Equally Safe in Colleges and Universities Core Leadership Group Minutes: November 2022

Attendees and apologies

Attendees

• Mr Jamie Hepburn MSP, Minister for Higher Education and Further Education, Youth Employment and Training
• Fiona Drouet, Emily Test
• Rachel Adamson, SFC
• Jill Stevenson, University of Stirling/AMOSSHE
• Kathryn Dawson, Rape Crisis Scotland
• Susannah Lane, Universities Scotland
• Jess Reid, University of Stirling Student Union/NUS Scotland
• Steven Paxton, Scottish Government
• Daniel McCarron, Scottish Government

Apologies

• Andy Witty, Colleges Scotland
• Nicholas George Edwards, University of Aberdeen / University HR Network
• Debbie Browett, Scottish Government
• Dr. Davena Rankin, UNISON
• Suzanne Marshall, College Development Network

Items and actions

Introduction and welcome

The Minister welcomed everyone to the meeting and noted apologies as above.

Minutes of previous meeting

The minutes of the meeting of 27 July 2022 were agreed as an accurate record.

Task and finish group on data

The group were asked to comment on the draft terms of reference (TOR) for the proposed task and finish group on data.

Members requested clarification on how this work would be resourced. Scottish Government officials confirmed that the Scottish Government will provide administrative support, but that any additional Scottish Government resource would be subject to budgetary considerations as per the annual budget process. It was also noted that there may be opportunities for the Group to explore alternative sources of funding where appropriate.

It was agreed that it would be more practical if the timescale for the group’s work was adjusted to December 2022 – April 2023.

Action: Scottish Government officials to facilitate the first meeting of the task and finish group on data in accordance with the TOR and the agreed timescale.

Emily Test investigative training roundtable

The Minister noted that Emily Test held a roundtable discussion on investigative training at Scottish Government offices in Glasgow on 5 October 2022, and invited Fiona Drouet (Emily Test) to provide an update.

Mrs Drouet informed members that the report from the roundtable had been drafted and would shortly be circulated with members for comment regarding next steps.

GBV Charter Conference

The Minister noted that the GBV Charter Conference will take place on 23 November 2022 and invited Fiona Drouet to apprise members of the content and purpose of the event.

Mrs Drouet gave an overview of the event and some of the key focusses, including data collection and publication, staff training, and how stalking poses a risk to young people. The conference will take place at The Studio in Glasgow, and all members were welcomed to attend.

UN ‘16 Days of Activism Against Gender-Based Violence’

The Minister noted that the UN 16 Days of Activism begins later this month, on 25 November, and asked what members would be doing to mark the event.

Fiona Drouet informed members that, amongst other things, Emily Test are supporting an institution to set to raise awareness of GBV and Emily Test’s ‘LISTEN’ risk assessment tool, by providing leaflets and marketing resources. Mrs Drouet also noted that some sessions are being run by Mentors in Violence Prevention Scotland on key issues related to GBV throughout the 16 Days and asked for this to be shared with the sector after the meeting.

Post-meeting note: Scottish Government officials shared the details of the sessions being run by MVP with sector partners.

Jess Reid (Stirling Student Union) informed members that the University of Stirling has arranged for various organisations, including Women’s Aid and Rape Crisis Scotland to put on a host of sessions on the subject of GBV. In particular, DrinkSafe would be doing a session for students on anti-spiking. Ms Reid also advised that staff would be providing GBV first responder training to members of student clubs and societies, with the aim of every club/society having a representative trained as a first responder. Members echoed Ms Reid’s point that it is important to ensure this work continues throughout the year and that institutions are consistently raising awareness of GBV and working on prevention.

Jill Stevenson (University of Stirling / AMOSSHE) emphasised the work of the Stirling GBV partnership, where the University and Student Union are working with the local authority and third sector organisations, in a holistic approach to tackling GBV across the Forth Valley region.

Rachel Adamson (SFC) asked members to get in touch regarding the work they are doing as SFC would be keen to help promote these activities and potentially help members to reach a wider audience. Ms Adamson also noted that it is important not just to consider how we respond to GBV but to also focus on prevention and the links to gender inequality.
 

Ms Adamson advised that that she is the co-director of Zero Tolerance, an organisation which works to prevent VAWG, and they are hosting an event to commemorate their 30th year on 29 November 2022, which members were invited to attend. The First Minister will be in attendance and the event will focus on envisaging a brighter future for women who face multiple forms of oppression and discrimination, with the intention of amplifying their voices.

AOB

Kathryn Dawson (Rape Crisis Scotland) informed members that Niamh Kerr is leaving her role with RCS on 25 November and Ms Dawson will attend meetings in her place until a replacement has been recruited.
Fiona Drouet asked whether Universities Scotland had published their guidance on spiking. Susannah Lane (Universities Scotland) advised that they are working to do so, but require further comment from stakeholders prior to publication. Ms Lane noted that Universities UK have published guidance which is available to all institutions across the UK, including Scotland.

Date of next meeting

The Minister thanked everyone for attending, and informed members that the next meeting is scheduled for 25 January 2023.