Equally Safe in Colleges and Universities Core Leadership Group - annual operating plan: 2022/23 and 2023/24

This plan outlines the key strategic aims of the group in 2022/23 and 2023/24. It also provides detail on how the group intends to achieve these aims, who will lead on the work and the criteria for measuring success in each area, including:

• increase student and staff awareness of GBV and preventative actions
• investigative actions and support for leaders
• enhanced disclosure and data sharing
• identify what works and share good practice
• ensure effective referral pathways for survivors and support packages in place
• enhance school, college and university collaboration
• tackling all forms of GBV – a co-ordinated response
• support for the implementation of the plan

Increase student and staff awareness of GBV and preventative actions

Strategic aim

Support colleges and universities to tackle the root causes of Gender Based Violence (GBV).

Actions to be completed in 2023/2024

Act in an advisory capacity to the development of a letter of guidance and strategic drection for work in this area.

Lead agency

Scottish Government.

Success measures

Core Leadership Group consulted on letter of guidance, issued and published.

Strategic aim

Support colleges and universities to put in place arrangements for college and university students and staff to access appropriate training on GBV and sexual harassment and referral/support routes so that staff, including professional and support staff and Post Graduate Researchers (PGRs), and students understand the causes and impact of GBV and how to respond to it.

Operating plan actions in support of this (2022/2023)

Draw together existing training and support packages to ensure they are compatible, and sharing of best practice in prevention.

Actions to be completed in 2023/2024

Consider combining existing training approaches to formal reporting. This could include consideration of Police Scotland reporting systems.

Lead agency

Task and Finish Group.

Success measures

Task and Finish Group report outcomes of activities include compatibility checks and best practice inclusion.

Outcome of Task and Finish Group reported to and accepted by Core Group.

Strategic aim

Support approaches to supporting vulnerable students, recognising that GBV manifests itself differently in different communities, and for staff impacted by GBV (for consideration in 23/24).

Support work with the night time economy and Police Scotland to further reinforce safety at venues.

Support the consideration and implementation of the forthcoming UUK Guidance on staff/student relationships.

Lead agency

Ownership dependent on issues at any given time.

Success measures

Outcomes to be agreed by Core Leadership Group at the same time that ownership is agreed.

Investigative actions and support for leaders

Strategic aim

Act in an advisory capacity on the completion of guidelines on student misconduct for universities.

Operating plan actions in support of this (2022/2023)

Act as a consultative group as necessary on student misconduct guidelines.

Actions to be completed in 2023/2024

Act as a consultative group as necessary on Student Misconduct Guidelines.

Lead agency

Universities Scotland-led Group.

Strategic aim

Support leaders and governors in the sector as they put in place measures to tackle GBV.

Operating plan actions in support of this (2022/2023)

Review support for leaders and governors on this.

Lead agency

Task and Finish Group.

Success measures

Report of the review, and an action plan to be agreed by the Core Leadership Group.

Enhanced disclosure and data sharing

Strategic aim

Support the development of visible and accessible structures for disclosure of GBV (within campuses but also in Halls of Residence and Purpose Built Student Accommodation (PBSA)), including robust whistleblowing mechanisms, building on existing actions, and considering approaches to developing national data sets to further inform action.

Operating plan actions in support of this (2022/2023)

Review pilot approaches and consider applicability around the implementation of the Police Scotland Partners Intelligence Portal.

Lead agency

Task and Finish Group.

Success measures

Evidence of outcomes of pilots, and action plan for future activities informed by that evidence.

Strategic aim

Facilitate consideration of appropriate data sharing arrangements and develop clarity on the protocols for information sharing between organisations, including Police Scotland (bearing in mind the choice of survivors to disclose), when incidents of GBV (or other forms of harassment or abuse) have been identified.

Operating plan actions in support of this (2022/2023)

Identify what is in place, what is working and learn from the evaluation of the use of Report and Support from the Fearless Glasgow Grouping.

Actions to be completed in 2023/2024

Build on identified data sources. Better understand the prevalence of GBV in colleges and universities.

Lead agency

Task and Finish Group.

Success measures

Outcome dependent on the above.

Identify what works and share good practice

Strategic aim

Support the evaluation of the effectiveness, not only of the Equally Safe in Higher Education Toolkit, but also other areas of investment to ensure that lessons from evaluation inform future policy and project development. This should be informed by the principles set out in the Equally Safe Quality Standards and Performance Framework.

Operating plan actions in support of this (2022/2023)

Evaluation of the Equally Safe in Higher Education Toolkit.

Lead agency

Scottish Government to review the resources available to undertake the review and report to the Core Leadership Group.

Success measures

Subject to available resources.

Strategic aim

Support the development and sharing of best practice across the sector.

Further support the effective co-ordination of platforms (including online, conferences and events) to share these initiatives.

Operating plan actions in support of this (2022/2023)

Develop an evidence base of best practice.

Actions to be completed in 2023/2024

Consideration, in light of the review of Khub being undertaken by the Government Improvement Service, further development of the facility and/or the development of a knowledge sharing platform.

Lead agency

Scottish Government to facilitate sharing of information through the Core Leadership Group.

Ensure effective referral pathways for survivors and support packages in place

Strategic aim

Facilitate effective service co-ordination at the local level between institutions, student associations and statutory (including NHS Sexual Health and Mental Health service and Police Scotland) and voluntary services to develop innovative, inclusive models of service delivery so that effective referral pathways, including those to specialist services, are in place.

Operating plan actions in support of this (2022/2023)

Review provision and, thereafter, develop guidance on effective local collaboration and referral pathways learning from evaluation and research from ongoing initiatives such as the NHS Sexual Assault Response Co-ordination Service (SARCS) and the updated UUK Changing the Culture work.

Actions to be completed in 2023/2024

It is anticipated that this work will continue into year 2.

Lead agency

Task and Finish Group.

Success measures

Guidance agreed with Core Leadership Group, produced and published. It is anticipated that this will need to be refreshed annually.

Enhance school, college and university collaboration

Strategic aim

Identify opportunities to build collaboration between and across schools, colleges and universities to tackle Gender Based Violence utilising the skills of young people.

Operating plan actions in support of this (2022/2023)

Identify existing collaborative mechanisms between schools, colleges and universities.

Lead agency

Task and Finish Group.

Success measures

Information issued across the sectors.

Strategic aim

Enhance collaboration between and across student associations, accommodation providers, and other organisations working on Gender Based Violence.

Actions to be completed in 2023/2024

Act in an advisory capacity on the co-ordination of GBV education with schools ensuring messaging is collaborative and repeated across age groups.

Lead agency

Representatives from Core Leadership Group depending on the messaging under consideration.

Success measures

Input into individual initiatives.

Tackling all forms of GBV – a co-ordinated response

Strategic aim

Develop approaches to tackling all forms of abuse, including, online harassment and other forms of digital/social GBV. This should build on UUK’s existing work, published in 2019, in this area and ongoing work by UK and Scottish Governments, the Third Sector and Police Scotland in this area.

Operating plan actions in support of this (2022/2023)

Identify our key areas of action.

Act in an advisory capacity to inform the refreshed Equally Safe Strategy and other related actions, including the Police Scotland Violence Against Women and Girls Strategy.

Lead agency

To be agreed by Core Leadership Group, initial work by Scottish Government Task and Finish Group.

Success measures

ESCU activities and approaches reflected in wider Equally Safe strategies.

Support for the implementation of the plan

Strategic aim

Consider mechanisms, support structures, and resources to enable the Core Leadership Group to take forward its strategic objectives.

Operating plan actions in support of this (2022/2023)

Identify human and project resources to facilitate the delivery of the Plan.

Identify the most appropriate reporting format for the Group’s activities.

Lead agency

Core Leadership Group to consider where they can facilitate the Plan.

Core Leadership Group to identify how they wish to report progress.

Success measures

Awareness of collective contributions by Group.

Agreement of Group.

Equally Safe in Colleges and Universities Core Leadership Group

27 July 2022

Note: this plan has been devised following consultation with representatives from: AMOSSHE, College Development Network, Colleges Scotland, Emily Test, Scottish Trade Union Congress, NUS Scotland, Police Scotland, Rape Crisis Scotland, Scottish Funding Council, University of Aberdeen (University HR Network) and Universities Scotland.