offence should be reported to the police)

3. A complainant's behaviour in unreasonable, or it is no longer safe or appropriate for Arc staff to be working with them. 

4. Another party involved in the complaint is non-compliant or non-responsive

5. A complaint was made anonymously

What if I'm unhappy with the outcome? 

In Arc's initial meeting with you, appropriate outcomes and options for resolution will be discussed. This discussion results in you and your complaints handler beginning the process by being on the same page.

If you have concerns at any stage, you can email your complaints handler to discuss variations to the expected outcome. There may be circumstances where variations to the outcome won’t be applicable, as Arc may be limited in the actions it can take. Any such limitations will be discussed with you at the beginning of the complaints process.

How is the outcome of a complaint decided?

The outcome of a complaint will be decided by Arc based on the available evidence, procedural fairness principles, the participation of other parties and Arc's scope of power. 

If Arc cannot investigate, what else can I do? 

Some incidents may be better reported to a different service that can provide you with the appropriate support. In this case, Arc will inform you of the relevant services and how to report to them. Arc may direct you to other UNSW services, mental health services, sexual health services or legal services as needed. 

If you receive evidence that you believe may change Arc's ability to investigate the incident, you can provide Arc with this evidence any time after your initial incident submission. You can email this to the Incident Management Team at club.incident@arc.unsw.edu.au