Report and Support Quarterly Summer 2021 Summary of Actions taken

A Report and Support Forum has been established, comprising a range of student representation, staff from Human Resources, Conduct, Student Services, colleagues working with the local community, and convened by Ruth Unsworth, Chair of the University-wide Equally Safe Group and Mental Health Task Force. The forum considers best ways to address operational issues and ensures a consistency of approach to better understand the data insights and produce recommendations for action.

The forum acknowledged the need to further advertise the existence of the reporting tool, to ensure that everyone in our community knows about Report and Support. The Forum welcomed students’ suggestions to amend the Support pages by including short video clips describing the process of reporting with contact details and anonymously to improve confidence in reporting.

Staff responded according to the wishes of reporters whenever contact details were provided. This included offering or arranging support, and giving guidance on the formal reporting process, or both.

Human Resources (HR) have reflected that a small increase in students reporting incidents against staff may indicate that this tool provides ease of reporting and heightened awareness.

When an anonymous reporter names someone or provides another form of identifying characteristic, staff are concerned to meet both the institutional duty of care and to undertake risk assessments in compliance of data protection towards all parties, i.e. the reporter and those reported. Staff, therefore, after risk assessment, as a preventative action, may inform a relevant colleague with responsibility, e.g. a line manager or warden, unless doing so compromises safeguarding. All staff responding to these reports have adopted an approach of regular review and reflection to ensure responses are appropriate, sensitive, and effective.