Harassment and Sexual Misconduct

Harassment, sexual violence and sexual misconduct are addressed under the University of Roehampton's Dignity and Respect Policy and the Sexual Violence Policy.

Harassment

Section 26 of the Equality Act 2010, defines harassment as: 'Unwanted conduct related to a relevant protected characteristic, which has the purpose or effect of violating an individual's dignity, or creating an intimidating, hostile, degrading, humiliating or offensive environment.'

Section 1 of the Protection from Harassment Act 1997, states that:

"A person must not pursue a course of conduct which amounts to harassment of another and which they know or ought to know amounts to harassment."

Sexual Misconduct

OfS Condition E6 defines sexual misconduct as "Any unwanted or attempted unwanted conduct of a sexual nature." 

This includes, but is not limited to:

• Sexual harassment
• Sexual assault
• Rape

Consent can be described as a 'decision to participate in a sexual act where the individual has both the freedom and capacity to make that decision. Consent cannot be assumed on the basis of a previous sexual experience or previously given consent, or from the absence of complaint.'

For more information relating to Harassment and Sexual Misconduct, see our Report and Support Portal.

Everyone at Roehampton, whether studying, working, or visiting, has the right to feel safe. We are dedicated to providing a safe and inclusive environment for our students, staff and visitors, and we do not tolerate any acts of violence, harassment or sexual misconduct.

Our dedicated Report and Support portal outlines important information on harassment and sexual misconduct, as well as bullying, discrimination and hate crimes.

Students, staff and visitors at Roehampton can use this platform to report any incidents of harassment and sexual misconduct. This can be done via a named report or an anonymous report.

Anyone who does not wish to use this tool can report an incident by booking an appointment with one of our qualified Sexual Violence Liaison Officers. There is also the option to contact the Wellbeing Team or the Students' Union for support and advice. The Student Complaints team can also be contacted as outlined in Roehampton’s Sexual Violence Policy.

Further information on reporting incidents of sexual misconduct can be found here.

If you have been impacted by or witnessed harassment or sexual misconduct, both students and staff can make a report via our dedicated Report and Support portal. You can make a report anonymously or submit a named report. Anyone reporting an incident will be contacted and offered support by a Student Wellbeing Officer.

We offer wide range of support for those affected by harassment and sexual misconduct. Our Report and Support portal outlines the types of support you can receive while studying, working or visiting Roehampton.

• What support is available if I’ve been a victim of sexual misconduct?
• What support is available if I’ve been subject to bullying, harassment or a hate crime?

Student Wellbeing Officers

Our Wellbeing Team offer a range of support to students who have been affected by harassment and sexual misconduct. Our friendly and supportive Student Wellbeing Officers are based across each of our four Colleges, providing guidance and resources to support emotional and mental wellbeing. They can help connect students with internal and external teams for advice on mental health support, personal safety, including harassment and assault, and on how to access additional support services.

SVLO Service

Our Sexual Violence Liaison Officers (SVLOs) are highly qualified specialist staff who provide support to students who have experienced sexual violence at any time in their lives. They work on a one-to-one basis to explore options in relation to support, either from within the University or from external partner organisations, as well as explaining reporting options.

Support is confidential and does not pressure anyone into taking any particular course of action. Support can be accessed whether incidents happened recently or some time ago.

Book an appointment with a Sexual Violence Liaison Officer.

Counselling Service

Any student can refer themselves to our free-of-charge Counselling service. We provide up to six one-to-one counselling sessions per term to students. Our Counselling Team provides a safe, non-judgemental space for students to speak with a trained professional and explore their feelings, thoughts, and behaviours.

Students can self-refer through the Nest portal or discuss with a Student Wellbeing Officer whether seeing a counsellor is the right step.

Students Facing Allegations

It can be distressing facing allegations of harassment or sexual misconduct. Our Report and Support page offers advice for those facing allegations of sexual misconduct.

All students facing allegations are offered support from a Student Wellbeing Officer.

The University will not make assumptions on the relative merits of a complaint. No party will be considered ‘at fault’ until a complaint has been investigated and fairly determined.

The University of Roehampton takes all allegations of harassment and sexual misconduct seriously and will investigate in line with the University’s Student Disciplinary Regulations.

The University will not make assumptions on the relative merits of a complaint. No party will be considered ‘at fault’ until a complaint has been investigated and fairly determined.

Where an allegation arises that a student’s behaviour has breached the Student Code of Conduct, the University has the power to take immediate precautionary action. This is not a penalty or sanction and will not be used as evidence that a student has breached the University's rules.

Precautionary action may be taken for the reasons outlined in P 1.28 of the Student Disciplinary Regulations.

All disciplinary procedures assume the principles of fairness, standard of proof and confidentiality.

We understand how difficult it can be to report harassment or sexual misconduct. Following a report, reporting students and victims of harassment and sexual misconduct can access tailored support from our Wellbeing Team, which can be accessed through our Report and Support portal, our dedicated SVLO service, or our Bystander Intervention Team. Further details are available here: Sexual Misconduct.

Reports will be investigated in a timely manner in line with our university Disciplinary Regulations.

'The disciplinary procedures will be carried out in as quick and timely a manner as possible and normally within 90 days of an allegation being received by the University, although all parties are to accept that additional time may be necessary.

Where an allegation is being considered by the police, the CPS or another official authority, it is likely that University's consideration of an allegation will take longer than 90 days to complete. At each stage in the disciplinary procedures, students will be provided with information about the relevant timescales to which both they and the University will normally be expected to comply.'

Anyone wishing to request an appeal must notify the University Secretariat in writing within 14 days of the date of the official notification of a decision. The notice of appeal must be accompanied by a written statement that identifies precisely the grounds upon which the appeal is based and any supporting evidence.

We are committed to taking steps that will make a significant and credible difference in protecting students from harassment and sexual misconduct.

These steps include:

• the provision of training and awareness raising around harassment and sexual misconduct for all our staff and students;
• the presence of our Bystander Intervention team (who are trained to notice, intervene and support victims of harassment and sexual misconduct) at many of our University and Students’ Union events on and off campus;
• ensuring all students in student/staff roles have completed additional Bystander and Consent training;
• hosting awareness raising events throughout the year including during Sexual Abuse and Sexual Violence Awareness Week in February and Sexual Assault Awareness Month in April;
• proactive and reactive steps taken by our Campus Safety and Security team and our College Warden team to help prevent, as well as respond to incidents of harassment and sexual misconduct;
• bi-monthly meetings taking place of the University’s Sexual Violence Working Group (SVWG). The SVWG brings together University and Students’ Union staff, students and external colleagues all committed to raising awareness of, and reducing incidents of, sexual misconduct;
• having robust and efficient disciplinary processes in place, including the option to implement precautionary action measures to protect students from any potential risks.

Our dedicated Report and Support page contains information on what harassment, sexual misconduct and consent are, as well as providing information on how to report incidents, and how to access support.

Our university policies outline the steps that we take to ensure that students are safe when they choose to study with us:

• Student Contract
• Student Code of Conduct
• Dignity and Respect Policy
• Safeguarding Policy and Procedure
• Student Complaints Policy and Procedure
• Student Disciplinary Regulations
• Student Sexual Violence Policy 

We are committed to keeping student data confidential and secure, in line with our Data Protection Policy and the Data Protection Act 2018. All staff complete mandatory training on data protection and will not share any information regarding students with external parties without express permission from the student themselves, unless it is to protect vital interests.

Where a student has engaged with support, this information will, whenever possible, be kept confidential to all staff, except those directly involved. However, we may share information without a student's consent in the following situations:

• If there is risk of serious harm to our students or staff
• There is a risk of a serious crime being committed
• If it is deemed that mental incapacity prevents a person from making an informed judgement

Information about the University’s data protection principles and policy, copies of our privacy notices and details on how to students’ rights to access their data via a data subject access request are here: Data Protection.

At Roehampton, we are committed to ensuring our students understand what behaviours may constitute harassment and sexual misconduct, what consent is, how to be an active bystander, how to report incidents and that they are aware of the support available.

From August 2025 all new students will be required to complete a mandatory training course on Understanding Harassment and Sexual Misconduct during their induction period. All returning students will also be required to undertake this training at the start of each academic year. The course aims to ensure that all students have a thorough understanding of what harassment, sexual misconduct and consent are, as well as knowing how to report incidents using our dedicated Report and Support platform as well as through the other routes available, as described above.

In addition to the training provided to all students, we provide more in-depth Active Bystander Training to students in staff/student roles such as our Bystander Intervention Leads, Student Leaders, Flat Reps and College Wardens. This empowers them to confidently and successfully intervene during incidents of harassment and sexual misconduct. Our team of Bystanders attend events during Freshers Week and throughout the academic year to ensure the Roehampton community feels safe, supported and cared for. They also take part in awareness days, promoting both the internal and external support available when facing harassment and sexual misconduct.

At Roehampton, the student voice is extremely important to us. Throughout the year, we offer opportunities for students to feedback on our services, including our delivery of student training, so that we continue to offer the best possible service for our students.

From August 2025 all staff will be required to undertake a mandatory training module on Understanding Harassment and Sexual Misconduct. This aims to ensure:

• that staff understand behaviour that may constitute harassment and sexual misconduct;
• that staff have the required knowledge and skills to support students who wish to make allegations or complaints about harassment or sexual misconduct;
• that staff have the required knowledge and skills to support students who have alleged or experienced incidents of harassment or sexual misconduct;
• that staff have the required knowledge and skills to support students who are the actual or alleged perpetrators of incidents of harassment or sexual misconduct.

We are currently developing our staff training in line with E6 conditions. This mandatory training will be available from the start of the 2025/26 academic year.

Specialist training

All our Student Wellbeing Officers have completed specialist Sexual Violence Liaison Officer training ensuring they can deliver trauma-informed support and guidance students who have experienced sexual violence at any point in their lives, advising on reporting options and available support.

Staff involved in investigatory and disciplinary procedures will also receive specialist training to ensure they have the required knowledge and skills to undertake investigations or make decisions in relation to incidents of harassment or sexual misconduct.

Throughout the academic year, the University delivers numerous awareness raising events, including events focussing on harassment, sexual misconduct, consent and healthy relationships. These reinforce the principles delivered in the mandatory training, benefitting all in our university community.

We are committed to making a significant and credible difference in protecting students from any actual or potential conflict of interest or abuse of power that may result from intimate personal relationships with staff. Our Personal Relationships at Work Policy prohibits staff from entering into personal relationships with students for whom they have a professional responsibility (assessing, supervising, tutoring, teaching, for pastoral care or for whom they are required to provide administrative or technical support). Pre-existing relationships are exempt from this but must be declared so that any potential conflicts of interest can be considered and addressed.

Failure to declare a personal relationship may constitute a disciplinary offence and as such would result in an investigation following our investigation procedures.

In accordance with the Office for Students E6 condition on harassment and sexual misconduct, prohibiting universities from using non-disclosure agreements (NDAs) in relation to student allegations of harassment and sexual misconduct from September 2024, the University of Roehampton will not use NDAs in these circumstances.