DCG Student Handbook 2025-26 accessible - Flipbook - Page 24
SUPPORT AVAILABLE TO YOU
SAFEGUARDING SUPPORT AND SAFEGUARDING TEAM
Safeguarding Team
DCG places the highest importance on safeguarding and
the safety and well-being of students.
Safeguarding is the action we take to promote the welfare
of people and protect them from harm.
At DCG, safeguarding means:
• protecting people from abuse and maltreatment,
• preventing harm to people’s health or development,
• ensuring people are cared for in a safe environment,
• taking action to enable all people to have the best
outcomes.
If you need any advice or support you can contact our
Safeguarding Team for a chat, email: safeguarding@
derby-college.ac.uk, or speak to them, or a Student
Experience and Pastoral Coach, in person whilst at
College.
For further information: Safeguarding
Bullying
Bullying may be characterised as:
offensive, intimidating, malicious or insulting behaviour, an
abuse or misuse of power through means that undermine,
humiliate or injure the recipient.
Some examples of bullying include:
• verbal and/or physical intimidation,
• ignoring, patronising or excluding,
• setting random or unachievable workloads in an
unreasonable manner and making threats associated with
failure to achieve,
• public reprimand, ridicule, sarcasm or humiliation,
• posting offensive comments on social networking sites or in
other media,
• sending offensive text messages, emails or offensive
messages through other forms of social media,
• intentionally blocking a person’s training, learning or
development opportunities.
What is online bullying?
Behaviour and attitudes
All DCG students need to feel able to develop their
potential without fear of physical, verbal or written abuse.
As outlined in the Student Code of Conduct, all forms of
anti-social behaviour within the DCG community will not
be tolerated.
Bullying, including physical violence of threats, and racial
and sexual harassment are forms of anti-social behaviour
which will be subject to disciplinary action e.g. suspension
or exclusion.
Bullying, harassment, victimisation and sexual misconduct
may be by an individual, against an individual or may
involve groups of people. It may be obvious or invidious;
abuse of power can be explicit or implicit.
Bullying and harassment are not necessarily faceto-face. They may also occur through various other
forms of communication (e.g., email, phone, written
communication, and social media).
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The rapid development of, and widespread access to
technology, has provided a new medium for ‘virtual’ bullying,
which can occur in or outside the learning environment.
Online bullying is a different form of bullying and can happen
at any time of the day, with a potentially bigger audience, and
more accessories as people forward on content at the push of
a button.
Although some technology seemingly allows anonymity,
there are ways to 昀椀nd out information about where bullying
originated. However, it is important to be aware that this may
not necessarily lead to an identi昀椀able individual. For instance,
if another person’s phone or College network account has
been used, locating where the information was originally sent
from will not, by itself, determine who the bully is.
If you feel you or a peer is being bullied or harassed, you must
report it to a member of staff who will refer to the relevant
team.
