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Tameside College Access and Higher Education

Beaufort Road, Ashton-under-Lyne, Greater Manchester, OL6 6NX, UK

Harassment and Sexual Misconduct Policy Hub

Tameside College HE: Harassment and Sexual Misconduct Policy Hub

1.    Our Commitment

Tameside College is committed to ensuring a safe and inclusive environment where all community members can study, work, and live free from harassment. We are committed to promoting equal opportunities, embracing diversity, and fostering inclusivity, which we believe are essential to achieving our strategic goals and long-term success.

2.    Reporting harassment incidents

All staff and students can report bullying, harassment, sexual misconduct, racism or discrimination by using the following methods.

Investigation Process: All reports are handled confidentially and investigated promptly following:

  • The Student Harassment and Bullying Policy, which sets out the college’s approach to handling allegation of harassment and bullying of students.
  • The Sexual Harassment and Sexual Misconduct Policy, which sets out a framework for addressing staff sexual harassment incidents.

3.    Support Services

  • Wellbeing and safeguarding team- email address: safeguarding@tameside.ac.uk
  • General Student Support Contact email address hequality@tameside.ac.uk

4.    Staff-Student Relationships

The College’s Employee Code of Conduct outlines the expectations regarding staff-student relationships, stating that employees must always act professionally towards students, maintaining a relationship based on trust, respect and responsibility for students’ development and welfare. Staff must declare any personal relationships. Measures are in place to prevent conflicts of interest and any misuse of the power imbalance between staff and students, including romantic or sexual relationships, which is considered a serious breach of expectations and the Code of Conduct and will be addressed in line with college requirements.

5.    Non-Disclosure Agreements (NDAs)

Bullying and Harassment and Sexual Misconduct non-Disclosure Agreements (NDA) Statement

Tameside college is fully committed to fostering an inclusive and safe environment where all individuals are respected, valued and able to reach their full potential. We stand firm in our commitment to preventing bullying, harassment and sexual misconduct in all forms. We believe that every individual has the right to work and engage in an environment free from discrimination, abuse, or inappropriate conduct.

The College has signed an endorsement to confirm that our organisation does not and will not enter into any Non-Disclosure Agreements or any form of contractual documents (for staff and students) that would prevent or restrict any student or staff member from disclosing information about an allegation of harassment and/or sexual misconduct involving one or more students.

This is also in compliance with the Office for Students (OfS) requirements under condition of registration E.10.

For further enquiries about this statement please email: hequality@tameside.ac.uk

6.    Definitions

Harassment 

Harassment is defined as unwanted conduct which has the purpose or effect of violating another person’s dignity, or creating an intimidating, hostile, degrading, humiliating or offensive environment for another person.  It may be intentional bullying which is obvious or violent but it can be unintentional or subtle and insidious. Harassment does not necessarily happen face-to-face; it can occur via written and electronic communications, such as telephone and email, SMS and on social media sites. Such behaviour might interfere with a student’s learning, working, living, or social environment, or induce anxiety, fear or poor attendance on the part of the person who feels harassed.

Bullying

Bullying is persistent, unacceptable, unwanted, offensive, intimidating, malicious or insulting behaviour, which may include an abuse or misuse of power through ways which have the purpose or effect of undermining, humiliating, denigrating or injuring the recipient emotionally or physically.

Sexual harassment

Sexual harassment is unwanted conduct (words, behaviours and conducts) of a sexual nature that can occur online and offline and both inside and outside of college. Sexual harassment is likely to violate a person’s dignity, and/or make them feel intimidated, degraded or humiliated and/or create a hostile, offensive or sexualised environment.

7.    Access to policy and information

The following policies can be accessed on our website or requested via email hequality@tameside.ac.uk

  • Safeguarding policy
  • Student Harassment and Bullying Policy
  • Sexual Harassment and Sexual Misconduct Policy
  • Freedom of Information policy
  • Employee Code of Conduct
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