Tackling harassment and sexual misconduct

RCL is dedicated to ensuring a safe and respectful environment for all students, staff, and visitors. We have a zero-tolerance policy for any form of unlawful harassment or sexual misconduct.

Definition of Harassment: harassment is defined as any unwanted conduct related to a protected characteristic that undermines a person’s dignity or creates an intimidating, hostile, degrading, humiliating, or offensive atmosphere. This definition is based on the Equality Act 2010. It is important to note that it is the effect of the behaviour – not the intention – that determines whether harassment has taken place. Harassment can occur as a single incident or as repeated behaviour and may include actions that cause alarm or distress.

Definition of Sexual Misconduct: Sexual misconduct encompasses any unwanted conduct of a sexual nature, including but not limited to:

• Sexual harassment, assault, or rape
• Unwanted physical sexual advances
• Coercion, grooming, or bullying with sexual elements
• Sexual comments, gestures, or demands
• Offering benefits or opportunities in exchange for sexual favours
• Non-consensual sharing of private, explicit images or videos

Scope: These behaviours can occur among students, staff, or visitors, whether in person or online, and on or off college premises. This includes placements, field trips, social events, accommodations, and digital platforms associated with RCL.

Reporting and Support: Our Report and Support portal offers guidance on recognising, reporting, and seeking help for harassment or sexual misconduct. All students are required to complete mandatory training during their induction, which is refreshed annually. Staff members receive regular training to identify, respond to, and support those affected by such issues.

RCL offers a dedicated Report and Support portal for students, staff, and visitors to report incidents of bullying, discrimination, harassment, hate crime, or sexual misconduct. You can submit reports anonymously or provide your contact details if you wish to have a conversation with a trained advisor from Student Wellbeing.

Our advisors will:

• Listen to you confidentially and explain your options
• Help you access appropriate support
• Assist you in making an informed decision about the next steps

We encourage you to use the Report and Support portal as your first point of contact. This allows us to address concerns quickly, provide specialised advice, and monitor trends to improve our responses.

If you prefer, you can also report directly to:

• The Student Wellbeing team via email, phone, or in person
• Your line manager or HR (for staff)
• Relevant contacts while on placement or studying abroad, in accordance with our Code of Practice for Work-based and Placement Learning

The next steps will depend on the nature of your report, the information provided, and your preferences. While anonymous reports typically cannot be investigated, they help us identify issues and trends. If you provide your details, an RCL staff member will work with you to explore the next steps.

You can find full guidance, FAQs, and policy documents on the Report and Support webpage.

Students and staff can report incidents of harassment or sexual misconduct through RCL’s Report and Support portal. Reports can be made anonymously or with contact details..

Support for all parties

Support is available for both those affected and those who are facing allegations. Each affected student will be assigned a named staff contact to guide and support them through the process, in accordance with RCL’s Student Safeguarding, Prevent and Harassment Policy and related procedures.

Student Services can connect students with external counselling services or external specialist organisations, such as local sexual violence and abuse support services. Additionally, students can be referred to external agencies, such as the police, if they choose.

Academic considerations

Experiences of harassment or sexual misconduct are treated as exceptional circumstances. This may allow for:

• Extensions or adjustments to assessments without needing detailed statements.
• Long-term adjustments, such as suspending studies, repeating a year, or transferring courses if necessary.

Accessing support

• Use the Report and Support portal as your first point of contact for coordinated advice and care.
• You can also contact the Student Wellbeing Service directly by email, phone, or in person.

Key principles

All disclosures are handled sensitively, and support is available regardless of when or where the incident occurred—whether on campus, off campus, or online. Our priority is to ensure that you are informed, supported, and empowered to make decisions that are right for you.

The following policies outline how RCL prevents, addresses, and investigates allegations of harassment and sexual misconduct:

Safeguarding, Prevent and Harassment Policy – this policy defines harassment and sexual misconduct and describes RCL’s prevention and response strategies.

In terms of how incidents of harassment and sexual misconduct are investigated, the Safeguarding, Prevent and Harassment Procedure states that:

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

We understand that speaking up about harassment or sexual misconduct can be difficult. That’s why we treat disclosures with sensitivity and take your confidentiality seriously.

RCL will take all reasonable steps to protect the privacy of anyone who reports harassment or sexual misconduct. In some circumstances — such as when someone is at serious risk of harm — we may need to share limited information with trusted staff or services to keep individuals and our community safe.

Full details on how we handle confidentiality and when information may be shared are available in:

• Student Safeguarding, Prevent and Harassment Policy
• College Privacy Policy
• Privacy Notice, Data Protection and Use of Student Data
• Report and Support FAQs for the Report and Support Portal

In accordance with the Student Disciplinary Procedure and in compliance with data protection legislation, RCL is committed to providing a student who has reported an allegation of harassment or sexual misconduct with the following information:

• A summary of the investigation’s outcome.
• An explanation of any actions the College has taken or decided not to take, without reference to specific individuals or detailed findings.

This applies even if the outcome changes for any reason. In certain situations, only limited information may be disclosed depending on the circumstances.

If a student alleges misconduct by a staff member, the case will be forwarded to the Human Resources (HR) department, which will handle the staff-related issues under the Staff Conduct Policy and Procedure. This process ensures that:

• The Complaints Officer receives enough information to manage student expectations and provide updates on the progress of the investigation.
• Once the investigation is concluded, relevant information about the outcome and the next steps will be shared with the Complaints Officer so they can inform the student, as far as possible under data protection obligations.

RCL is dedicated to taking meaningful actions to protect students from harassment and sexual misconduct. Our approach includes:

• Analysing data from the Report and Support portal to identify trends and areas for improvement.
• Using our findings to enhance processes, training, and support services.
• Gathering feedback from students and staff, evaluating the outcomes, and making changes where necessary.
• Consulting with student representatives about updates to policies concerning harassment and sexual misconduct, with students participating in committees that approve these policies.

RCL adheres to the requirements set by the Office for Students (OfS) concerning Non-Disclosure Agreements (NDAs). RCL does not allow NDAs in cases involving student reports of harassment or sexual misconduct.

RCL is committed to helping students understand what constitutes harassment and sexual misconduct, how to report concerns, the meaning of consent, and how to intervene safely when they witness inappropriate behaviour.

From September 2025, all students will receive training and information on topics including consent, harassment, freedom of speech and how to support others.

From 1st August 2025, in line with OfS Condition E6, staff have access to learning content. This will cover key topics such as harassment and sexual misconduct, supporting student disclosures, and being an active bystander.

Additional training for staff in specialist roles supporting case-related investigations and safeguarding will be made available during the 2025/26 academic year.