Safety at our events.
At PASH, the safety and well-being of our community is our main priority. We believe that everyone deserves a secure and respectful environment to build meaningful relationships, and we are committed to ensuring our events are safe for all attendees. Here are the practical steps we take to ensure a safe environment at all our events:
Respect for All: We expect respect for our staff, volunteers, and every individual attending our events. We remind everyone of this and our other expectations by sending an email to all attendees before each event.
Immediate Action: If you experience disrespect, harassment, or stalking, please tell us right away. We take these concerns seriously. If someone is treating others poorly, we will ask them not to return to future events.
Name Tags: We provide name tags to all event attendees to make it easier to remember each other's names. To respect privacy, only first names are used on the name tags.
Photo Policy: We ask all attendees not to take photos at our events. We will take photos and share them on our social media afterwards for you to see. For those who choose to opt out of media consent, we offer a different colour name badge to signal to our staff not to take photos of you or include you in any social media posts.
Exchange of Personal Details: We ask all attendees not to share last names or social media handles. Instead, we provide contact cards at each event where you can share your phone number or email for those who wish to keep in contact with. This allows people to choose to connect with you after the event, if they want to, without feeling pressured to share their personal details on the night. This helps us make sure that everyone's privacy is respected.
Supporting Meaningful Relationships: While we may not know everyone who attends our events and we often welcome new people, we work hard to get to know everyone so that we can introduce you to people that are like-minded, have similar interests and are around the same age group to you. At Speed Dating, you may not meet everyone in the room, as some participants may not be within your age group. For our Social Nights, we often organise the room into different sections to reflect the different age groups we have on the night.
Supporting Education: PASH began as an education service focused on sexual health, relationships and social skills for people living with disability. Many of our attendees receive support from PASH Education, and our events provide a safe and supportive space where they can put their new skills into practice and connect with others.
Safe dating & friendship tips.
Whether you meet someone at our events or elsewhere, we want to make sure you feel comfortable and secure in any situation! Making new friends and dating can be fun, but it's important to stay safe and make sure you're being treated with respect. Whether you're hanging out with a new friend or getting to know someone romantically, always keep your safety in mind. Here are some simple tips to help you build healthy and safe friendships and relationships:
Meet in Public Places: For the first few dates or catch ups, choose public locations like cafes, restaurants, or parks. This helps ensure safety and provides a comfortable environment for both people.
Share Your Plans: Let a friend or family member know where you're going, who you're meeting, and what time you'll be home. It's always good to have someone aware of your whereabouts.
Stay Sober: We get it, having a drink can be a lot of fun for a date or catch up, but it is very important to be mindful of your limits. By staying sober, you have a much greater chance of staying in control of your actions and surroundings. Make sure you have a plan to get home safely whether it's using public transport, a taxi, or a ride-share service.
Limit Personal Information: Avoid sharing too much personal information, like your home address or financial details, early on. Keep conversations light and focused on getting to know each other gradually.
Set Boundaries: Be clear about your boundaries and listen to the other person's. Mutual respect is key in any healthy relationship, and it's important to establish comfort zones from the start.
Use Your Own Transportation: If possible, use your own car or public transport to get to and from dates or catch ups, rather than relying on a lift from the person you are meeting. This gives you more control over your plans and lets you leave any time you would like.
Online Dating Safety: If you're meeting someone from an online platform, always meet in person for the first time in a public place. Never share your private contact details or agree to meet at private spaces too soon.
Be Cautious with Physical Contact: Only engage in physical touch if you're comfortable, and respect others' boundaries. If someone is not respecting your personal space, it's okay to speak up or leave the situation. Take physical contact slowly.
Know How to End a Date Safely: If you're not feeling a connection or if something feels wrong, it’s okay to politely end the date early. Having a friend, support worker or someone you trust sitting nearby is a great way to keep safe and help you out if you need to leave the date early.
Warning signs & how to respond.
Making new friends and starting relationships can be exciting, but it’s important to stay aware of certain behaviours that can make you feel uncomfortable or unsafe. Whether you're meeting someone new as a friend or exploring the possibility of a romantic relationship, it's important to trust your instincts and recognise ‘red flags’ and warning signs early on. Healthy relationships should be built on mutual respect, trust, and clear boundaries. Here are some key things to watch out for to make sure your connections are positive and respectful:
Constant Pressure: If someone is always pushing you to hang out or share more than you're comfortable with, that's a red flag. Real friendships should be about respect, not pressure.
Ignoring Boundaries: If they keep ignoring your personal boundaries or make you do things you're not okay with, that's a big warning sign.
Trying to Control You: Be careful if they try to control who you spend time with, where you go, or what you do. Healthy relationships let both people have their own space and freedom.
Isolation: If they try to pull you away from friends or family, or make you feel like you should spend all your time with them, it’s a sign of controlling behaviour.
Always Complaining About Others: If they’re always talking bad about other people or making you feel bad about your friends, they might be trying to isolate you from others.
Lying or Inconsistent Stories: If their stories don’t add up or they’re hiding stuff from you, that’s not a good sign. A true friend or partner should be honest and straightforward.
Disrespecting Others: If they’re rude to others or constantly gossip or criticise people—it might mean they’ll treat you the same way.
Jealousy or Possessiveness: If they get upset when you hang out with other people or try to control your social life, it’s a red flag. Healthy relationships are based on trust and respect, not jealousy.
Manipulating You: Be careful if they try to make you feel guilty for things or act like you're responsible for their emotions or problems. That’s emotional manipulation.
Sharing Private Photos: If someone pressures you to send them private or explicit photos, that’s a huge red flag. No one should ever make you feel uncomfortable about sharing personal content.
Moving Too Fast: If someone is rushing you into a relationship or trying to push you into something you’re not ready for, that’s not okay.
Disrespectful Behaviour: If they belittle you, insult you, or make you feel bad about yourself, that’s a serious red flag. A healthy relationship should make you feel good about who you are.
Seeing these signs?
Heres what you can do!
Set Boundaries: If you notice red flags or warning signs, calmly talk about your concerns with the person and set some boundaries in place.
Distance Yourself: If the person doesn't stop showing these warning signs after you've asked them to, think about distancing yourself or ending the friendship or relationship.
Talk to Someone You Trust: Share your concerns with someone you trust. This could be a family member or support worker. When we talk to others about our concerns, often they can help give us a different view on the situation and help us with what we should do.
Trust Your Gut: If something feels wrong, it’s okay to walk away. Your safety and well-being should always come first.
Let us know: Have you met someone at one of our events that is not respecting your boundaries? Or showing you some of these red flags? Please let us know! You can contact us via phone or email or head to our contact form here.