Statistics for sexual misconduct at Cardiff University

The request was successful.

Dear Cardiff University,

Under the Freedom of Information Act, I request the following information about all instances of sexual misconduct reported by students at Cardiff University from 2015/2016 until the end of the 2019/20 academic year inclusive.

I request information on the following:

- Whether the university has a specific policy for handling allegations of sexual misconduct
- Whether the university employs an Independent Sexual Violence Advisor
- The number of reported instances of sexual assault
- The number of reported instances of rape
(Including but not limited to those that took place within university operated premises, such as the students union, venues and halls of residence)
- Statistics of whether the perpetrator was a student or member of staff
- How many of these resulted in expulsion for the perpetrator

Yours faithfully,

Lara Brett

InfoRequest, Cardiff University

Dear Lara,

I acknowledge receipt of your email dated 21st September 2020.

Your request will now be dealt with under the Freedom of Information Act 2000 and has been allocated reference FOI20-324 which should be quoted in all correspondence. We will respond to your request within 20 working days starting the next working day after receipt, therefore you can expect to receive a response no later than 19th October 2020.

Please note that in order to fulfil your request we need to liaise with other teams across the University. Due to the current Coronavirus pandemic most staff are now working remotely, and it is likely that there will be a delay in responding to your request. Staff may not be able to assist as they may need to prioritise other work, cover for colleagues who are ill or be away from work themselves due to illness. However, we will do our best to meet this deadline and keep you informed should we be unable to do so.

In some circumstances a fee may be payable and, if that is the case, we will let you know. A fees notice will be issued to you, and you will be required to pay before we will proceed to deal with your request.

Yours sincerely

University Secretary’s Office

Swyddfa Ysgrifenydd y Brifysgol
Cardiff University

Prifysgol Caerdydd
Friary House

Friary House
Greyfriars Road
Cardiff

Heol y Brodyr Llwydion
Caerdydd
CF10 3AE

CF10 3AE

E-mail: [email address]

We welcome correspondence in Welsh or English. Corresponding in Welsh will not lead to any delay.

E-bost: [email address]

Rydym yn croesawu gohebiaeth trwy’r Gymraeg neu’r Saesneg. Ni fydd gohebu yn Gymraeg yn creu unrhyw oedi.

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InfoRequest, Cardiff University

Dear Lara

 

I am writing in response to your Freedom of Information request dated
21^st September 2020.

 

For ease of reference, I have reproduced your questions below and set out
our corresponding response.

 

1.             Whether the university has a specific policy for handling
allegations of sexual misconduct

 

Where a student raises a matter informally this may be dealt with
initially by the School or Department and information is not collated
centrally. As there are 24 Academic Schools and numerous administrative
departments it would take more than 18 hours to collate the information.
The University is not obliged to spend more than 18 hours (as set by the
Freedom of Information and Data Protection (Appropriate Limit and Fees)
Regulations 2004) collating such information and accordingly the exemption
provided by section 12(2) of the Freedom of Information Act 2000 will
apply.

 

For further context, students may make disclosures of this nature in
various ways across the University, including to academic staff, through
the University counselling and wellbeing services, Student Cases and
through the Students’ Union. At present not all disclosures are recorded
and some are made confidentially, therefore no accurate data can be
provided on the total number of unique disclosures we receive as some
students may report via more than one route.

 

Students can raise concerns about the alleged behaviour of a student or
member of staff under the Student Complaints Procedure.  Schools can
consider complaints locally under stage 1 of the Procedure As there are
24 Academic Schools and numerous administrative departments it would take
more than 18 hours to collate the information. The University is not
obliged to spend more than 18 hours (as set by the Freedom of Information
and Data Protection (Appropriate Limit and Fees) Regulations 2004)
collating such information and accordingly the exemption provided by
section 12(2) of the Freedom of Information Act 2000 will apply.

 

Cases of serious sexual assault would usually be referred centrally for
consideration. Where an allegation relates to concerns about the behaviour
of a Cardiff University student this will be considered under the Student
Behaviour Procedure for concerns raised prior to the 2019/20 academic
year. Since 2019/20 the Student Conduct Procedure has been in place.
Alternatively, if the student is studying on a programme which leads to
professional registration, the concerns would be considered under the
Fitness to Practise Procedure.  Both procedures provide for concerns to be
investigated and for the student to have a right of response.  A range of
sanctions is available where a breach of the procedures is found to have
taken place.  Additionally, both the procedures permit the University to
suspend a student from academic studies and University premises (and from
a placement) pending investigation, if the severity of the allegations and
assessment of potential risk require it. Copies of both procedures are
attached for your information. 

 

 

2.             Whether the university employs an Independent Sexual
Violence Advisor

 

We have a professional and dedicated Disclosure Response Team. The team
manage immediate or ongoing safety concerns; listen and talk directly to
students outlining options available for both specialist support and
reporting and provide practical advice. Having a dedicated team has helped
students feel confident to come forward and liaison with external services
such as police ensures students are aware how to formally report if that
decision is right for them.

 

Our approach to encouraging disclosure and reporting since 2017 is
different to many other Universities.  We have actively promoted and
encouraged the full range of disclosures to help ensure those affected can
access support and services, either provided by the University or in the
community.  We are pleased with the success of our approach, and the
numbers of informal disclosures, in part, also reflect the proactive
measures we’ve put in place to make it easier for students come forward.
We have worked closely with students to understand the barriers they face
in reporting such incidents.

 

3.             The number of reported instances of sexual assault

 

4.             The number of reported instances of rape  (Including but
not limited to those that took place within university operated premises,
such as the students union, venues and halls of residence)

 

Please note that records do not differentiate between different types of
sexual offences and would not always meet the legal definition of a sexual
offence.  Accordingly, these figures may include incidents of sexual
assault, abuse and or harassment.

 

The Disclosure Response Team holds some information on disclosures made by
students seeking support and advice, those reporting on behalf of another
and anonymous disclosures. Many of those disclosing have experienced more
than one incident, and more than one type of violence. These figures
should be considered within the context that Cardiff University has a
student population in excess of 31,000, a staff body of nearly 7,000 and
is set within a major city with a population of over 300,000. Other
universities do not record such incidents in the same way as we do
therefore any attempt to compare our figures with other universities would
be extremely misleading.

 

The following disclosures have been made to the Disclosure Response Team:

 

Academic year Unwanted sexual contact Sexual Assault Rape
2017-18 54 76 49
2018-19 63 67 34
2019- June 20 76 88 45

 

 
The following numbers of cases were considered under the Student Behaviour
Procedure, Student Conduct Procedure or Fitness to Practise in respect of
allegations of sexual assault, harassment or abuse by a student (please
note that these figures include cases raised by a third party), there were
0 in 2015-16, 8 in 2016-17, 11 in 2017-18, 10 in 2018-19 and 10 to date in
2019-20. Please note that for the purposes of this data, the academic year
is from 1 September to 31 August in each year.

 

5.             Statistics of whether the perpetrator was a student or
member of staff

 

Under section 40(2) of the Freedom of Information Act 2000 I am unable to
provide a greater level of detail. Due to the low numbers involved, the
disclosure of information from which the individuals concerned may be
identified would be unfair and a breach of the data protection principles.

 

6.             How many of these resulted in expulsion for the perpetrator

 

Outcomes for cases under conduct Procedures: The outcomes for the cases
were one or more of the following:
No further action, Formal warning, Behaviour agreement and/or action plan
or Permanent exclusion

‘No further action’ may be used in a number of circumstances e.g. if other
sanctions have been imposed e.g. conviction, or if the student is no
longer a student of the University.  Each case is considered and decided
on its facts.

 

Under section 40(2) of the Freedom of Information Act 2000 I am unable to
provide a greater level of detail. Due to the low numbers involved, the
disclosure of information from which the individuals concerned may be
identified would be unfair and a breach of the data protection principles.

 

 

I trust this information satisfies your enquiry.  The University has a
Freedom of Information Complaints Procedure should you feel dissatisfied
with this response or the way in which your request was handled.
Complaints must be made in writing and must set out why you believe the
University has not met its obligations under the Freedom of Information
Act.  You may email your complaint to [email address] where it
will be forwarded to the Head of Assurance Services who will be
responsible for overseeing the review.

 

If you remain dissatisfied following the outcome of your complaint, you
have the right to apply directly to the Information Commissioner for
consideration.  The Information Commissioner can be contacted at the
following address: Information Commissioner's Office, Wycliffe House,
Water Lane, Wilmslow, Cheshire, SK9 5AF.

 

I would like to take this opportunity to thank you for your interest in
Cardiff University. If you require further assistance please feel free to
contact me.

 

Yours sincerely

 

 

Ian Johnson   Ian Johnson
Compliance Officer   Swyddog Cydymffurfiaeth
University Secretary’s Office      Swyddfa Ysgrifennydd y Brifysgol
Cardiff University
2nd Floor, Friary House Prifysgol Caerdydd
Greyfriars Road
CF10 3AE LLawr 2, Friary House

Heol y Brodyr Llwydion
CF10 3AE
Tel: 029 208 79633   Ffon: 029 208 79633
E-mail: [1][email address] E-bost:
[2][email address]
 
 
The University welcomes
correspondence in Welsh or English. Mae'r Brifysgol yn croesawu
gohebiaeth yn Gymraeg neu'n
Saesneg.

 

 

References

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