Tackling violence, harassment and hate incidents 2022

These are past events

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Overview

Universities across the UK are committed to tackling all forms of harassment affecting students and staff. This annual, highly-regarded national conference will explore recent developments and sector progress over the past year. It is the perfect chance to hear from and engage with sector-leading experts, as well as from other organisations and the third sector. Topics we will be covering include:

Sexual harassment
Racial harassment
Staff-to-student sexual misconduct
Faith-based harassment
Reporting

The conference will include a keynote address by Universities UK's President, Professor Steve West CBE, Vice-Chancellor, President, and Chief Executive of the University of the West of England, Bristol (UWE).

This conference will be held in-person at Woburn House, Tavistock Square, London.

If you have any questions about this or any other of our events, please contact us at events@universitiesuk.ac.uk or 07500 441505.

We allow delegates to cancel their bookings up to one month before the event and receive a refund. If this applies to you, please contact us at the email or phone number above.

If you want to stay up to date with our events, news and publications, you can sign up for our newsletters here.

Agenda

09:30

Woburn House: Registration and refreshments

10:00

12:00

Opening plenaries

Room: Woburn Hall

10:00

10:20

Welcome and opening remarks

Professor Steve West CBE, Vice-Chancellor, President and Chief Executive Officer, University of West England, and President, Universities UK

10:20

11:10

Understanding students’ experiences of harassment

Amy Norton, Head of Equality, Diversity and Inclusion, Office for Students
Natasha Dhumma, Campaigns Director UK & England, National Union of Students (NUS)
Peter Chesworth, Deputy Chief Executive, Universities Australia
Dr Carrie-Anne Myers, Senior Lecturer in Criminology and Sociology, City University of London

Valid and reliable data are critical to tackling harassment. Data helps us to see and understand the problem, inform policy and practice, and target interventions effectively. This session will explore different methods to better understand students’ experiences of harassment in all its forms.

11:10

11:30

Progress and next steps in tackling racial harassment

Professor David Richardson, Vice-Chancellor, University of East Anglia and Chair, Advisory group on tackling racial harassment, Universities UK

Professor Richardson will share reflections on the sector’s progress in tackling racial harassment following the launch of UUK's guidance to tackle racial harassment in 2020 and explore where next for the sector.

11:30

12:00

Campaigning to End Violence Against Women and Girls

Ruth McNee, Head of Business Development, Crimestoppers Trust
Niamh Kerr, Training and Education Coordinator for Colleges and Universities, Rape Crisis Scotland

This session is an opportunity to hear about some the leading initiatives and campaigns across the UK that are focused on raising awareness of Violence Against Women and Girls (VAWG) and how these can support the higher education sector.

12:00

12:20

Refreshments

Room: Tavistock Room

12:20

13:10

Breakout sessions (choose one to attend)

12:20

13:10

A: Investigations in cases of sexual misconduct

Mick Confrey, Chief Operations Officer, Intersol Global

This session will be a practical and insightful session on good practice in managing investigations. It will address challenges in managing the investigation process and explore methods that can be used to conduct investigations effectively, even in the most complex cases.

Room: Woburn Hall

12:20

13:10

B: Creating religiously inclusive universities for students of all faiths and none 

David Malpas, Director of Student Affairs, Middlesex University
Professor Kristin Aune, Professor of Sociology of Religion, Coventry University 
Dr James Walters, Director, Faith Centre and Chaplain and Senior Lecturer in Practice, London School of Economics
Chair: Sarah Bevan, Policy Researcher, Universities UK

This panel discussion will address how institutions can create religiously inclusive cultures for students of all faiths and none. From building good relations to co-creating initiatives with students, discussion will provide positive solutions for preventing and responding to religious and faith-based harassment on campus.

Room: Foster and Bloomsbury

12:20

13:10

C: Addressing harassment experienced by staff in the workplace

Sundari Anitha, Professor of Gender, Violence and Work, College of Social Science, University of Lincoln and member, Sexual violence task group, University and College Union (UCU)
Ruth Levin, Senior national education officer, Unison
Chair: Margaret Ayers, Vice Chair, UHR and Director of Human Resources and Organisational Development, Canterbury Christ Church University

In this session, we’ll hear from different employers and unions on how to tackle all forms of harassment in the workplace. This will include the outcomes from a report from UCU’s sexual violence task group.

Room: Boardroom

13:10

13:50

Lunch and networking

Room: Tavistock Room

13:50

14:40

Breakout sessions (choose one to attend)

13:50

14:40

A: Lessons learned from implementing the UUK and Pinsent Masons' guidance: ‘How to handle alleged student misconduct which may also constitute a criminal offence'

Julian Sladdin, Partner, Pinsent Masons
Chair: Nicola Bradfield, Group Director, Legal Services, Coventry University

It is now over 5 years since UUK and Pinsent Masons published guidance on ‘How to handle alleged student misconduct which may also constitute a criminal offence'. In this session, you can hear some reflections from Pinsent Masons and have the opportunity to offer your own feedback, and any lessons learned, on the implementation of the guidance.

Room: Foster and Bloomsbury

13:50

14:40

B: Tackling racism and racial harassment – looking back and looking forward

Dr Arun Verma, Head of Race Equality Charter, Advance HE
Clare Matysova, Equity, Diversity and Inclusion Manager, London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine
Jordan Lewis, Race Equality Adviser, London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine 
Saadia Abubaker, Student, Swansea University and Community Consultant, Race Equality Action Plan (REAP) for Wales
Chair: Professor David Richardson, Vice-Chancellor, University of East Anglia and Chair, Advisory group on tackling racial harassment, Universities UK

Building on the earlier address from Professor David Richardson, this panel discussion will share reflections and practical case studies on their efforts to tackle racism and racial harassment in the past two years and explore what more could and should be done to deliver change.

Room: Woburn Hall

13:50

14:40

C: Protecting and supporting our transgender and non-binary communities

Dr Stephanie Mckendry, Head of Access, Equality and Inclusion, University of Strathclyde
Chair: Fiona Waye, Policy Manager, Universities UK

Issues that transgender and non-binary staff and students face are complex. This session will explore the latest thinking and development in this area with specific reference to protecting and supporting our transgender and non-binary communities to feel safe and included on our campuses.

Room: Boardroom

14:40

15:00

Refreshment break

Room: Tavistock Room

15:00

16:30

Closing plenaries

Room: Woburn Hall

15:00

15:10

Welcome back from the chair

Professor Debra Humphris, Vice-Chancellor, University of Brighton

15:10

16:00

Staff to student sexual misconduct guidance

Professor Cara Aitchison, President and Vice-Chancellor, Cardiff Metropolitan University
Simmone Ahiaku, Campaigning and Influencing consultant (Liberation), NUS
Margaret Ayers, Vice Chair, UHR and Director of Human Resources and Organisational Development, Canterbury Christ Church University
Dr Julie Macfarlane, Co-Founder, Can’t Buy My Silence

Join us to listen to our panel made up of key stakeholders and contributors to discuss the recommendations from UUK’s guidance on addressing staff to student sexual misconduct.

16:00

16:30

Guidance on sharing data in harassment cases

Professor David Richardson, Vice-chancellor, University of East Anglia and Chair, Data Sharing Stakeholder Group, Universities UK
Elizabeth Dunford, Principal Solicitor (Technology/Data Protection), Coventry University
Clarissa Humphreys, Sexual Misconduct Prevention and Response Manager, Durham University
Alex Potts, Data Protection and Freedom of Information Officer, UCL
Nicola Bradfield, Group Director, Legal Services, Coventry University

Following a presentation on the UUK’s guidance to support universities in sharing data in harassment cases, the panel will delve into the implementation of the guidance and what this means for the sector.

16:30

Closing remarks

Professor Debra Humphris, Vice-Chancellor, University of Brighton

Who should attend?

This conference is open to all with an interest in the topic, but will be particularly 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

Sponsorship

We have a range of sponsorship opportunities available. You can view them here.

Please contact Jess Jackson, Marketing and Sponsorships Officer, for more information: jess.jackson@universitiesuk.ac.uk

Intersol Global

https://www.intersolglobal.com/

Tackling violence, harassment and hate incidents 2022

These are past events

Overview

Agenda

Who should attend?

Sponsorship

Overview

Agenda

Woburn House: Registration and refreshments

Opening plenaries

Welcome and opening remarks

Understanding students’ experiences of harassment

Progress and next steps in tackling racial harassment

Campaigning to End Violence Against Women and Girls

Refreshments

Breakout sessions (choose one to attend)

A: Investigations in cases of sexual misconduct

B: Creating religiously inclusive universities for students of all faiths and none

C: Addressing harassment experienced by staff in the workplace

Lunch and networking

Breakout sessions (choose one to attend)

A: Lessons learned from implementing the UUK and Pinsent Masons' guidance: ‘How to handle alleged student misconduct which may also constitute a criminal offence'

B: Tackling racism and racial harassment – looking back and looking forward

C: Protecting and supporting our transgender and non-binary communities

Refreshment break

Closing plenaries

Welcome back from the chair

Staff to student sexual misconduct guidance

Guidance on sharing data in harassment cases

Closing remarks

Who should attend?

Sponsorship

Sponsored by:

Intersol Global

Stay up to date with our work

B: Creating religiously inclusive universities for students of all faiths and none 