Tackling violence, harassment and hate crime

5 Dec 2018, 08:30 - 17:00

Rooms on Regent’s Park
27 Sussex Place
Regent’s Park
London NW1 4RG

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Agenda

8.30	Networking breakfast This networking breakfast is in partnership with Culture Shift who will be running an open consultation to find out what you would like to see from a reporting system and would be delighted to hear your feedback, thoughts and ideas.
9.30	Registration and refreshments
10.00	Welcome and opening remarks Professor Cara Aitchison, President and Vice-Chancellor, Cardiff Metropolitan University
10.10	Changing the culture: 'Two years on' - Where are we? Jayne Aldridge, Chair, AMOSSHE: The Student Services Organisation and Director for the Student Experience, University of Sussex Dr Emma Short, Reader in Cyber Psychology, University of Bedfordshire Shakira Martin, President, National Union of Students Ferdinand von Prondzynski, Professor Emeritus, Robert Gordon University Professor Cara Aitchison, President and Vice-Chancellor, Cardiff Metropolitan University (Chair) Drawing on the initial findings of the recent UUK survey to assess sector progress in preventing and responding to sexual misconduct, hate crime and harassment, our panellists will reflect on the progress so far, the opportunities and emerging challenges facing universities and their views on the priorities for UUK and the sector in 2019 to ensure cultural change at both the institutional and sector level. The session will then open out to a general discussion with the audience for their views on the priorities for 2019.
11.10	Refreshments and networking
11.30	Breakouts
	Safeguarding: Changes, misconceptions and duties Danielle Oakford, Senior Stakeholder Engagement and Research Manager, Disclosure and Barring Service Nicola Boggon, Barring Operations Caseworker, Disclosure and Barring Service James MacMillan, Barring Operations Caseworker, Disclosure and Barring Service The Safeguarding Vulnerable Groups Act (2006) requires universities to refer a student to the Disclosure and Barring Service if concerns exist to question their ability to work safely with children or adults. The aim of this interactive session is to explore and clarify legal duties and to rediscover what 'barring' and 'regulated activity' mean in practice so that universities remain effective agents of safeguarding practice in their local communities, and nationally.
	Implementing UUK and Pinsent Masons' guidance: Learning from Middlesex University David Malpas, Director of Student Affairs, Middlesex University Ben Serlin, Senior Programme Manager, Middlesex University Katy Haigh, Policy Intern, Universities UK Last year, UUK and Pinsent Masons produced new guidance on ‘How to Handle Alleged Student Misconduct Which May Also Constitute A Criminal Offence’ to replace the ‘Final Report of the Task Force on Student Disciplinary Procedures’ commonly referred to as the Zellick Report. The new guidance was a significant step forward in helping universities to respond to what are often incredibly challenging situations. Misconduct which may also constitute a criminal offence is amongst one of the most difficult and complex matters which university student services and other professionals have to respond to. Clear and measured guidance and procedures are therefore critical to help them navigate the most effective ways of supporting students. As there is no ‘blue-print’ for implementing the revised framework, UUK in partnership with Middlesex University has established a Community of Practice for implementing the guidance. Other members include Keele University, the University of Bath, the University of Liverpool, and the University of St Andrews. This session provides an opportunity to find out more about the work of this network from Middlesex University. This includes the development of a variety of case-studies and scenarios based on the experiences of the members, which will assist in supporting continuous improvement in implementing the UUK/Pinsent Mason framework across the sector. The community of practice hopes that by documenting their lessons learned and making this available to other institutions, the sector will become more consistent in its approach to responding to issues of serious misconduct. This will reduce risk if an institution is challenged, and will help ensure a level of consistency in terms of students’ experiences regarding the process and support provided by an institution.
	Equally safe in higher education - Scotland's approach to preventing genderbased violence on campus Anni Donaldson, Knowledge Exchange Fellow, University of Strathclyde Mária Žuffová, Research Associate, University of Strathclyde Filippo Antoniazzi, Director of Student Life, Robert Gordon University Equally Safe is the Scottish Government’s national strategy for preventing violence against women and girls. Since the launch of the Equally Safe in Higher Education Toolkit in April 2018 the Scottish Government and the Scottish university and college sectors have been working together on a national approach to preventing gender-based violence (GBV) on Scottish campuses. This session provides an opportunity to meet the authors of the ESHE Toolkit, to learn more about its contents and to hear directly from Robert Gordon University in Aberdeen about the work they are currently doing to implement the Toolkit in a whole campus approach to GBV Prevention.
	Tackling race and faith-based hate crime Mustafa Field MBE, Director, Faiths Forum for London George Starkey-Midha, Media and Communications Officer, Kick It Out This session will explore two different organisations approach to tackling discrimination both on and offline. The session will give delegates a chance to hear about experiences from outside the sector so that they may go back to their own organisations with some renewed ideas of how to tackle the issue within the sector.
12.30	Lunch and networking
13.15	Panel discussion: The survivor's voice Winnie M Li, Writer, producer and activist Student survivors: Shereen Mee and Ian Wong, Keele University Dr Kelly Prince, Serious Incident Officer, Keele University Hayley Borrett, Sexual Violence Liaison Officer (SVLO), Keele University Fiona Drouet, Campaign Lead, #emilytest Professor Dame Janet Beer, President, Universities UK and ViceChancellor, University of Liverpool (Chair) The session will begin with an introduction from Professor Dame Janet Beer before a short presentation from Winnie M Li, writer of the novel Dark Chapter, which was inspired by her own assault. Winnie will then join other panel members, including both Shereen and Ian who are student survivors from Keele University who will share their own stories. There will be an opportunity for questions, but we do ask audience members to keep in mind the sensitive nature of this panel. As well as survivors, the panel will include practitioners who can assist delegates with any questions they have around the procedures of working with survivors and taking statements.
14:30	Breakouts
	Culture Change in partnership: Prevention and Response of violence and abuse Amy Sykes, Wellbeing manager, Cardiff University Nahid Saiyed, Assistant Director, Student Support, University of Birmingham Patrick Wrangles, Head of Student Wellbeing, University of Brighton The HEFCE Catalyst bid: “Student Safeguarding on Campus” was submitted by Birmingham University in collaboration with Cardiff University, and focussed on addressing three main areas of work: Prevention, Intervention and Response to violence and abuse. As a partnership project, the stated objectives have been supported by the universities working with their respective local services and organisations, including West Midlands Police/South Wales Police, local SARC services, Birmingham’s Rape and Sexual Violence project (RSVP), and Women’s Aid/ Welsh Women’s Aid. Working with local partners has enhanced the ability of the universities to define and develop strategic and operational partnerships internally and externally. Having expanded and focussed their approach, both universities are now able to discuss the impact, successes, sustainable models of reporting, supporting complex cases, challenges and future developments one year on.
	Professional boundaries: Dealing with staff-to-student sexual misconduct Professor Cara Aitchison, President and Vice-Chancellor, Cardiff Metropolitan University Fiona Waye, Policy Manager, Universities UK In assessing sector progress with regards to implementing UUK's harassment taskforce recommendations, staff-to-student misconduct was identified by members as an area which required more guidance and support. The staff-tostudent sexual advisory group was established to assist UUK to develop resources and toolkits which would enhance the effectiveness of institutional policies, practices and procedures relating to staff-to-student sexual misconduct. Professor Cara Aitchison chairs the advisory group and Fiona Waye is UUK's Policy Manager for the activities relating to tackling violence, harassment and hate crime in the higher education sector. Together they will share an update on the progress of the advisory group so far, and welcome the opportunity to seek feedback from delegates on the workstreams that are being developed to take this work forward.
	Working with the local community: Zero tolerence on sexual harassment Jim Gardner, Chief Executive, Kent Union Ruth Wilkinson, President, Kent Union Jim and Ruth will explain the work Kent Union and University of Kent have done over the last 4 years to tackle sexual harassment and violence in late night premises, initially on campus and more recently in the local community in both Canterbury and Medway. This ground-breaking project involved Canterbury City Council becoming the first district in the UK to include a commitment to tackling sexual harassment in its licensing policy. This was then followed by Medway Council. The project secured funding from Kent Police and Crime Commissioner to train local licensees and implement the initiative across Canterbury and Medway districts.
	Implementing online training to tackle sexual misconduct at the University of East Anglia Jane Amos, Head of Student Services, University of East Anglia Nick Broom, Senior Learning Consultant, Epigeum In this interactive session, Jane Amos (University of East Anglia) will discuss how UEA has integrated Epigeum online courses Consent Matters and Responding to Disclosures of Sexual Violence into the institution's wider sexual misconduct strategy and existing programme of training, as well as share some of the lessons she has learned in the process. Presenting with Jane will be Nick Broom from Epigeum who will explore different ways institutions can encourage students and staff to engage with online learning.
15:30	Refreshments and networking
15:50	Racial harassment in universities and routes to redress Elizabeth Bowles, Head of Education, Equality and Human Rights Commission In this session Elizabeth will discuss the Equality and Human Rights Commission’s recently launched inquiry into racial harassment in universities. She will set out the scope of the inquiry and explain how this work aims to provide valuable information for the sector in order to provide effective routes to redress for staff and students who experience racial harassment.
16:05	A safe space: Creating an open environment for reporting Sarah d'Ambrumenil, Head of the Office, The Office for Student Conduct, Complaints and Appeals, University of Cambridge David Davidi-Brown, Chief Executive Officer, Union of Jewish Students Gemma McCall, Co-Founder, Culture Shift Professor Cara Aitchison, President and Vice-Chancellor, Cardiff Metropolitan University The panellists will discuss the intricacies around creating a safe space for students to report incidents of violence, harassment and hate crime. They will also explore the reasons why some students don’t report and what more the sector can do to increase reporting rates. Although many of the universities involved in the qualitative research initiated by UUK in 2017 pointed to an increase in disclosures on sexual misconduct by students, it was also evident that some students were less clear on how to report staff -to-student sexual misconduct or incidents of hate crime. Attention will also be drawn to anonymous reporting and how to manage this, as well as the value of universities publishing reporting rates.
16.55	Chair's closing remarks Professor Cara Aitchison, President and Vice-Chancellor, Cardiff Metropolitan University
17.00	Drinks reception In partnership with Culture Shift

Overview

Join us at this one-day national conference as we explore the current issues surrounding violence, harassment and hate crime at universities.

The event will consist of plenary lectures and practical and discussion led breakout sessions, including case studies from England, Scotland and Wales, as well as hearing from Student Unions and survivors. Experts will highlight the intricacies of dealing with these issues and you will have an opportunity to explore with colleagues how best to tackle these in your own institution.

Why should you attend?

This event will explore the progress universities have made since Changing the culture: One year on report, with reflections from senior leaders including Directors of Student Services on lessons learnt so far and priorities for the future.

Throughout the day we will examine a range of topics, including but not limited to:

Cyber bullying
Institutional strategies to address sexual misconduct
How to use media/communication effectively
Creative strategies for tackling race-based harassment
Working and engaging with the local community
Disclosure and barring service

As Dame Janet Beer says in the foreword to the Changing the culture: One year on report, our universities have a significant role to play in driving cultural change to help combat the pernicious problem of harassment and violence in our society today. This event will equip you with the knowledge and practical tools required to continue to make positive changes within your institution.

Who should attend?

This conference will be useful for all university staff who have responsibility for or play a part in the management of student and staff services and wellbeing.

Relevant job titles include:

Director/Head of Student Services
Director/Head of Human Resources
Equality, Diversity and Inclusion Officer/Manager
Head of Student Conduct and Appeals
Director/Head of Student Support & Wellbeing
Community Liaison Managers/ Community Engagement
Director/Head of Student Counselling
Director/Head of Student Wellbeing
Safeguarding Leads

We have a range of sponsorship opportunities available at this event. Please contact Esther Dudley, Head of Events and Engagement for information. tel: 020 7419 5412; email: esther.dudley@universitiesuk.ac.uk.

Speaker biographies

This page is being continuously updated

	Professor Cara Aitchison, President and Vice-Chancellor, Cardiff Metropolitan University Professor Cara Aitchison is Vice-Chancellor of Cardiff Metropolitan University and was previously Vice-Chancellor of Plymouth Marjon University and a Professor at Edinburgh, Bedfordshire and UWE Bristol. Cara was Chair of the REF 2014 Sub-Panel for Sport and Exercise Sciences, Leisure and Tourism, is an Honorary Professor at the University of Bath, Council Member of the Academy of Social Sciences, CBI Cymru/Wales and Chair of UUK's Advisory Group on Staff-to-Student Sexual Misconduct. Cara is a Senior Fellow of the World Leisure Academy and Fellow of the Academy of Social Sciences, Royal Geographical Society, Learned Society of Wales and Higher Education Academy.
	Jayne Aldridge, Chair, AMOSSHE: The Student Services Organisation and Director for the Student Experience, University of Sussex Jayne is Director for the Student Experience at the University of Sussex and Chair of AMOSSHE: The Student Services Organisation. As an innovative leader with 25 years experience within the UK higher education sector, she is experienced in student experience leadership and management across different universities and has a proven track record in formulating national policy. Jayne is committed to working with a diverse range of people in the creation and delivery of professional award winning service provision to improve quality and underpin student and academic success within large multifaceted organisations.
	Shakira Martin, President, National Union of Students Shakira Martin is the current NUS president and was previously the Vice President Further Education. Martin's key initiative was to launch a commission into addressing student poverty, which was well-received in the sector. The findings of the Poverty Commission were published in April 2018, making 40 recommendations, and was positively received by Universities UK and the University Alliance.
	Danielle Oakford, Senior Stakeholder Engagement and Research Manager, Disclosure and Barring Services Danielle Oakford is the Senior Stakeholder Engagement and Research Manager at the Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS). With significant experience of managing engagement with key stakeholders on major high-profile health and public-sector initiatives, she now uses her experience to design and implement a best in class stakeholder and research function that informs government strategy and policy. Danielle is currently working with Universities across the United Kingdom to discuss the occasions when they have a duty and power to refer students to barring.
	Ben Serlin, Senior Programme Manager, Middlesex University Ben has responsibility for managing Middlesex University's response to UUK's 'Changing the Culture' report - a body of work which includes: developing effective report and support mechanisms through sector-specific safeguarding training, the implementation of Pinsent Masons' guidance, and the embedding of culture change in academic programmes as part of student's accredited work. He has accrued extensive experience as a teacher and a safeguarding officer - at Middlesex, Ben is a member of the university's Cause for Concern team and sits on the Safeguarding Board. Ben's academic background includes an MA in Sociology of Education with numerous certifications in project management.
	Anni Donaldson, Knowledge Exchange Fellow, University of Strathclyde Based in the School of Social Work and Social Policy at the University of Strathclyde in Glasgow, Anni is co-author of the Equally Safe in Higher Education Toolkit and of two Rapid Reviews of Scottish Higher Education responses to gender-based violence on campus (2016 and 2018). She is a course developer and co-authored the FutureLearn MOOC: Understanding Violence against Women – Myths and Realities. Her career in violence against women research, policy, service provision and teaching spans over 30 years. Anni is also a feminist oral historian, activist, blogger and journalist.
	Professor Dame Janet Beer, President, Universities UK and Vice-Chancellor, University of Liverpool Janet is Vice-Chancellor of the University of Liverpool and took up her post in 2015. Before that, she spent seven years as Vice-Chancellor of Oxford Brookes University. Professor Beer was a member of the recent taskforce on dealing with violence against women, harassment and hate crime affecting university students. She is also a board member of UCAS, a board member of the National Centre for Universities and Business (NCUB) and a trustee of the British Council. Professor Beer has an established record of research and scholarship in late nineteenth and early twentieth century American literature and culture and most recently completed a study of the late writing of Edith Wharton.
	Dr Kelly Prince, Serious Incident Officer, Keele University Kelly Prince is the Serious Incident Officer at Keele University, responding specifically to sexual violence. Her role includes policy development, staff training, misconduct investigations, and student campaigns. Kelly was a refuge worker for South Manchester Women's Aid (now part of Manchester Women's Aid) for 5 years and has studied and written on aspects of gendered violence as both an undergraduate and postgraduate. Her Masters dissertation was on domestic violence in same-sex relationships, and her PhD thesis was on voluntary sector experiences of anti-human trafficking work.
	Hayley Borrett, Sexual Violence Liaison Officer (SVLO), Keele University Hayley currently works in student services at Keele University as a Sexual Violence Liaison Officer (SVLO) within the Sexual Violence Prevention and Support Team. She supports reporting students throughout their case, whether this be through a police investigation, a university disciplinary or helping them access relevant support. Hayley is an SVLO alongside her main role of Money and Welfare advisor.
	Amy Sykes, Wellbeing manager, Cardiff University Amy Sykes is the Wellbeing Manager at Cardiff University and has held the role of Project Lead for a partnership project with Birmingham University; Creating the Culture. A whole university approach has been adopted to improve the prevention of and response to violence and abuse affecting students. Amy has introduced a tiered training model for all staff and students and has formed a Disclosure Response Team who offer practical support. Amy has developed strong links with the local SARC, South Wales Police and Welsh Women's Aid to raise the profile of how the university is addressing violence and abuse and the project has received interest from the Welsh Assembly Government, who want to implement a similar approach.
	Fiona Waye, Policy Manager, Universities UK Fiona Waye is the Senior Policy Lead in Inclusion, Equality and Diversity at Universities UK and works on a range of projects connected with promoting inclusion, equality and diversity for both higher education students and staff. Current work includes: The Universities UK taskforce to examine violence against women, harassment and hate crime affecting university students. The taskforce will provide guidance to universities on preventing and responding to incidents of violence and sexual harassment against women, hate crimes and other forms of harassment.
	Jane Amos, Head of Student Services, University of East Anglia Jane joined UEA in 2001 as a member of the International Students' Advisory Team in the Student Services division. In 2014, Jane became Deputy Dean of Students and following a reorganization of the department in 2016, Jane was appointed as Head of Student Services and as such is responsible for the Life and Learning Teams within the Student Support Service. Jane chairs the University's monthly Changing the Culture Implementation Working Group, which, in partnership with the Union of UEA students, was set up in 2017 to implement the recommendations of the UUK Taskforce on violence against women, harassment and hate crime.
	Nick Broom, Senior Learning Consultant, Epigeum After his BA (Hons) from the University of Reading, Nick took a P.G.C.E. in Modern Languages at the University of Bristol, and then moved into Teaching English as a Foreign Language (TEFL), firstly as a teacher in the UK, and then into TEFL publishing sales and marketing in Italy. During his time in Italy he worked for several major publishers in sales and marketing roles, as well as a trainer of state school teachers. On his return to the UK in 2011, he continued his association with publishing, but this time as an author, writing online and paper-based materials for TEFL, and also for students of Italian as a Foreign Language. He has been a member of Epigeum's Implementation team for just over three years, working in the role of Senior Learning Consultant.
	Elizabeth Bowles, Head of Education, Equality and Human Rights Commission Elizabeth is Head of Education at the Equality and Human Rights Commission, a UK National Human Rights Institution. Her work focusses on reducing inequality of outcome for children and young people at school and in higher education. Prior to this, she was Head of Employment at the Commission, where she led on a variety of projects, including advising private companies on business and human rights practices and improving employment practices of those working in the commercial cleaning industry. Elizabeth has had an extensive career in equality and human rights policy and has advised public and private bodies on achieving compliance and best practice. She has also led and coordinated analysis and submissions for the UN on the UK's compliance with its international legal obligations
	Gemma McCall, Co-Founder, Culture Shift Gemma McCall is the co-founder of Culture Shift, a software business that believes in using #TechForGood. Her background is in business development, with a particular knack for turning new business into long-term relationships. This is particularly true with the University of Manchester, who were the first to adopt Report + Support. Through her tenacity and passion, Gemma has gone onto build equally strong relationships and with all the institutions that have licensed Report + Support. Gemma works with Culture Shift’s Equality, Diversity and Inclusion Consultant to identify new developments for the platform, as well as overseeing new business and customer service.
	David Davidi-Brown, Chief Executive Officer, Union of Jewish Students David Davidi-Brown is CEO of the Union of Jewish Students [UJS]: "… the voice of 8,500 Jewish students and 60 Jewish Societies in the UK and Ireland … we deliver powerful campaigns; fighting prejudice, challenging stigma, and inspiring education and action." David was previously Campaigns Manager at JHub (an operating programme of Pears Foundation) and Leadership Training Coordinator at UJIA. David graduated from Nottingham Trent University with a BA (Hons) in Youth Studies. David lives with his husband Adam, is a proud uncle to six nephews and one niece and enjoys the recent highs (after suffering a lifetime mainly of lows) of being a Spurs fan.