Introduction
1The Good Practice Framework sets out core principles and operational good practice for providers in England and Wales. The core principles are accessibility; clarity; fairness; independence; confidentiality; inclusivity; flexibility; proportionality; timeliness; and improving the student experience.
2This section of the Good Practice Framework gives good practice guidance for providers in designing and operating procedures to respond to disclosures and reports about harassment of any kind, and sexual misconduct. It covers:
a. Good practice when receiving, investigating and responding to disclosures and reports about harassment and/or sexual misconduct.
b. Disciplinary procedures for dealing with students accused of harassment and/or sexual misconduct.
3For most providers, it will be appropriate to maintain a separation between the processes which are focused on enabling the disclosure and reporting of harassment and/or sexual misconduct and supporting the students who make such disclosures or reports; and the processes which make disciplinary findings against responding students. This separation gives clarity about the obligations the provider has to each student and about where responsibility for decision-making lies. In this section, we have described the procedures that are most used by providers that we consider to be compatible with the core principles of good practice.
4We recognise the diversity of the providers using this guidance, which applies to all members of our Scheme. We also recognise the wide range of behaviours that may be raised within this framework, and the particularly sensitive nature of the issues. Flexibility and proportionality are key to the effective use of these types of procedures. Providers may choose to use different procedural models that are a better fit for their structures and student bodies, or for the specific circumstances of an individual case, but should do so in a way which takes account of the core principles.
5It is good practice to operate student-facing processes that are inclusive by design and take account of the different needs of a diverse student body. Some students may still need different arrangements to be able to access and use procedures. Providers should be aware of their duties under the Equality Act 2010 to make reasonable adjustments for disabled students. At any point in the processes outlined in this section of the Good Practice Framework, providers can consider whether to make reasonable adjustments to take account of the individual needs of a student, which may change over time. It can be helpful to indicate to students the kind of adjustments that may be offered.
6For providers in England who are registered with the Office for Students (OfS), the full requirements of condition E6: Harassment and sexual misconduct came into force on 1 August 2025. The regulatory condition and accompanying OfS guidance set out regulatory requirements relating to incidents of harassment and/or sexual misconduct which affect one or more students (including the conduct of staff towards students, and/or the conduct of students towards students).
7For providers in Wales who are registered with Medr, the Condition: Staff and Learner Welfare came into force on 1 August 2026. This requires registered providers to “have in place effective arrangements to support and promote learner and staff welfare”. The Tertiary Education and Research (Wales) Act 2022 explanatory memorandum provides an explanation of what ‘welfare’ and ‘arrangements’ are intended to mean in relation to the staff and learner welfare condition. Providers in Wales should also have regard to their duties under the Violence Against Women, Domestic Abuse and Sexual Violence (VAWDASV) (Wales) Act 2015.
8Providers not registered with the OfS or MEDR but who are working in partnerships with registered providers should discuss with those partners any actions they should take to ensure that relevant conditions are met.
9This section of the Good Practice Framework is intended to support providers in developing good practice in addressing disclosures and reports about harassment and sexual misconduct, which we expect will help providers to meet the regulatory requirements in those areas. It is not a comprehensive operational guide to meeting all regulatory or legal requirements.
10The OIA has no remit to specify good practice in matters that do not involve students. This section of the Good Practice framework is concerned with disclosures and reports made by students; disclosures and reports made by members of staff or other third parties where the person who experienced the behaviour was a student; and disclosures and reports made by anybody where the responding person is a student. It does not apply to disclosures or reports made by members of staff or members of the public about members of staff where the person who experienced the behaviour was not a student.
Navigating this section
11.This section follows a broadly chronological structure from the receipt of a disclosure or report to the issuing of a Completion of Procedures (COP) letter. We have also included “At a glance” text to help readers identify the content of sub-sections. But responding well to disclosures and reports about harassment and sexual misconduct may not follow a strict linear process. We caution against reading parts of this section in isolation. Individuals with responsibility for designing and operating a provider’s response to disclosures and reports will benefit from a thorough understanding of the entire section.
12.The documents referred to in this section of the Good Practice Framework, and other useful sources of guidance, are listed under Useful Resources at the end of the section.
13.This section of the Good Practice Framework should be read together with the sections on:
b. Handling complaints and academic appeals
c. Supporting disabled students
d. Fitness to practise, where providers have a duty to ensure that students on professional courses are fit to practise.
e. Delivering learning opportunities with others, where more than one academic provider or awarding body is involved due to partnership arrangements in England and Wales or overseas.
Language we have used in this section of the Good Practice Framework
14We have defined and used certain terms consistently to aid clarity. Providers may find it helpful to replicate the language we have used in their own procedures but are not obliged to do so. Providers may use alternative vocabulary if this will be better understood by their particular community. It is good practice to include clear definitions of the vocabulary used and to ensure that it is used consistently.
15In this section of the Good Practice Framework:
a. Providers must” is used to indicate a legal or regulatory requirement, or a requirement to comply with the OIA’s Scheme.
b. “Providers should” is used to indicate an action or approach that is, in our opinion, necessary to operate in a way that demonstrates good practice.
c. “Providers may/ providers can” is permissive and does not prevent providers taking an alternative approach.
16In this section we refer to students who tell a provider about harassment or sexual misconduct in order to seek advice and support as making a disclosure. Students who are looking for some additional action by the provider in response to the information that they have shared are referred to as making a report. We use making a report to mark the beginning of a formal process, initiated by a reporting student. Some students may make a disclosure and decide not to make a report; some students may make a disclosure and follow this with a report; some students may only make a report. Students may use a variety of mechanisms or routes to tell a provider about their experiences or something they have witnessed. It is not helpful to use the method of sharing (e.g. in person or by using a particular form) to distinguish between what is a “disclosure” and what is a “report”. It is more helpful to focus on identifying the appropriate way to respond to the content of the information that has been shared, not its format.
17Providers may respond to reports under a bespoke harassment and sexual misconduct process, under a dignity at study process, or via a broad complaints process. In the latter case, “making a report” equates to “making a complaint”. Regardless of the terminology used by a provider, students who have initiated a formal process are entitled to be kept informed about the process and to receive a formal outcome to that process, as set out below.
18A reporting person is someone who shares information with the provider about harassment or sexual misconduct by another person. This may be a student, member of staff or could be someone outside the provider’s community. It is often the person who makes the report that has experienced the behaviour they are reporting. Sometimes the person who makes a report witnessed the behaviour, or came to know about the behaviour indirectly, but did not directly experience the behaviour themselves. They may still be described as the reporting person, and the other person may be described as the person who experienced the behaviour.
19To reduce repetition in this section of the Good Practice framework we have generally described processes for when the reporting person is also the person who experienced the behaviour. As a general principle, when these are not the same person but they are still a member of the provider’s community, each should receive the same kind of information and support that we have set out in this section. A provider’s ongoing obligations to provide support will be different for reporting students and reporting members of staff. A provider will usually have more limited obligations towards reporting members of the public.
20A responding person is a student or member of staff about whom the provider has received information (via a disclosure, report or other source including information about police action or court action being brought to the provider’s attention) suggesting that the person has carried out harassment and/or sexual misconduct. In some circumstances a reporting person may make a disclosure to the provider about experiencing something that involves another person who is not a member of the provider’s community. In those cases, there is no responding student or responding member of staff.
21We use the term appeal to describe the process a responding student may use if they are dissatisfied with the outcome of their disciplinary process. (See paragraphs 277 - 294)
22We use the term requesting a review to describe the process a reporting student may use after making a report, if they want to raise concerns about the way the provider responded to the report. (See paragraphs 298 - 303).