Speak Out is an online anonymous reporting tool developed by the Psychological Counsellors in Higher Education Ireland (PCHEI). It is a mechanism for members of college communities to speak out about their experiences of bullying, cyberbullying, harassment, discrimination, hate crime, coercive behaviour/control, stalking, assault, sexual harassment, sexual assault, and rape, and to help direct those speaking out to find supports relevant to their experiences.

Speak Out is currently available to all staff, students, and visitors of participating institutions. These include ATU, DCU, DkIT, IADT, MU, MTU, NCAD, NCI, University of Galway, RCSI, SETU, TCD, TU Dublin, TUS, UCC and UL. UCD provides a bespoke anonymous online reporting tool called Report and Support. Speak Out can be accessed via each participating institution’s website.

Speak Out is completely anonymous. There is no way of identifying or contacting anyone who uses the tool. Tailored information about specialist supports is provided to users. It is possible to report on behalf of yourself or someone else. The data collated through the tool is very valuable to institutions as it helps to inform and improve responses to issues such as sexual misconduct, bullying and discrimination.

Further information on the supports and options available to survivors of bullying, discrimination and sexual misconduct can be found here.

Speak Out Evaluation

The Speak Out initiative is supported by the HEA and the Department of Further and Higher Education, Innovation and Science. In 2023, the HEA commissioned an independent evaluation of the Speak Out pilot project. The evaluation report can be found here or by clicking the link on the right.