Report and Support 6 Month Review

The Report + Support tool has been in place since 21 October 2019; and as part of Durham University’s ongoing commitment to promote transparency and to develop trust and confidence in reporting, we conducted our six-month review in May 2020 and share it here. This review details the prevalence in incidents reported through the tool as well as planned actions for the next six-month period.

Key findings arising from the reporting data include:

• Small number of reports
• Fluctuations in reporting patterns based on local/national/international events
• High rates of bullying and harassment, hate incidents, and sexual misconduct and violence
• High proportion of anonymous reports due to personal effects and burden of proof
• Unwanted behaviour on DU premises, in departments, in colleges, and online
• Unequal distribution of report types across different Undergraduate/Postgraduate/staff groups
• BAME and women identifying members of the community experiencing disproportionately high levels of unwanted behaviour

The following are the key actions that are underway in response to the findings identified above:

• ongoing tracking of emerging patterns
• development of data dashboard
• collation of institutional data sources
• collaboration with response and support services
• findings sharing to inform equality action plans and prevention and response strategies
• roll-out of R+S communication and dissemination plan
• refinement of functionality and case management protocols
• development of issue-specific educational materials and trainings

May to July 2020