Harassment is an unacceptable form of behaviour. All staff and learners are protected by The Building Crafts College anti-harassment and bullying policy, this policy covers time spent at College, in the workplace, work placements or at any other place where work or training takes place. The policy applies to staff and learners connected with this organisation even when they are on off-duty time. The occurrence of harassment must be reported to the College Director without fear, even if there is a separate policy in place at a learners' workplace or work placement which requires the incident to be reported to a workplace manager or supervisor, any learners that is in receipt of government funding for their training they are to be separately protected by the College at all times.

Learners are to be questioned in confidence at reviews and at other appropriate times as to how their work placement meets their needs or whether there are any issues that they would like to discuss. Confidential records of discussions concerning these aspects will be recorded and stored separately from the documentation connected with individual training plans. Complaint forms are held by the Administration Manager.

Staff complaints about harassment will also be treated fully in confidence. Wherever possible concerns will be investigated by a person not involved with the learner or staff member on a day-to-day basis. This person will be known as the confidential mentor. References to complaints of any kind will be recorded on the Complaints form.

What is Harassment?

Any unacceptable or unwarranted behaviour which disrupts the quality of life or work of an individual. Although the examples set out below are not exclusive, they show types of unacceptable conduct which are completely against our policy:

- Successive or single acts of bullying

- Verbal or physical abuse

- Ill-treatment

- Any offensive or oppressive act

- Any defamatory remark

- Causing a person to avoid, or want to avoid, any social, work or training environment through poor behaviour towards them

- Ill-advised comments or harassment about any person's sex, sexual orientation (including lesbian, male homosexual or transitional sexual status), religion or belief, race or ethnic origin. Disability or age, marital status.

- Any abuse of a position or authority by a staff member over a learner or to another staff member.

- Being under the influence of alcohol will be considered to aggravate the offence, and will not constitute an excuse for it.