Safeguarding

To raise a concern or to make an enquiry please contact safeguarding@uos.ac.uk or telephone 01473 338400 and select option 'safeguarding'.

Partner Safeguarding Officers

Please find information and contact details for Safeguarding Officers at our partner campuses.

University of Suffolk at Suffolk New College
The Safeguarding Team can be contacted on +44 (0)1473 382738 or support@suffolk.ac.uk

Safeguarding Lead:
Greer Hill
Email greerhill@suffolk.ac.uk

University of Suffolk at East Coast College
The Safeguarding Team can be contacted safeguarding@eastcoast.ac.uk.

Jess Leggett
Lowestoft campus
Phone +44 (0)7747442823

Maria Watson
Great Yarmouth campus
Phone +44(0)7795306828

University of Suffolk at West Suffolk College
Safeguarding Lead:
Claire Battey
Email claire.battery@wsc.ac.uk

Global Banking School (GBS)
Birmingham Campus Prevent and Safeguarding Officer:
Ernest Asamoah
Email easamoah@globalbanking.ac.uk

Manchester Campus Prevent and Safeguarding Officer:
Dinesh Kumar Saraswat
Email dsaraswat@globalbanking.ac.uk

Greenford Campus Prevent and Safeguarding Officer:
Thuvaraka Jennifer Sivanathan
Email tsivanathan@globalbanking.ac.uk

Republic Campus Prevent and Safeguarding Officer:
Safina Lakha
Email slakha@globalbanking.ac.uk

Bow Road Campus, Prevent and Safeguarding Officer:
Diana Shatokhina
Email dshatokhina@globalbanking.ac.uk

London School of Commerce (LSC)
Prevent and Safeguarding Officers:
David Silbergh
Email david.silbergh@lsclondon.co.uk

Rabindra Shrestha
Email rabindra.shrestha@lsclondon.co.uk

LD Training
Designated Safeguarding Officer:
Michelle Brooks
Email mbrooks@ldtraining.ac.uk

Hanbridge Institute
Designated Safeguarding Officer:
Nicole Lim
Email nicolelim@hanbridge.edu.sg

Teacher Training Partners
North Essex Teacher Training
Dr Sarah Alix
Email sarah.alix@nett.org.uk

Suffolk & Norfolk SCITT
Anna Richards
Email anna.richards@suffolk.gov.uk
Phone +44 (0)1473 265081

BEC Teacher Training
Clare Smith
Email clare@billericayscitt.com
Phone +44 (0)1268 477611

Inspiration Trust
Iain Mackintosh
Email iainmackintosh@inspirationtrust.org
Phone +44 (0)1603 331380

Students under 18 years of age

The University is an adult environment; students are expected to act as adults and to assume an adult level of responsibility. Students are expected to have the necessary skills to study independently alongside people from a wide variety of ages and backgrounds. Places are offered on the understanding that, where relevant, students will be able to adapt to living away from home and manage the practicalities that this involves.

The University treats all students as independent, mature individuals and students who are under the age of 18 years will be treated in the same way. The usual personal and academic support arrangements will apply to students who are under 18 years. This will normally include:

Allocation of a Personal Academic Coach or Personal Tutor
Access to a range of support services

However, the University acknowledges that anyone under the age of 18 is legally a child and recognises that students under the age of 18 may therefore have different needs in relation to their support and wellbeing. Admission of such applicants therefore requires additional consideration in order that the University can ensure that it fulfils its obligations and meets any additional needs in relation to support and wellbeing. A parent/guardian is to sign a consent form before an applicant is offered a place on a programme of study. Should a parent or guardian not wish to sign the agreement, the University reserves the right not to process the application further. Where any applicant does not have a parent or guardian they could contact Admissions for guidance on arranging a formal guardian.

The University is not able to take on the rights, responsibilities and authority that parents have in relation to a child and it will not act in loco parentis in relation to students who are under the age of 18 years. The parent or guardian is required to accept this and acknowledge the other possible conditions and arrangements set out below - by signing the consent form before a student may be admitted to the University. International students who are under the age of 18 (and British students whose parents live overseas) are required to appoint a guardian within the UK, accessible to the University and the student should the need arise. Where international students do not have appropriate contacts in the UK to fulfil this role, guardianships accredited by AEGIS can be arranged.

More information is available for parents and families.

Advice and student responsibilities:

It is illegal for alcohol or tobacco to be sold to or bought by anyone under the age of 18. We expect students to abide by the law and cannot be expected to supervise students in this respect.
Programmes may involve compulsory or optional field trips, excursions or other periods of study away from the University. The University cannot take additional responsibility for a student under 18 participating in those activities. Where these activities are not a formal part of the programme of study, it is the student’s responsibility to inform the organiser of their age.
Where a student who is under 18 is required to undertake a placement as part of the programme of study, appropriate arrangements will be made with the workplace to safeguard the student and to ensure compliance with relevant legislation, (such as Health and Safety and Working Time Regulations).
The University can not make any special arrangements for restricting access to particular internet sites for students who are under the age of 18. They will be expected to comply with the usual rules and regulations for the use of IT as all other students.
Academic programmes are designed and validated to be delivered to students over the age of 18 years. Therefore, they may contain teaching materials that are 18-rated. If students and their parents/guardians are concerned about the content of the programme that they wish to enrol on, they are advised to discuss the content of the programme with the Programme Leader.
Like most universities, we operate extended teaching hours, so lectures and contact time with tutors could be anytime between 9am and 9pm. The University cannot undertake to supervise any student travelling home during these extended hours.
It is particularly important that emergency contact details are provided for students under the age of 18 years and such students and/or their parents are required to supply this information prior to their arrival at the University. If a medical emergency arises these emergency contact details will be provided to the appropriate statutory services.
The Safeguarding team will be responsible for notifying the relevant Dean, Course Leader and Student Support services, prior to the enrolment of any student who will be under the age of 18 years on entry to the University.
It is the University's usual policy to communicate with students (with whom it has a contractual relationship) and not with parents or guardians and this approach will normally apply to students who are under the age of 18 years. The university will therefore correspond with students, and not normally with parent or guardians.

Antisemitism: International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance (IHRA) definition

The University aligns to the IHRA working definition of antisemitism as described in the IHRA policy briefing (March 2020).

“Antisemitism is a certain perception of Jews, which may be expressed as hatred toward Jews. Rhetorical and physical manifestations of antisemitism are directed toward Jewish or non-Jewish individuals and/or their property, toward Jewish community institutions and religious facilities.”

The IHRA working definition is underpinned by eleven contemporary examples of antisemitism in public life, the media, schools, the workplace, and in the religious sphere. For more information, you may like to refer to the IHRA Policy Briefing (March 2020).
Examples include, but are not limited to:

Calling for, aiding, or justifying the killing or harming of Jews in the name of a radical ideology or an extremist view of religion.
Making mendacious, dehumanizing, demonizing, or stereotypical allegations about Jews as such or the power of Jews as collective — such as, especially but not exclusively, the myth about a world Jewish conspiracy or of Jews controlling the media, economy, government or other societal institutions.
Denying the fact, scope, mechanisms (e.g. gas chambers) or intentionality of the genocide of the Jewish people at the hands of National Socialist Germany and its supporters and accomplices during World War II (the Holocaust).
Expectations on staff and student conduct are woven through several university policies, procedures, and our University Charter. We remind of key policies and procedures below, which give advice on how concerns can be raised or referred.

Expectations on staff and student conduct are woven through university policies, procedures and our University Charter. Policies and procedures outlined in the section above, give advice on how concerns can be raised or referred.

Our Commitment to Addressing Harassment and Sexual Misconduct

On 19 April 2021 the Office for Students (OfS) published a statement of expectations for preventing and addressing harassment and sexual misconduct affecting students in higher education.

The expectations are set out below. Higher education providers should clearly communicate, and embed across the whole organisation, their approach to preventing and responding to all forms of harassment and sexual misconduct affecting students.

Governing bodies should ensure that the provider’s approach to harassment and sexual misconduct is adequate and effective.

Higher education providers should appropriately engage with students to develop and evaluate systems, policies and processes to address harassment and sexual misconduct.
Higher education providers should implement adequate and effective staff and student training with the purpose of raising awareness of, and preventing, harassment and sexual misconduct.
Higher education providers should have adequate and effective policies and processes in place for all students to report and disclose incidents of harassment and sexual misconduct.
Higher education providers should have a fair, clear and accessible approach to taking action in response to reports and disclosures.
Higher education providers should ensure that students involved in an investigatory process have access to appropriate and effective support.

The University of Suffolk is committed to creating a study environment free of harassment and sexual misconduct, where all students are entitled to protection and treated with dignity. The table below sets out our efforts to eliminate harassment and sexual misconduct and identifies where activity aligns to OfS expectations.

Working in collaboration with the Students’ union, the University sets out our approach to addressing harassment and sexual misconduct through a targeted action plan which is regularly reviewed. Progress against actions is reported to the Safeguarding Committee, Senior Leadership Team and to University Board.

The Chief Operating Officer is the named board member responsible for safeguarding.

The University sets out our expectations on conduct through our Safeguarding Policy and Code of Conduct Dignity at Study Policy, Acceptable Use of IT Policy, Social Medial Guide, General Regulations for Students and Student Charter. There is a framework for policy consultation and schedule ensuring regular review.

All staff are required to undertake and regularly refresh safeguarding and Prevent training.

Staff training is facilitated through the delivery of Responding to Disclosures of Sexual Misconduct and Violence. This training is targeted to Personal Academic Coaches (PACs) and delivered on a rolling basis through our central staff development programme.

Student training is facilitated through the module Active Citizenship embedded within the online student induction programme, which focuses on topics such as harassment, being an active bystander, relationships and consent and support. Content signposts to relevant University policies e.g. Dignity at Study policy.

Working in partnership with specialist agencies the university raises awareness through targeted campaigns, promotions and pledges which are delivered throughout each academic year, for example, White Ribbon Day and National Sexual Violence and Abuse Awareness Week.

Print and electronic guidance is disbursed across physical and online environments.

The university provides a number of routes to referral for support and to report. This information is set out in our literature and online pages.

Both reporting and responding parties are supported through the investigation process. Staff who have received specialist training are allocated to each party separately to avoid a potential conflict of interest.

Staff undertaking any investigation have had training in leading investigations.

A dedicated and confidential case management system is utilised to maintain secure records. Confidentiality arrangements are communicated to all parties.

The University provides information, access to support and signposting through dedicated web pages (for example, No Place for Hate and Safeguarding).

Dedicated staff within the Student Life Department have received enhanced training and hold roles as Domestic Abuse Champions (DAC) or Sexual Violence Liaison Officers (SVLO). There is a culture of wider staff training and staff across the university have received Domestic Abuse Champion training enhancing accessibility to support and referral to dedicated staff.

Staff training is facilitated through the delivery of Responding to Disclosures of Sexual Misconduct and Violence which builds awareness of internal and external support pathways. This training is targeted to Personal Academic Coaches (PACs) and Student Experience Ambassadors and delivered on a rolling basis through our central staff development programme.