Harassment and Sexual Misconduct

The University of Cumbria's Healthy Relationships Hub is our dedicated Harassment and Sexual Misconduct information hub serving as a central, accessible hub for all relevant policies, procedures, and support pathways. Here you can make a report, or seek information about sexual misconduct, harassment (physical or online), bullying, hate crimes and hate incidents, domestic abuse and spiking as well as obtain guidance on what to do if you need support. These pages clearly outline our stance on harassment and sexual misconduct, provides guidance on reporting and investigations, and includes information on staff-student relationships. It is designed to be easy to navigate and understand. Through this resource, we demonstrate our proactive commitment to preventing and responding to harassment and sexual misconduct within our university community.

Our Commitment To Protecting Students and Staff

The University of Cumbria’s values articulate our commitment to mutual respect and understanding and place an emphasis on underpinning all our practices with trust and honesty. Bullying, harassment and sexual misconduct have a detrimental effect on the health, confidence, morale and performance of those affected and the University. The University is committed to providing a positive work and study experience for all of our stakeholders, which includes a zero-tolerance approach to bullying, harassment or sexual misconduct, as is detailed in our University Inclusivity Statement, hosted at Equality, Diversity & Inclusion | University of Cumbria. 

As part of taking action in this area, the university became White Ribbon accredited in June 2022. Becoming accredited led to the development of a three year action plan, aligning closely with our responsibilities to prevent bullying, harassment and sexual misconduct for everyone within our community. Further details on White Ribbon, including our action plan can be accessed at White Ribbon UK Accreditation - University of Cumbria

Reporting Issues and Concerns

At the University of Cumbria, we believe that harassment, sexual misconduct, bullying, domestic abuse, hate crime, and discrimination are never acceptable. If you or someone you know has experienced or witnessed something concerning, there are several ways to report it to the University.

If you’re at immediate risk of harm, please call 999 to speak with the Emergency Services. Alternatively, you can report your concern to the University through our dedicated reporting tool, You Report, We Support. Reporting to the University, the Emergency Services or both is entirely your choice. Whatever you decide, your choice will be respected, and you can always access sour specialist advisors for further support. In rare cases, the University may need to contact the police or other authorities directly, especially if there are broader safeguarding concerns. We will always try to speak with you first before taking any action.

Professional Relationships Between Staff and Students

We are committed to protecting students from any actual or potential conflict of interest and/or abuse of power that may arise from inappropriate professional relationships with staff. Our Professional Relationships Between Employees and Others Policy sets out our expectations and requirements regarding personal relationships between members of the University community. The policy seeks to protect staff and students from allegations of actual or perceived conflicts of interest, to limit circumstances where a position of power may be abused and to support the safeguarding of students and ‘adults at risk’.  For further information on our policies and procedure, please click the image below. 

Investigations and Outcomes

The University engages all investigating officer and chairs of disciplinary hearings in training to ensure that the disciplinary process is carried out fairly and impartially. Furthermore, all of our training includes the consideration of allegations of harassment and sexual misconduct to ensure all parties are informed and appropriately supported during and after an investigation. 

Our Prevention of Bullying Harassment and Sexual Misconduct Policy explains what types of conduct amount to harassment and sexual misconduct and sets out the University's approach to preventing and addressing harassment and sexual misconduct. The policy provide clear definitions of unacceptable behaviour, procedures for reporting incidents, and the support available to affected individuals. Further policies and procedure are available in our Policies, Procedure and Guidance Information Pages above. 

Our You Report, We Support webform provides students with an easily accessible mechanism for reporting incidents of harassment, sexual misconduct, bullying, discrimination and other inappropriate behaviours. It also gives the opportunity for reports to be made anonymously. 

Where concerns are raised regarding the behaviour of a student, the matter will normally be progressed through the Student Disciplinary Procedure.

Where the concerns related to the behaviour of a member of staff with the University or a placement organisation, a person who has been contracted by the University, or a visitor to the University, the report will be progressed through the Student Complaints Procedure. 

Handling of Information

All information collected in connection with incidents of harassment or sexual misconduct is treated with sensitivity and fairness. Confidentiality is maintained at all times, unless there is an immediate risk of serious harm or a safeguarding concern, where emergency services or relevant authorities may be contacted. We will inform you beforehand wherever possible.

Student and staff records are securely stored with restricted access. These records are retained for six years after a student leaves or a staff member’s employment ends. In some cases, records may be kept longer if they relate to ongoing matters involving others at the university.

Information will only be shared where there is a legal basis to do so. 

Informing Individuals

We’re committed to keeping individuals informed about the progress and outcomes of reports of harassment and sexual misconduct, in accordance with our legal responsibilities and institutional procedures:

• All student investigations will be normally be progressed through the Student Disciplinary Procedure. Where reasonable and lawful under data protection laws, the student who made the report (the reporting party) will be informed of the outcome and any resulting actions. The level of detail shared may depend on the circumstances and legal requirements.
• If the allegation involves a member of staff, the case will be referred to our internal People and Culture Team (Human Resources) and managed under the University’s Staff Disciplinary Policy and Procedure.
• At the conclusion of any process, appropriate information about the outcome and any next steps is shared with those directly involved in the case, such as the person who made the report (the reporting party) and the person against whom the allegation was made (the responding party), in line with data protection legislation.

Information is managed in line with the university’s Data Protection Policies, ensuring confidentiality and appropriate handling of personal information.​

Freedom of Speech

At the University of Cumbria, we are proud to uphold the principles of freedom of speech as part of our core values. This university respects the rights and freedoms of individuals, including the right to express their views freely, even if those views are controversial or unpopular. We emphasises the importance of maintaining a safe and respectful environment for all members of the university community. We believe that open dialogue must go hand-in-hand with respect. 

We do not use non-disclosure agreements (NDAs) or confidentiality clauses to silence individuals who speak out about harassment, sexual misconduct or other forms of inappropriate behaviour. We want all students and staff to feel safe, heard, and empowered to share their experiences. It is important that our community feels supported and the use of such clauses would be considered to be wholly unacceptable.