Harassment and sexual misconduct

Harassment and sexual misconduct are defined in our Harassment and Sexual Misconduct Policy as follows:

“Harassment" is 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 as defined by the Equality Act 2010. This includes harassment by association or perception.

"Sexual Misconduct" relates to all unwanted conduct of a sexual nature. This includes, but is not limited to:

• Sexual harassment as defined by Section 26(2) Equality Act 2010.

• Assault as defined by the Sexual Offences Act 2003.

• Rape as defined by the Sexual Offences Act 2003. Physical unwanted sexual advances as set out by the Equality and Human Rights Commission: Sexual harassment and the law, 2017.

• Intimidation or promising resources or benefits in return for sexual favours as set out by the Equality and Human Rights Commission: Sexual harassment and the law, 2017.

• Distributing private and personal explicit images or video footage of an individual without their consent as defined by the Criminal Justice and Courts Act 2015.

See our Safeguarding and Respect at Walbrook webpage for further information on bullying and harassment.

Students and staff can use the secure online reporting forms below to disclose incidents of bullying, discrimination, harassment, hate crime and sexual misconduct. You can disclose anonymously or ask to speak to a trained advisor to get information on reporting options and support available so that you can make an informed decision on what happens next.

Other options which students and staff have for disclosing concerns if they don’t want to use the online form include including contacting us directly for action to be taken under the appropriate policy.

Third party reporting

We understand that some individuals may not feel comfortable reporting incidents directly. Walbrook accepts reports of harassment and sexual misconduct made on behalf of a student or witness by a third party.

This may include:

• A friend, peer, or family member

• A member of staff

• An external professional (e.g. GP, counsellor, support worker)

• A third-party reporting centre or advocacy organisation

Where third-party reports are received, we handle them with the same sensitivity and seriousness as direct reports. We will take steps to engage with the affected individual wherever possible and ensure they are aware of the support available and any action we may take. Third parties may use our online reporting forms or contact the Safeguarding Team directly. We would however encourage students and staff to consider using the online reporting forms in the first instance so that they can access specialist support from a trained advisor.

• Student and Apprentice incident reporting form

• Staff, contractor and visitor incident reporting form

• Reporting Form Guidance Notes

The following policies are relevant to how we investigate allegations of student harassment and sexual misconduct:

The Harassment and Sexual Misconduct Policy defines what harassment and sexual misconduct are and sets out our approach to preventing and addressing harassment and sexual misconduct.

In terms of how incidents are investigated, the Harassment and Sexual Misconduct Policy specifies that:

• The Student Disciplinary Policy will be used to investigate allegations of harassment and sexual misconduct against students.

• The Staff Disciplinary Policy and Procedure will be used to investigate allegations of harassment and sexual misconduct made by students against staff.

The Student Disciplinary Policy and the Staff Disciplinary Policy and Procedure set out how allegations will be investigated fairly, including timescales, stages, penalties and appeal provisions.

Students and staff can disclose how they have been affected by harassment and sexual misconduct using our online reporting forms. You can choose to do this anonymously or you can request support from an advisor. If you choose to speak to an advisor, they will be able to talk through the reporting options and support available to you, in confidence. Members of our Safeguarding Team and Student Support Team are trained Sexual Violence Liaison Officers and Mental Health First Aiders.

A range of support is available within and outside Walbrook for students and staff who have experienced harassment and sexual misconduct. Further information about support options is at the bottom of this page.

Students facing allegations: as indicated in the Harassment and Sexual Misconduct Policy, students facing allegations will be provided with a named staff member who they can contact for support. Support is also available from the Student Wellbeing Service.

Walbrook confirms that it has the capacity and resources in place to deliver the measures outlined on this page. This includes trained staff, robust systems for reporting and investigation, and support services available to students and staff involved in incidents of harassment or sexual misconduct.

Ensuring confidentiality is a key principle in creating a culture where those affected feel safe to make a disclosure about harassment and sexual misconduct.

We will take all reasonable steps to protect the confidentiality and privacy of those who disclose harassment and sexual misconduct. However, there may be circumstances (e.g. to protect an individual at risk) where we are required to share information with other agencies or to share information internally. Further details about confidentiality and information sharing are provided in the Harassment and Sexual Misconduct Policy.

We ensure that individuals who make a report or disclose an incident understand how their information will be used, what the reporting process entails, and what possible outcomes or actions may follow. This includes how information might be shared internally or with relevant external bodies in line with safeguarding and legal requirements.

In accordance with the Student Disciplinary Policy, where it is reasonable and practicable to do so in accordance with its duties and obligations under data protection legislation, we will provide the student that has raised an allegation of harassment or sexual misconduct with an outcome of the investigation and/or an explanation of any actions that we have taken, or not taken. This includes where the outcome is changed for any reason. However, it may only be possible for us to provide limited information depending on the circumstances.

We’re committed to ensuring that students understand what harassment and sexual misconduct is, how to report it, the support available to them, what consent is and how to intervene effectively.

• Since August 2025, all students have been required to complete mandatory online courses on Student Bystander Intervention and Consent on Campus, developed by subject expert organisations.  After completing these courses, we hope students will be confident making a stand against sexual harassment and advocating for others, be an active bystander, understand what does and doesn’t count as consent, and be able to dispel myths about sexual assault. These courses include a short summary on the law around sexual offences in England and Wales and information about sources of support, as well as quizzes on consent and bystander intervention which students must pass to complete the course.

• During student induction, we promote awareness of how to disclose incidents and concerns and make them aware of this comprehensive source of information on harassment and sexual misconduct.

• During the academic year, our Student Support and Wellbeing team run campaigns to promote awareness of harassment and sexual misconduct.

• We have online training programmes for staff covering the following topics:

  • Disclosure by students

    This module is designed to inform staff members about their responsibilities when receiving disclosures of harassment, hate incidents/crimes or sexual misconduct. The course provides practical guidance on how to appropriately and effectively respond to disclosures of this nature and look after yourself following a disclosure by a student.

  • Supporting students experiencing domestic violence

    This module is designed to aid staff members and HE organisations more broadly with guidance on how to support students experiencing domestic violence. The course defines domestic violence, covers key legislation and explores the impact of domestic violence on students. The module offers guidance on identifying this form of abuse, how to support a student experiencing it and recommends how to prevent it through policy, training, support and risk assessments.

  • Sexual harassment in HE

    This HE-specific sexual harassment module ensures that staff members are made well aware of the relevant legislation relating to sexual harassment and are able to identify which behaviours constitute sexual harassment. The course also ensures learners understand the impact of sexual harassment and offers guidance on the steps to take if you experience or witness someone else experiencing sexual harassment. This module is rich with audio and scenarios to ensure the learners know how to apply their knowledge in real-life situations.

  • Active bystander

    This module is designed to teach staff members what it means to be an active bystander and why all employees are encouraged to become one. The course highlights inappropriate behaviour that should be challenged by an active bystander and offers practical guidance on how to intervene safely, appropriately and effectively as an active bystander in different situations.

• During the academic year, our Student Support and Wellbeing Team run events to promote awareness.

• Staff involved in specialist roles (such as our Safeguarding Team and those staff carrying out investigations) receive specialist training appropriate and relevant to their roles.

We are committed to protecting students from any actual or potential conflict of interest and/or abuse of power that may arise from intimate personal relationships with staff. Our Employee and student relationship policy strongly discourages personal relationships between staff and students. It also confirms that where a relationship between a member of staff and student does occur, a full risk assessment must be undertaken after a review of the teaching, tutoring, assessment, administrative or any other arrangements to protect the interests of the student is protected, and that the People Team will maintain a register of any declared personal relationships that exist between an employee and a student, including the nature of any such personal relationships.

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

• Analysing and publishing data on the reporting of incidents. We will produce an annual report covering student disclosures and make this available via this website page.

• Feedback surveys are built into our online training for students and staff to help evaluate the results.

• Consulting with students on changes to our student policies on harassment and sexual misconduct. Students are represented on the committees where these policies are approved.

We will not use non-disclosure agreements (NDAs) in relation to complaints of sexual harassment, abuse, misconduct, or other forms of harassment and bullying. In addition, since September 2024 the Office for Students has prohibited universities from using NDAs in relation to student allegations of harassment and sexual misconduct.