Human Resources (HR) supported resolutions

 If you make an anonymous disclosure 

Anonymous disclosures made by or on behalf of a student about a member of staff are triaged by our Safeguarding and Welfare team and shared with HR to consider any appropriate actions. 

It may not be possible for HR to take forward an investigation into the behaviour of a member of staff with only an anonymous disclosure. Where possible we try to use the information provided to take informal action, share information with other teams and services and/or to identify patterns of behaviour. This may lead to actions including:

• the delivery of training to specific groups (eg staff in an academic school or programme)
• informal interventions with individuals identified in multiple disclosures
• an environmental investigation where there are multiple anonymous or informal disclosures within an area of the University, so that we can better understand the circumstances and determine any support and resolutions needed to prevent repetition.

If you make a disclosure with your personal details

Our Safeguarding and Welfare team will triage your disclosure and assign a Welfare Officer or Sexual Violence Liaison Officer (SVLO) (depending on the nature of your disclosure) to be your point of contact for support. 

They'll contact you to discuss your support needs and the options available to you, including the reporting process. 

You won’t be asked to provide a full account of your experience at this stage, but they might ask you some questions to assess any potential risk to you or others, and advise you on next steps.

Making a report

If there's a potential case of staff misconduct to consider, your disclosure will be shared with HR and taken forward in line with the University’s Staff Disciplinary Procedure. The procedure sets out both informal and formal steps, which may include a disciplinary investigation. 

If it's decided that there should be a disciplinary investigation, you may be asked to contribute to this, if you feel able.  

HR will coordinate this procedure, and you'll be given a named contact in HR who will liaise with you about your involvement in it. The investigating team will be made up of a lead investigator (normally assigned from outside your school) and your named contacted in HR.  

You can continue to access support via the Safeguarding and Welfare team or your SVLO during the process. 

Sometimes other policies may be relevant, such as the Staff Capability Procedure.  Any relevant procedure will be explained to you by your HR contact. 

You'll have the opportunity to set out your concerns and your version of events to the investigating team. The reported staff member will also have the opportunity to separately respond to the concerns and give their account.  An independent decision-maker will review the evidence and decide on any further action needed.

Confidentiality

Both you and the reported staff member will be asked to respect the confidential and personal nature of the process and to retain information provided to you as part of that process sensitively and appropriately. This is to:

• create a safe environment for the investigation to take place
• safeguard all of those participating in the investigation
• ensure the investigation is not compromised in any way.

We understand that you may want to discuss your experience with family and friends in order to seek support, but it's important you don't take any action which could be viewed as intimidation or harassment of the reported staff member in the process(eg in person, using social media or via third parties).

Timescales

Timescales may vary depending on the nature and complexity of the case. Investigations should be carried out as quickly as is practicable and without unreasonable delay. 

Where there are unavoidable delays, we'll keep you informed and wherever possible, we'll agree steps between the parties to make progress.

How we inform you of an outcome

Following the completion of the staff disciplinary procedure, we'll share as much information as possible with you about any formal process and outcome. 

Where we're not able to share specific information with you, we will explain why. 

In deciding what information can be shared, we need to weigh up the purpose of sharing (including the lawful basis), why it is necessary, and on balance, whether it's appropriate and proportionate. 

We'll share information at key points, including when an investigation is complete and when an outcome of a formal procedure or an appeal is reached.

Making a complaint

If you are not satisfied with how we've handled your report, you can consider making a complaint through the Student Complaints process.