How universities respond to harassment, sexual misconduct, and student complaints is shaped by five different regulatory frameworks across England, Wales, Scotland, Northern Ireland, and the Republic of Ireland. The timeline below brings the key milestones together in one place, so you can see how each jurisdiction has developed, and how they compare.
Use the filters to view one jurisdiction at a time, or the court cases that apply across England and Wales and are treated as persuasive elsewhere. Entries with a dashed outline are expected developments that have not yet taken effect. Where only a year is shown, the precise date varied or was phased.
33 milestones shown
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The Zellick Report
National guidance that discouraged the internal handling of serious student misconduct, shaping sector practice for two decades.
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OIA established
The Higher Education Act 2004 created the independent student complaints scheme; the OIA began operating as its designated operator in 2005, covering England and Wales.
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Ombudsman remit extended
The Ombudsman (Amendment) Act 2012 brought publicly funded higher education institutions within the Ombudsman’s remit for student complaints.
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SPSO Model Complaints Handling Procedure
The Scottish Higher Education Model Complaints Handling Procedure came into force; adoption is a condition of SFC funding.
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Good Practice Framework first published
The OIA published the core section on handling complaints and academic appeals, setting the benchmark against which complaint handling is assessed.
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VAWDASV (Wales) Act 2015
The Violence against Women, Domestic Abuse and Sexual Violence (Wales) Act placed duties on Welsh public bodies, including a duty to issue guidance to higher education governing bodies.
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Changing the Culture
Universities UK signalled a decisive shift towards institutional responsibility for tackling harassment and sexual misconduct.
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Changing the Culture adopted voluntarily
Northern Ireland’s universities are Universities UK members and follow its harassment and sexual misconduct guidance on a voluntary basis; there is no local statutory equivalent.
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NIPSO remit begins
The Public Services Ombudsman Act (Northern Ireland) 2016 gave the Ombudsman jurisdiction over student complaints of maladministration at Queen’s and Ulster, replacing the old university visitor route.
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Equally Safe in Higher Education Toolkit
Launched at the University of Strathclyde with Scottish Government funding; SFC guidance asks institutions to adopt and work with the toolkit.
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GPF section on disciplinary procedures
New OIA guidance covering academic and non-academic misconduct, including sexual misconduct, violence, and harassment.
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Framework for Consent in HEIs
Safe, Respectful, Supportive and Positive: Ending Sexual Violence and Harassment in Irish Higher Education Institutions; institutions are required to implement it.
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AB v University of XYZ
[2020] EWHC 2978 (QB). The High Court confirmed that natural justice applies to university disciplinary proceedings. Where an allegation is serious and the consequences severe, fairness may require legal representation for the accused student, and the ability to challenge the evidence of witnesses.
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HEFCW Circular W20/39HE
HEFCW’s first circular on tackling violence against women, domestic abuse, and sexual violence in higher education.
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EmilyTest GBV Charter
The world’s first gender-based violence charter for colleges and universities, created by EmilyTest, the charity founded after the death of Aberdeen student Emily Drouet in 2016.
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OfS Statement of Expectations
The Office for Students set clear expectations for how institutions prevent and respond to harassment and sexual misconduct.
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Speak Out reporting tool
An anonymous online tool for reporting violence and harassment, launched across 18 higher education institutions.
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National survey findings and action plan
The HEA published national staff and student survey findings on sexual violence and harassment, followed in October 2022 by a national action plan to drive implementation.
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Abrahart v University of Bristol (County Court)
Bristol County Court found that the University of Bristol had discriminated against Natasha Abrahart, a physics student with social anxiety who took her own life in April 2018, by failing to make reasonable adjustments to oral assessments, contrary to the Equality Act 2010.
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Unseen at Uni report
Research by Ulster University and Queen’s University Belfast on students’ unwanted sexual experiences; only around half of those affected had told anyone.
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Higher Education (Freedom of Speech) Act 2023
New duties on providers relating to freedom of speech; OfS guidance applies now, with a related condition of registration expected in 2027.
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HEFCW Circular W23/29HE
A follow-up circular requiring universities to report on progress; HEFCW gave institutions individual feedback in February 2024.
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University of Bristol v Abrahart (High Court)
[2024] EWHC 299 (KB). The High Court dismissed the university’s appeal, upholding the Equality Act findings, though it declined to find a common law duty of care. The case has become the benchmark for how universities support disabled students through assessment and institutional processes.
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Medr becomes operational
The Commission for Tertiary Education and Research replaced HEFCW under the Tertiary Education and Research (Wales) Act 2022, taking on regulation of the whole tertiary sector.
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Ending Violence Against Women and Girls Strategic Framework
The Executive Office published a whole-society framework, alongside a Domestic and Sexual Abuse Strategy from the justice and health departments.
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Medr/2024/05 published
Medr’s first VAWDASV publication, continuing HEFCW’s monitoring approach, with a wellbeing and safety condition of registration planned; safety is defined to include freedom from harassment, misconduct, and sexual violence.
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Expert Group review of the Framework
An Expert Group review of the Ending Sexual Violence and Harassment Framework reported, assessing progress since 2019 and making recommendations for the next phase.
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Condition E6 in force
English providers that fail to demonstrate compliance risk losing degree-awarding powers and may face significant financial penalties.
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OIA consultation on harassment and sexual misconduct section
The OIA opened consultation on a new Good Practice Framework section, Handling reports of harassment and sexual misconduct; the consultation closed on 6 February 2026.
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Tertiary Education and Training (Funding and Governance) (Scotland) Act 2026
Passed with amendments developed with EmilyTest; acting on gender-based violence becomes a condition of SFC funding, with annual reporting on compliance.
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Medr welfare condition takes effect
Medr’s wellbeing and safety condition of registration is due to take effect, with safety defined to include freedom from harassment, misconduct, and sexual violence.
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Final GPF section on harassment and sexual misconduct due
The OIA plans to publish the final version of the new Good Practice Framework section in September 2026.
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Freedom of speech condition of registration
The OfS is expected to introduce a condition of registration relating to the Higher Education (Freedom of Speech) Act 2023.
Wherever you are, we can help
Campus Resolve works with institutions across all five jurisdictions. Our investigations, training, policy reviews, and advisory work are grounded in the framework that applies to you: OfS Condition E6 and the OIA in England, Medr and the OIA in Wales, SFC funding conditions and the SPSO in Scotland, NIPSO oversight in Northern Ireland, and the Consent Framework and HEA action plan in Ireland.
No external partner can guarantee compliance; those judgements rest with regulators, ombuds services, and the courts. What we can do is help you build policies, processes, and casework practice that are designed to withstand that scrutiny, informed by direct experience of the standards your work will be assessed against.
Sources
England and Wales (OIA)
England and Wales (court cases)
- AB v University of XYZ [2020] EWHC 2978 (QB)
- University of Bristol v Abrahart [2024] EWHC 299 (KB)
- EHRC advice note on Abrahart
Wales
Scotland
- SPSO model complaints handling procedures
- Equally Safe in Higher Education Toolkit
- EmilyTest GBV Charter
- Scottish Government: tackling gender-based violence on campus
- Tertiary Education and Training (Funding and Governance) (Scotland) Act 2026
Northern Ireland
Republic of Ireland