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Special Services

215-898-4481 or 215-898-6600 (24hr)

The Special Services team sits in a waiting area on a sofa, chair, and standing. They are all facing the camera and smiling. The background is blue with soft pastel artwork on the wall behind them.

The Special Services team provides 24/7 support services to members of the Penn community who have experienced any type of crime. A prominent part of Special Services’ operations is investigation, support, and transparency related to interpersonal violence and sensitive crimes such as rape, sexual assault, relationship or domestic violence, harassment, and stalking. The Special Services team also responds to critical incidents to address and alleviate community distress.
We are here for you. Call 215-898-4481 or 215-898-6600 (24 hours) or, for non-emergency situations, email us at (email is not monitored 24/7). Please call 215-573-3333 in any emergency.
Highly trained personnel are available to offer immediate assistance, including crisis intervention, accompaniment to legal and medical proceedings, options counseling and advocacy, and linkages to other University and community resources, as well as city, state, and federal resources.

Quick Access.

Self-Defense & Empowerment Courses Advocacy & Support Contact a member of Special Services Confidential Options Counseling/ Reporting Critical Incident Stress Management (CISM) Safety Presentations Partnerships Campus and Philadelphia Resources Co-Responder Program

Special Services By the Numbers.

145
Safety Presentations Annually
1100+
Support & Advocacy Contacts Annually
250
Self-Defense Attendees per semester
5
Full-Time Dedicated Employees

Contact Special Services: 215-898-4481

If you would like to get in touch with someone at Special Services please call 215-898-4481 or 215-898-6600 (24hr emergency number). Alternatively you can email us at .

Members of the Penn community may inquire and receive support services when victimized by any type of crime.

Contact Special Services

Quote Section

Special Services has been there for me and I appreciate it.
M.O.
Penn Community Member

Special Services fosters close partnerships with:

University Partners

Philadelphia Support Services

Non-Profit Centers

Safety Presentations

DPS offers many types of safety presentations, which can be tailored to your group or department’s needs. Experts will meet with you to discuss personal safety and empowerment, fire and residential safety, and emergency procedures for on- and off-campus. Please use the web form below to learn more, and someone from Special Services will be in touch!

Presentation Request Form

 

Self-Defense & Empowerment Courses

Special Services offers free-of-charge self-defense classes to ALL Penn affiliates. These self-defense trainings empower individuals through communication and physical defense. We provide gender inclusive and expansive courses, separate courses for women and men, and private classes. Contact Special Services to schedule a private class at

Our courses are available through our partnership with Penn’s Division of Recreation and Intercollegiate Athletics (DRIA).

They are held at Pottruck Health & Fitness Center!

Register for free at https://recreationwebportal.dria.upenn.edu/ – on the bottom of the page or from the left menu click “Special Events”, or search “DPS”, for the dates and free registration.

The trainings are titled “DPS Self-Defense”

Registration is open and available to anyone in the Penn Community (no membership needed).

 

Please reach out to should you have any questions.

 

 

Quote Section

“Thanking you for taking the time to work with us in this self-defense class.  Your positive attitudes were extremely contagious and I feel much safer knowing that I am able to defend myself.”
A.G., Penn Community Member

Interpersonal Crimes

The Department of Special Services offers emotional support, guidance and options counseling to any Penn Affiliate who experiences a sensitive crime, such as, rape, sexual assault, relationship or domestic violence, harassment and stalking. Our highly experienced personnel, familiar with every element of University systems and the Philadelphia criminal justice system, will guide you, step-by-step, through the process of exploring ALL of your available options, should you experience sexual or interpersonal violence.

Criminal prosecution is never mandatory for the victim/survivor and it remains an option for the duration of the statue of limitations (varies by state). Options for victim/survivors of sexual violence are numerous and may be exercised in combination with each other, or separately to match the needs and emotional welfare of the victim/survivor.

Options include, but are not limited to:

  • Medical treatment and forensic examination (i.e. Sexual Assault Nurse Examination “SANE Exam”) at the Philadelphia Sexual Assault Response Center (PSARC). Victim/survivors may choose to have a forensic exam (sometimes also called a “rape kit”), to receive important immediate medical care and preserve possible DNA evidence. In order to preserve evidence victims are advised not to smoke, eat, drink, bathe, douche, brush their teeth, or change their clothes prior to receiving the exam. However, doing any of the above does not mean an exam cannot be performed. While it is highly recommended that victims receive an exam within 72 hours of an assault, there is no official time limit after which an exam cannot be performed. At PSARC all victim/survivors will be given the option to be interviewed by a detective of the Philadelphia Police Department’s Special Victims Unit. Should a victim/survivor choose to speak with a Detective, criminal prosecution is not mandatory.
  • Should a Victim/survivors choose not to receive a forensic exam, individuals can receive a medical and health examination at Student Health Services and/or the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania. These medical and health exams cannot collect potential evidence. Providers will speak to Individuals seeking medical support about the options to more formally report their experience, however, no criminal report of sexual assault will be taken by medical providers, and the victim/survivors identity will remain only within the University of Pennsylvania Health System.
  • Individuals who experience sexual violence committed by a Penn affiliate may opt to proceed with disciplinary action against the perpetrator(s) in consultation with the Associate Vice President for Equity and Title IX Officer.
  • Regardless of whether a victim/survivor chooses to access medical care and/or criminal and/or disciplinary reporting; other supportive options involving academic, community, social, emotional, and psychological support are available. Special Services partners with Student Health and Counseling in Wellness as well as Student Intervention Services (SIS) in University Life to meet the interim support and safety needs of those impacted by interpersonal violence.
  • The City of Philadelphia also offers myriad services and organizations, such as Women Organized Against Rape, Women Against Abuse and the Philadelphia District Attorney’s Office Victim/Witness Services Unit.

The Department of Special Services will outline all of these options in detail, and provide support, guidance and accompaniment through any and all processes selected by the victim/survivor.

Our goal is to empower each victim/survivor to make the best and most informed decision for their own sense of well-being and comfort. No course of action will ever be mandated by the Division of Public Safety, or by the University of Pennsylvania.

Reporting Suspected Sexual Abuse Against Minors:

Individuals who have information about possible child sexual abuse should immediately report this information in two ways:

  1. Call Department of Human Services (DHS) at 1-800-932-0313
    1. Online reporting portal for mandated reporters in non-emergency situations https://www.compass.state.pa.us/cwis/public/home
  2. Call Special Services at 215-898-6600 to discuss process and comprehensive support for reporter and impacted parties.

To learn more about reporting abuse and/or neglect of children in Pennsylvania go to: https://www.dhs.pa.gov/contact/Pages/Report-Abuse.aspx

Critical Incident Stress Management (CISM) Team

  • Provides crisis intervention to a person or group of people who have experienced a critical incident. 
  • Designed as emotional “first aid”
  • Penn’s CISM Team has over 40 members (DPS, CAPS, VPUL, CHAS, EAP)

Campus and Confidential Resources

List of campus and confidential resources available to students.

Including City of Philadelphia resources. Please see their respective websites for availability.