The Student Safety App is a free, crowdsourced platform designed specifically for students, enabling them to report a wide range of concerns, from suspicious activity to safeguarding concerns.

The concept was born after the tragic Nottingham attacks in June 2023 when Monica Ghuman, then a student at Nottingham Trent University, witnessed first-hand the impact on the student community, the city and ultimately the nation. It highlighted how outdated, fragmented and slow current reporting systems can be, with long response times and interfaces that fail to meet the expectations of today’s digital learners.

Monica came up with the idea for the Student Safety App, helped to attract investment and now works as Project Lead as part of a team of 10 people including both part-time and full-time staff.

She said: “It’s nice to hear that people believe the Student Safety App is something that we have been missing. It means a lot to see this come to life.”

The app has already delivered significant impact across colleges, universities, charities and accommodation providers, with more than 50,000 students using the platform and numbers rising daily.

Feedback shows that SSA has helped streamline safeguarding workflows and centralise communication, allowing teams to respond more quickly to concerns. Students report feeling more confident when reporting through the app, as it feels more discreet and natural than traditional forms.

Within universities, the platform has supported earlier identification of incidents such as suspected spiking and violent behaviour. With personal follow-ups from the head office team, many students have felt comfortable engaging with investigations, supporting police enquiries and driving positive change within venues where appropriate.

SSA has also achieved strong national visibility, with the launch campaign generating more than 9.12 million impressions and coverage on major outlets, including BBC News and ITV News Central. Monica’s interviews on BBC Radio Nottingham and ITV Central have further strengthened awareness.

Partnerships, particularly with Student Roost, have increased credibility and demonstrated the value of the platform within the national accommodation sector, inspiring uptake from other big, influential corporations.

Monica has entered The Student Safety App into the Innovation Award category of the University of Staffordshire Business Awards.