Our Policies

About Us

The Centre for Safer Sex & Sexual Violence Support (CSSSVS) serves as a peer run, community based, safer space for knowledge sharing, educational opportunities, and empowerment with the intention to prevent & respond to sexual and gender based violence on our campus and in our communities. We also run the Sexual Assault Survivor Support Line and serve as the Toronto Metropolitan University community hub for FREE safer sex & menstrual hygiene supplies. 

Mission

The Centre for Safer Sex & Sexual Violence Support (as a part of the Toronto Metropolitan University Students Union) is funded by students as a resource for students. Our aim is to create a safer campus for TMU students by creating a consent culture on campus, working to reduce discrimination on campus through an intersectional approach, providing sex education and safer sex supplies, and supporting students who experience sexual violence in whatever way they choose without judgement. 

Equity Statement

The Centre for Safer Sex & Sexual Violence Support is committed to building a more equitable community for all Toronto Metropolitan University students. We do this by:

1. refusing to tolerate homophobia, sexism, transphobia, racism, ableism, ageism, sexual harassment, sexual assault, discrimination, or other violence in any form.
2. acknowledging the impact of historic and structural inequalities and implementing equity measures to account for these inequalities in everything we do.
3. ensuring all volunteers and staff members complete anti-oppression training and offering more detailed training sessions from community leaders on a regular basis.
4. seeking out and listening to feedback from persons with lived experience in order to dismantle any inequities within our policies, systems, programs, and services.

Accessibility Statement

The Centre for Safer Sex & Sexual Violence Support is committed to providing accessible options in order to allow all students to access our services. We do this by:

1. acknowledging the historic and structural inequalities that are built around silencing and excluding people with disabilities, and making efforts to counteract this. These efforts include prioritizing people with disabilities in our discussions and recruiting them for positions of power so their voices are heard and respected. 
2. including accessibility considerations in all our planning in an attempt to create accessible spaces, events, and services without people having to ask for accommodations.
3. emphasizing the importance of accessibility in our policies, advertising, and value statements in order to provide structural support for increasing accessibility in CSSSVS and to establish CSSSVS as a space that prioritizes accessibility.
4. providing training sessions for all staff and volunteers to increase understanding of ableism and up-to-date information on best practices for accessibility. We will strive to offer training sessions hosted by people with lived experience and will offer training to wider community members whenever possible. 
5. providing space for feedback and accessibility requests in everything we do in order to make accommodation requests simple and encourage ‘call in’ statements on anything we may have overlooked.

Land Acknowledgement

Toronto is in the ‘Dish With One Spoon Territory’.  The Dish With One Spoon is a treaty between the Anishinaabe, Mississaugas and Haudenosaunee that bound them to share the territory and protect the land. Subsequent Indigenous Nations and peoples, Europeans and all newcomers have been invited into this treaty in the spirit of peace, friendship, and respect.

The Centre for Safer Sex & Sexual Violence Support recognizes that we are on stolen land where Indigenous people have been oppressed, colonized, and stigmatized. As a majority settler organization, the Centre for Safer Sex & Sexual Violence Support would like to express our solidarity with the work and mobilization been done by Indigenous grass-roots activists. We are dedicated to amplifying the voices of our Indigenous community members and approach our language and work with a decolonized framework. 

Centre for Safer Sex and Sexual Violence Support Commitments

1. The Centre for Safer Sex & Sexual Violence Support will provide a safer space on campus (both physically and through our phone and chat lines) where students can access peer support and information related to sexual and gender based violence support. CSSSVS is committed to ensuring these spaces are as confidential, judgment free, and discrimination free as possible, and will work quickly and seriously to address behaviour in these spaces that does not align with our values. All CSSSVS spaces and events/campaigns associated with CSSSVS will be developed and run by individuals specifically trained in sexual violence support and best practices. CSSSVS will make every effort to ensure survivors are always directed to safe spaces where individuals are trained in and follow best practices for sexual violence support.
   
2. The Centre for Safer Sex & Sexual Violence Support Coordinator will ensure all volunteers are properly trained and monitored, will ensure anyone acting as an authority at a CSSSVS event or in association with CSSSVS is trained in sexual violence support and deescalation, will keep up to date on best practices for supporting sexual violence survivors, will protect the confidentiality of everyone who uses the services of CSSSVS within their legal and technical capacity, and will ensure every effort is made to keep the phone and chat lines accessible to all students. The CSSSVS Coordinator is the only one authorized to access phone and text line logs or other highly confidential information. The CSSSVS Coordinator is directly supervised by the Executive Director of the Toronto Metropolitan University Students Union and concerns about their ability to meet these responsibilities can be sent to executive.director@rsuonline.ca. In the event the CSSSVS Coordinator cannot perform their duties or an audit is being done of their work, the Executive Director may access confidential records as needed.
   
3. The Centre for Safer Sex & Sexual Violence Support student staff will support the CSSSVS Coordinator in their responsibilities and provide student insight on the issues that need to be addressed on campus. CSSSVS is committed to ensuring that students hired for these roles are trained in anti-oppression and are knowledgeable about equity issues and best practices for supporting survivors. We will prioritize hiring students who belong to groups that are typically underrepresented and will encourage these students to take the lead on projects with which they have lived experience.
   
4. The Centre for Safer Sex & Sexual Violence Support volunteers will support the CSSSVS Coordinator and student staff in planning and running events and campaigns, provide services to students, and run SASSL. All volunteers must meet with the CSSSVS Coordinator prior to their first volunteer shift in order to ensure they understand their responsibilities as volunteers, the values of CSSSVS, and confidentiality requirements. All volunteers must also sign and return paperwork stating they understand and agree to these expectations in order to ensure people accessing CSSSVS services are protected. SASSL volunteers must also go through a training program designed to help them learn the best practices for supporting survivors. This ten hour program includes training on anti-oppression, sexual violence myths and facts, how to respond to disclosures of sexual violence, information on supports survivors might want to access, and how to use the chat and call systems. After this training all SASSL volunteers must also complete a test with the CSSSVS Coordinator before they can begin volunteering. The SASSL Training is updated annually to ensure it is up to date with new research on supporting survivors and changing information about supports available to TMU students and Toronto community members. SASSL volunteers are continuously monitored and given updated training, but they are not licensed professionals and it is possible for volunteers to make mistakes or give outdated information. It is also possible for a volunteer to express opinions that are not in line with the views of the Centre for Safer Sex & Sexual Violence Support. Any concerns or complaints made about volunteers will be thoroughly investigated by the CSSSVS Coordinator and proper action taken to ensure our volunteers continue to reflect the values and beliefs of SASSL.
   
5. Those accessing the Centre for Safer Sex & Sexual Violence Support or our services are here to get the support or resources they need while respecting the needs, limits, and confidentiality of our staff, volunteers, and anyone else accessing CSSSVS’s services. When accessing our services it is important to remember that our volunteers and staff have the same rights that people accessing our services do, and that acting in a disrespectful or harmful manner will not be tolerated. Volunteers and staff also have the right to pass questions, concerns, or requests for assistance on to another member of our team at any point whom they feel is more capable of providing assistance without disclosing their reason for doing so. The CSSSVS Coordinator also reserves the right to unilaterally terminate someone’s access to CSSSVS or one of our services if they feel this person has broken the rules of CSSSVS or the TMSU, or if they have caused or threatened to cause harm to another person (whether or not it was their intention to do so). While we will always attempt to aid those accessing our services or suggest a better service that can meet someone’s needs, CSSSVS prioritizes the health and safety of our staff and volunteers above all else.
   Those accessing our services are also responsible for their own choices.  Neither the TMSU, CSSSVS, SASSL, nor any of our employees, peer support volunteers, or agents are responsible for any decisions, or results of the decisions that you make while, as a result of, or after using our services. This includes whether you choose to seek or not seek professional care, or to modify or terminate specific treatment that you are currently receiving based on the information provided by this service. Our staff and volunteers are happy to ask questions and explore options, but only you control your own actions, reactions, and words.

Limits to Confidentiality

We take your privacy and security very seriously, so we employ reasonable security controls (including encryption) to help protect your information. All staff members and volunteers are thoroughly trained on how to protect confidentiality and safeguards to confidentiality are put in place whenever possible. That being said, we cannot control all possible infringements on confidentiality, such as who may see someone go in or out of our office or which volunteer is on shift when you call. If you have a unique concern regarding your confidentiality, you are always welcome to contact the CSSSVS Coordinator and they will help make arrangements for you.

Additionally, CSSSVS volunteers and staff members have a legally mandated duty to report in the following cases: (a) If you tell us that a child (i.e. a person aged 16 years or younger) or vulnerable adult (i.e a person who is unable to make and/or execute decisions regarding their care or support network) is or may be in need of protection; or (b) If you tell us that someone is hurting you, has hurt you, or is likely to hurt you in the future; or (c) If you tell us you are planning to hurt yourself or someone else. If a volunteer or staff member feels something you have said or done has resulted in us having a duty to report, we will have to pass on any information requested by police or child services. This could include names, addresses, email addresses, phone numbers, or any other identifying or relevant information you have provided us that we have access to. For more information about what information we have access to through SASSL, please see the Sexual Assault Survivor Support Line Policy. 

Contact Us

We care about the privacy and safety of our staff and peer support volunteers. In accessing CSSSVS and/or using our services, you agree to not communicate with our peer support volunteers outside of the service. If you have questions, comments, or feedback for us, please email csssvs@yourtmsu.ca. Anonymous feedback or questions are always welcome as well, and can be submitted at c3svs.ca.

Policy Review

This policy was approved in May 2022 and has been signed below by the current Executive Director of the Toronto Metropolitan University Students Union; Vice-President, Equity of the Toronto Metropolitan University Students Union; and The Centre for Safer Sex and Sexual Violence Support Coordinator. 

This policy will be reviewed by the end of 2023. The review process includes an in depth review and revisement of the policy by CSSSVS staff; an opportunity for community and union members to see the proposed changes, debate these changes, and propose their own changes; and publishing the new policy. Prior to the policy being published, at least one student and/or one self-identified survivor must review and give feedback on the policy, and the current Executive Director of the Toronto Metropolitan University Students Union, Vice-President, Equity of the Toronto Metropolitan University Students Union, and The Centre for Safer Sex and Sexual Violence Support Coordinator must all agree to the changes.

About Us

The Sexual Assault Survivor Support Line (SASSL) is a peer support line that is staffed by volunteers who are Toronto Metropolitan University students, alumni, and/or TMU community members. It provides Toronto Metropolitan University students with a way to quickly access judgement-free, confidential support from their peers and learn about resources available to them if they or a friend are experiencing sexual or gender based violence. 

SASSL is not a substitute for professional health care. If you are in crisis, suicidal, or experiencing an emergency, please call 911 or the Gerstein Crisis Centre at (416) 929-5200. Contacting SASSL does not constitute a doctor-patient relationship, a therapist-client relationship, a therapist-patient relationship, or a lawyer-client relationship. Please see below for more information on limits to our confidentiality.

SASSL is run and funded by the Centre for Safer Sex & Sexual Violence Support (CSSSVS) as part of the Toronto Metropolitan University Students Union, and all aspects of the CSSSVS policy also apply to SASSL. SASSL is overseen by the Centre for Safer Sex & Sexual Violence Support Coordinator along with the CSSSVS student staff. 

Sexual Assault Survivor Support Line Commitments

1. The Sexual Assault Survivor Support Line will provide a 10am- Midnight daily chat line that connects students to a peer support volunteer. SASSL is committed to keeping these lines staffed with trained volunteers in order to minimize wait times and ensure students get support from someone well versed in best practices for supporting survivors.
   
2. SASSL is committed to providing a survivor-centered approach. Volunteers and staff are educated to listen to people assessing the line without making assumptions and to allow them to guide the direction and pace of the conversation. SASSL aims to be a safe place for survivors where they can be supported in making informed decisions without judgment.
   
3. As a tool for survivors, SASSL will prioritize the wants and needs of survivors (especially student survivors) and will make efforts to include survivors in major decision making processes regarding SASSL and in SASSL policy changes. SASSL is committed to making an effort to seek out feedback from survivors regarding SASSL, and to make changes according to this feedback.
   
4. SASSL recognizes that our peer support volunteers are often survivors themselves and/or likely know someone who has been impacted by sexual violence. While volunteers do need to be in a place in their healing journey where they can meet the basic requirements of being a volunteer, we are committed to supporting survivors who wish to participate in sexual violence prevention work. We include self care strategies in our training, and volunteers are encouraged to set their own limits and boundaries in order to help keep them healthy and prevent burnout. This means that volunteers may, at any time, choose to end a call or chat where a boundary they have set is passed. Volunteers are trained to first attempt to pass the conversation on to another volunteer, but they may also choose to end the conversation if they feel the caller is intentionally trying to cause harm, is not respecting CSSSVS policy, or has needs that would be better served by another organization. 
   
5. The CSSSVS Coordinator, CSSSVS staff, and CSSSVS volunteers all have a large role in running SASSL. More information about their roles and responsibilities can be found in the CSSSVS policy.

Limits to Confidentiality

The chat service is confidential. A confidential service means that it is the legal and ethical duty of the Peer Support volunteer or Coordinator who answers your chat to reveal information about you to unauthorized individuals. However, there are legal limits to confidentiality. We may be required to disclose your personal information (including chat transcripts and notes on phone conversations) to an external agency, usually a local child welfare agency or, less commonly, the police, if we think that you or others may be in danger. No one associated with CSSSVS (including the Coordinator) has access to your phone number or other personal information unless it is given to us during the course of the chat conversation. Any information given to us during the chat conversation may be given to the police or a local child welfare agency if it is determined that we have a duty to report. We do not have access to phone number records and thus cannot pass these on to police; however, in the event police subpoena records from the service we use to receive chats your phone number or IP address may be given to police services. 

We have a legally mandated duty to report in the following cases: (a) If you tell us that a child (i.e. a person aged 16 years or younger) or vulnerable adult (i.e a person who is unable to make and/or execute decisions regarding their care or support network) is or may be in need of protection; or (b) If you tell us that someone is hurting you, has hurt you, or is likely to hurt you in the future; or (c) If you tell us you are planning to hurt yourself or someone else.

Disclosures

1. Opt-In Disclosure: By messaging (437) 600-7575 you consent to receive messages from C3SVS peer support volunteers.
   
2. Opt-Out Instructions: If you would like to stop receiving messages from us you can message ‘STOP’ to (437) 600-7575 and we will be unable to send you any messages unless you restart the conversation. 
   
3. Data Usage Explanation: We do not collect phone numbers. Any information that is collected over the course of the conversation will be used solely for crisis support and not for promotional purposes.
   
4. Data Protection Assurance: Data is only kept in encrypted form and is deleted after one year.
   
5. Third-Party Sharing: No information will be shared with third parties, except when required by law.
   

Contact Us

We care about the privacy and safety of our staff and peer support volunteers. In accessing SASSL, you agree to not communicate with our peer support volunteers outside of the service. If you have questions, comments, or feedback for us, please email csssvs@yourtmsu.ca. Anonymous feedback or questions are always welcome as well, and can be submitted at c3svs.ca. 

Policy Review

This policy was approved in May 2022 and has been signed below by the current Executive Director of the Toronto Metropolitan University Students Union; the current Vice President, Equity of the Toronto Metropolitan University Students Union; and The Centre for Safer Sex and Sexual Violence Support Coordinator. 

This policy will be reviewed by the end of 2025. The review process includes an in depth review and revisement of the policy by CSSSVS staff; an opportunity for community and union members to see the proposed changes, debate these changes, and propose their own changes; and publishing the new policy. Prior to the policy being published, at least one student and one self-identified survivor must review and give feedback on the policy, and the current Executive Director of the Toronto Metropolitan University Students Union; Vice President, Equity of the Toronto Metropolitan University Students Union; and The Centre for Safer Sex and Sexual Violence Support Coordinator must all agree to the changes.