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 redressElizabeth 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
|