Breaking the Silence – Sexual Misconduct and Higher Education
The challenge for HR
Friday 10th December 10am – 12pm
How do universities do more than the bare minimum on harassment and sexual misconduct? This panel discussion, aimed at HR Directors and senior colleagues working in the field, brings together established experts in the field of sexual misconduct. Each panellist will be invited to outline their work in the area and share their reflections on where we need to focus energy going forwards before taking part in a facilitated panel discussion where delegates are invited to submit questions.
This issue is highly relevant as indicated by the open letter sent by the 1752 group and signed by a hundred people, including professors and senior academics from universities across the UK. The letter was sent to a range of institutions including UHR, UUK and OIA on 10th November 2021 and called for new guidance for group/multiple complaints of sexual harassment in higher education following the recent Al Jazeera investigation, ‘Degrees of Abuse’ into sexual misconduct in UK higher education.
A follow up confidential debate room could be hosted by UHR, in the new year, should delegates think that a safe space for discussing progress and challenges would be a helpful event.
Chair
Margaret Ayers
Director of Human Resources & Organisational Development at Canterbury Christ Church University
Margaret has worked as HR Director at four universities: Christ Church, Edinburgh, Kent and Queen Mary University of London. Her main accomplishment in these roles has been in creating meaningful people strategies that support the organisation and the people who work in it.
With a very broad appreciation of HR, from people development and organisational development to employment law and reward, Margaret used to teach Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development students reward and employment resourcing at a local college. Margaret is also interested in how the whole organisation works, and enjoys being part of SMT and working beyond the HR function. Margaret is a Vice Chair of UHR and represents the organisation on the UUK working group that is developing sector guidance on addressing sexual misconduct
Panel
Kim Doyle
Kim is a barrister and Chair of LimeCulture CIC, a national sexual violence and safeguarding organisation. For the last 30 years she has worked extensively in the field of sexual violence and child protection working closely with the police, health practitioners, lawyers and other third sector agencies to improve the standard of rape and child abuse investigations and prosecutions across the UK and internationally. Kim has worked with UUK and many universities to help them develop a strategic cross-departmental response to the sexual violence. She also developed the role of Sexual Violence Liaison Officer which has now been adopted in over 65 universities in the UK and Scotland.
Jim Dickinson
Jim is an Associate Editor at Wonkhe where he takes a particular interest in students, governance and higher education regulation and leads on our work with students’ unions.
Jim is a former long standing director at the National Union of Students, where he led on students’ union development, campaigns and political strategy, student engagement and governance.
He was also CEO at the students’ union at UEA in Norwich, acting as the lead staff member on behalf of the elected student officers of the union providing strategic management for the union’s charitable and commercial vehicles and policy support for the elected student officers.
Jim has served as a governor and trustee in both further and higher education and the voluntary sector, and is a regular speaker at sector events and conferences. He is a fellow of the Royal Society of the Arts, and an obsessive fan of the Eurovision Song Contest.
Clarissa J. Humphreys
Sexual Misconduct Prevention and Response Manager Durham University
Clarissa is the co-author of Addressing Student Sexual Violence in Higher Education: A Good Practice Guide. She is a practitioner and leading authority on addressing gender-based violence in Higher Education and was the first person to hold a dedicated role in this area in the United Kingdom. She is an experienced trainer and has developed and delivered courses covering topics such as understanding sexual violence in Higher Education, responding to disclosures, and conducting trauma-informed investigations, adjudication and disciplinary processes.
She currently works as the Sexual Misconduct Prevention and Response Manager at Durham University and is responsible for policy development, case management, student support and prevention and training. Prior to this role, she gained extensive professional experience working as a forensic mental health social worker in England and as a Licensed Master Social Worker and Licensed Chemical Dependency Counsellor in Texas. She has worked with survivors and perpetrators of domestic abuse and sexual violence and with individuals with acute mental illness and co-occurring substance use issues.
Nicola Bennison – Eversheds Sutherland
Nicola is a partner in our Employment Group. She has considerable experience of employment tribunal litigation with a particular focus on the Education Sector. Nicola is an experienced tribunal advocate and has appeared on behalf of respondents in cases involving a wide range of issues including unfair dismissal, wrongful dismissal, discrimination, whistleblowing, TUPE and pay.
Nicola qualified in 1992, and has been involved in employment litigation throughout her career dealing with claims both in the Employment Tribunal and in the High and County Courts. In addition to her contentious practice, Nicola also gives advice in relation to non-contentious matters such as business change including TUPE and restructuring, complex disciplinary and grievance matters and senior terminations. In her broader Education practice, Nicola also advises on student issues and regulatory challenge of education bodies.
Nicola is described in Chambers by sources as providing "very good, professional and pragmatic advice” and as having “an exceptionally good understanding of…business”. She is a recommended lawyer in Legal 500 for both her employment and education practices.
Sian Jones-Davies – Eversheds Sutherland
Siân is a Senior Associate in our education sector group and specialises in Student issues and regulatory matters. She has significant experience of providing legal and strategic advice to institutions in the further and higher education sectors.
Siân advises across the breadth of student-related issues including the student contract and consumer law, accommodation contracts, complaints and academic appeals, court claims (including judicial review and discrimination), discipline, sexual misconduct, investigations, student mental health and duty of care, fitness/support to study, fitness to practise, equality and diversity, natural justice, data protection and freedom of speech.
She reviews and drafts student regulations, policies and procedures and advises on their lawful implementation.
Siân regularly delivers in-house and external training to institutions and speaks at national conferences and sector events, and writes articles on Student-related issues.
Siân contributed the legal chapter to Student Mental Health & Wellbeing in Higher Education - A Practical Guide (Barden & Caleb) 2019.
Siân is described as a rising star in Legal 500.
Fiona Waye – UUK
Fiona leads on UUK programme to change the culture of higher education to one that prevents all forms of gender-based violence, harassment and hate, so that all members of the university community can live, work and study safely, and reach their full potential.
She worked for over 35 years in the education sector at both secondary and higher education level as a teacher, lecturer, researcher and policy development. This includes a broad range of policy areas focusing on ensuring that students and staff are supported to have the best possible experience at university.
Please note that this event is for UHR members only - aimed at HR Directors and senior colleagues.
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Type : Training
Please contact info@uhr.ac.uk for more information