This is the tenth and final chapter in the Nordic Model Now! Handbook for Universities.
Universities need to ensure that students have access to a full range of services and know how to access them. The overarching aim should be that no student has to resort to prostitution because of a lack of other options. It is not enough to set up bursaries and grants if vulnerable students don’t know about them. Similarly, it’s not enough to set up programmes for students involved in the sex industry or for those who want to kick a porn habit if no one knows about them.
There is not enough space in this handbook to provide a full list of relevant national, regional, and local services, so we provide a list of the kinds of services that students might need (followed by further detail of a few key national services). Universities should ensure that students have access to all these services should they need them and that they know how to find them, whether they are internal or external to the university. Universities should seek to develop relationships with relevant local services.
Universities should ensure that students have access to a full range of appropriate services, provisions and opportunities, including:
- Welfare services
- Debt, financial, and budgeting advice, including money-saving tips
- On-campus foodbank for collection/donation and redistribution of emergency food, toiletries, period products and other essentials
- Daily collection and redistribution of unsold same-day expiry food that would otherwise be discarded from campus catering venues, food outlets and shops
- Bursaries, grants, and hardship loans
- Employment advice, CV writing, and job application help
- Workplace/employability skills courses and on-campus work experience where possible
- Directory of sympathetic local employers and part-time / weekend / holiday work employers
- Specialist support services for those involved in the sex industry
- Specialist exit-focused services for those wanting to exit the industry
- Sexual health clinics, including free condoms
- Sex education, including sexual consent education
- Specialist support for people wanting to kick a porn or sex buying habit
- Counselling services*
- Mental health services
- Self-esteem building workshops
- Suicide prevention initiatives and emergency phone numbers
- Crisis phone numbers
- Alcohol and substance abuse services
- Rape crisis services
- Domestic abuse services
- Sexual violence and sexual harassment reporting support
- Housing advice
- Benefits advice
- Legal advice
- Specialist support for people of colour and minority ethnicities
- Disability support and advice
- LGBTQ+ support
* Waiting lists for university counselling services are often long, particularly at times of peak demand around enrolment in September/October and around exam and assessment time in April/May. It would therefore make sense to advise students to seek a GP referral to NHS therapy or IAPT (Improving Access to Psychological Therapy) provision as an alternative or backup to university services where waiting times are dauntingly long.
Services for those involved in prostitution that include help to exit
Beyond The Streets – A UK-wide call back service offering advice and general guidance to those who feel trapped in prostitution. http://beyondthestreets.org.uk/i-want-support
The Nelson Trust – Trauma-informed service providing holistic support for women and their families across Gloucestershire, Wiltshire, Somerset, Bristol and Wales, including support to exit prostitution. https://nelsontrust.com/how-we-help/womens-community-services
Kairos WWT – A Coventry-based service for women involved in sexual exploitation, including one-to-one, group, and criminal justice support. https://kairoswwt.org.uk
Nia – Works with women in prostitution in London, providing a non-judgemental service, advocacy and support in exiting. http://niaendingviolence.org.uk/get-help/prostitution
St Mungos – A London-based project offering emergency housing support to vulnerable and homeless women, including those trying to escape prostitution. http://rebuildingshatteredlives.org/about-us
Encompass – A network of agencies in Scotland that provide support and exiting services to those involved in prostitution. http://www.encompassnetwork.info/who-we-are.html
Routes Out – Part of Community Safety Glasgow, this provides support for those wanting to exit prostitution. http://www.glasgow.gov.uk/article/23783/Routes-Out
For a more complete list of UK services, see https://www.sase.org.uk/services.
For the London directory of modern slavery survivor support services, see https://static1.squarespace.com/static/599abfb4e6f2e19ff048494f/t/60dc7d9e1e22da2407d004b0/1625062815242/London+Services+Directory+Final+1.pdf.
Help for those who want to kick a porn habit
The Reward Foundation – Provides a comprehensive list of resources for people seeking to kick a porn habit. https://rewardfoundation.org/quitting-porn/help-with-porn-addiction