The University is committed, through its core values of kindness, integrity, inclusion, collaboration and courage, to treating all people with respect and dignity; to challenge any form of bullying, harassment, discrimination, intimidation, exploitation or abuse; and to safeguard children and adults at risk. All members of the University community have an essential role to play in keeping children and adults at risk safe.

Safeguarding policy

The Division of the General Counsel, Governance and Compliance have prepared guidance to assist colleagues with the practical application of the University of Sussex Safeguarding Policy. A number of divisions across the University have been consulted during the preparation of this guidance and we hope that colleagues will find it both informative and useful. Colleagues are encouraged to share any feedback on the guidance by emailing: l.Spenceley@sussex.ac.uk.

The guidance has been published as web pages and can is located on the University of Sussex Safeguarding webpage.

Safeguarding training

A reminder that online safeguarding training is available to all staff on the LearnUpon platform. All colleagues are encouraged to complete the course and it is recommended that managers incorporate Safeguarding Essentials into new staff induction training.

The online course takes around an hour to complete and is designed to assist you in understanding your role in safeguarding children and adults at risk and looks at what safeguarding means in practical terms. It provides information on the key warning signs that you should look out for and outlines a number of case studies and scenarios for you to consider.

To enrol on and complete the Safeguarding Essentials e-learning, please login to LearnUpon in a Chrome browser where possible, go to the Catalogue (in the left hand drop down menu) and search for safeguarding. Or click on this link (once you are logged into LearnUpon).

The role of Local Safeguarding Officers (LSO)

The University has designated staff across the University to be Local Safeguarding Officers. These are designated officers to whom concerns must be reported or from whom advice is sought. Each School and Professional Services Division has a named at least one Local Safeguarding Officer. It is not the responsibility of the Local Safeguarding Officer to investigate a case. It is their role to receive the initial concern and establish whether it is a safeguarding matter. At that point, the LSO will determine whether the issue can be directed to the student centre, whether there is an imminent risk of harm to anyone or whether it requires escalation to the Senior Safeguarding Officer, who will consider referral to the local authority as appropriate.

• View a list of all Local Safeguarding Officers

Our Safeguarding pages contain information about the University’s policy, details about how to raise a concern, as well as links to other useful University pages.

If you have any questions in relation to the Safeguarding Essentials course, or any of the information contained within the Safeguarding webpages, please email Louise Spenceley: l.Spenceley@sussex.ac.uk. You can also chat to Louise in Teams or call her on 01273 873855.