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UUK publishes new guidance to support universities in tackling harassment and sexual misconduct

28^th March 2024

UUK publishes new guidance to support universities in tackling harassment and sexual misconduct

Universities have a zero-tolerance approach to harassment. In addition to a moral imperative to take action, universities are also subject to legal and regulatory duties that require them to protect their staff and students from harassment.

In addressing issues, universities find themselves dealing with incredibly complex and, in some cases, conflicting legislation. When a criminal investigation is underway, there is a need to balance the interests of the students involved and legal limits on what information they can share.

In May 2022, to support universities in tackling harassment, the CUC developed guidance to provide practical support for governors leading and managing harassment in their universities. Governing bodies have a crucial role in providing leadership to their institution and creating a culture that ensures universities become safe places to live, work, and study for staff and students.

In addition, in March 2024, UUK published a Supplemental Note to its UUK-Pinsent Masons Guidance, which focuses on challenging areas and provides practical case studies.

“While each case is different, we hope it will assist universities with the continued development of their processes and to address issues that may arise with greater confidence.” Nicola Bradfield, Associate Pro Vice-Chancellor, Coventry University

There is no doubt that universities have made much progress in tackling harassment and sexual misconduct. A recent survey published by OfS showed that 98% of UUK’s members had introduced a process where students could report in-person incidents of harassment or sexual misconduct [1].

Despite this, reports of harassment on university campuses continue.

In response, John Rushforth, Executive Secretary at the Committee of University Chairs, emphasised that:

“Universities have made much progress in this area; however, complacency isn’t an option, and more work is still required.”

The CUC is promoting the new UUK guidance to University governing body chairs as valuable to all who find themselves involved in cases of misconduct.

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[1] Survey published by the OfS, conducted by SUMS Consulting: SUMS’ final report published from our evaluation of Office for Students’ statement of expectations – SUMS