{"id":11,"date":"2015-11-10T17:20:48","date_gmt":"2015-11-10T17:20:48","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/beta.devon.gov.uk\/equality\/report-and-incident-of-discrimination\/"},"modified":"2026-04-01T10:29:22","modified_gmt":"2026-04-01T09:29:22","slug":"reportincidents","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/www.devon.gov.uk\/equality\/reportincidents","title":{"rendered":"Report an incident of discrimination, harassment or unacceptable behaviour"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<div class=\"wp-block-columns is-layout-flex wp-container-core-columns-is-layout-9d6595d7 wp-block-columns-is-layout-flex\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-column is-layout-flow wp-block-column-is-layout-flow\" style=\"flex-basis:66.66%\">\n<p><strong>If you have experienced harassment, discrimination, bullying or other unacceptable behaviour in connection with your role or service experience with Devon County Council (including a service we commission) you can tell us about your experience.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>You can do this anonymously via our <a href=\"https:\/\/forms.cloud.microsoft\/Pages\/ResponsePage.aspx?id=gzehjWjLP0S7S5l_d_1b-9hDtiQbg6RLnbgio7jrIUVUMUpUREdHREpJSzk4SDlIM0xTU1RNREQ3NSQlQCN0PWcu\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Unacceptable Behaviour and Discrimination Report Form<\/a> if you wish, or request further support (someone will get back to you).<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-column is-layout-flow wp-block-column-is-layout-flow\"><\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-column is-layout-flow wp-block-column-is-layout-flow\" style=\"flex-basis:33.33%\">\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img decoding=\"async\" width=\"600\" height=\"600\" src=\"https:\/\/www.devon.gov.uk\/equality\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/165\/2026\/04\/QRCode-for-Unacceptable-Behaviour-or-Discrimination-Report-Form-2026-to-2027-600x600.png\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-4327\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.devon.gov.uk\/equality\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/165\/2026\/04\/QRCode-for-Unacceptable-Behaviour-or-Discrimination-Report-Form-2026-to-2027-600x600.png 600w, https:\/\/www.devon.gov.uk\/equality\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/165\/2026\/04\/QRCode-for-Unacceptable-Behaviour-or-Discrimination-Report-Form-2026-to-2027-300x300.png 300w, https:\/\/www.devon.gov.uk\/equality\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/165\/2026\/04\/QRCode-for-Unacceptable-Behaviour-or-Discrimination-Report-Form-2026-to-2027-150x150.png 150w, https:\/\/www.devon.gov.uk\/equality\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/165\/2026\/04\/QRCode-for-Unacceptable-Behaviour-or-Discrimination-Report-Form-2026-to-2027-768x768.png 768w, https:\/\/www.devon.gov.uk\/equality\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/165\/2026\/04\/QRCode-for-Unacceptable-Behaviour-or-Discrimination-Report-Form-2026-to-2027-1536x1536.png 1536w, https:\/\/www.devon.gov.uk\/equality\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/165\/2026\/04\/QRCode-for-Unacceptable-Behaviour-or-Discrimination-Report-Form-2026-to-2027-440x440.png 440w, https:\/\/www.devon.gov.uk\/equality\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/165\/2026\/04\/QRCode-for-Unacceptable-Behaviour-or-Discrimination-Report-Form-2026-to-2027-640x640.png 640w, https:\/\/www.devon.gov.uk\/equality\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/165\/2026\/04\/QRCode-for-Unacceptable-Behaviour-or-Discrimination-Report-Form-2026-to-2027-1024x1024.png 1024w, https:\/\/www.devon.gov.uk\/equality\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/165\/2026\/04\/QRCode-for-Unacceptable-Behaviour-or-Discrimination-Report-Form-2026-to-2027.png 1890w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 600px) 100vw, 600px\" \/><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<p>This <a href=\"https:\/\/forms.office.com\/Pages\/ResponsePage.aspx?id=gzehjWjLP0S7S5l_d_1b-3k2zoamfoJKgcKfgFq7GXBUQVRRUVJBOE0wTDhaSEs2TFlFT0hOSldEVS4u\" rel=\"noopener\">form<\/a> is provided for members of Devon County Council staff, elected Members and people who use Devon County Council services or recruitment processes to report incidents including those related to unacceptable behaviour of a colleague, service, service user or member of the public. Agencies who provide services on our behalf may also use the form to report incidents of unacceptable behaviour of service users.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Please do not use this form for concerns that do not relate to Devon County Council (its staff, elected Members, services, contractors or service users), please see information below for routes to raise concerns about other organisations or people, or issues in or involving schools:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/forms.cloud.microsoft\/Pages\/ResponsePage.aspx?id=gzehjWjLP0S7S5l_d_1b-9hDtiQbg6RLnbgio7jrIUVUMUpUREdHREpJSzk4SDlIM0xTU1RNREQ3NSQlQCN0PWcu\" rel=\"noopener\">Unacceptable Behaviour and Discrimination Report Form<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Everyone has the right to live and work in an environment free from harassment, bullying, discrimination and hate crime.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Do not use this form to report safeguarding concerns in the community. Please refer to&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.devon.gov.uk\/educationandfamilies\/child-protection\/\">Child Safeguarding<\/a>&nbsp;and&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.devonsafeguardingadultspartnership.org.uk\/reporting-a-concern\/\" rel=\"noopener\">Adult Safeguarding<\/a>&nbsp;procedures. For incidents relating to Devon Schools, please use a seperate process to <a href=\"https:\/\/www.devon.gov.uk\/equality\/reportincidents\/schools\">report an incident in a School<\/a>.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>If you are unable to access the online form above or prefer to use email, you can contact the <a href=\"mailto:equality@devon.gov.uk\">Equality, Diversity and Inclusion (EDI) Team.<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Please note that the EDI Team <strong>can<\/strong> complete the online report form on your behalf but they <strong>cannot<\/strong> help you make a complaint against Devon County Council (they need to remain impartial). In addition, the EDI team:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>do not investigate complaints, but can provide advice to officers managing the investigation process.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>can signpost you to our complaints procedure or other sources of support and information so that you can get the matter resolved.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>make general recommendations to services or the organisation as a whole.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>Remember, <strong>it&#8217;s OK to say it&#8217;s not OK<\/strong> if you experience or witness harassment, hate or discrimination.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-block-embed-youtube wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio\"><div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<iframe title=\"It&#039;s OK to Say It&#039;s Not OK\" width=\"500\" height=\"281\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube-nocookie.com\/embed\/bW7EtehWMbY?feature=oembed&#038;rel=0\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe>\n<\/div><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>Knowing what is happening can help us understand the issues that people are facing and develop strategies to stop them happening again. You are protected by <a href=\"https:\/\/www.devon.gov.uk\/equality\/guidance\/equality-legislation\/\">equality law <\/a>to make a complaint in good faith about discrimination and not to be victimised as a result. If someone tells us that they have experienced harassment, hate or discrimination, we will treat the matter seriously and sensitively.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Further information<\/h2>\n\n\n<div class=\"accordion-tabs-block\"><ul class=\"accordion\" id=\"block_acf-block-69cce56f99a44\" data-responsive-accordion-tabs=\"accordion medium-accordion large-accordion\" data-allow-all-closed=\"true\" data-multi-expand=\"true\"><li id=\"item-69cce56f99a44-0\" class=\"accordion-item\" data-accordion-item=\"\"><a href=\"#\" class=\"accordion-title\">Guidance for DCC Staff<\/a><div class=\"accordion-content\" data-tab-content><p><strong>If you are a member of staff:<\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>and have experienced harassment, bullying or discrimination as part of your employment, please see the <a href=\"https:\/\/inside.devon.gov.uk\/task\/employee-conduct\/acceptable-behaviour\/\" rel=\"noopener\">Acceptable Behaviour Policy<\/a>. We encourage matters to be resolved informally where possible, if you are unable to resolve your matter informally you could use the\u00a0Council&#8217;s <a href=\"https:\/\/inside.devon.gov.uk\/task\/complain-about-something-at-work\/\" rel=\"noopener\">Grievance Procedure (Resolution Policy)<\/a>. Please try to resolve your issue as soon as possible. You can use this process alongside reporting the issue through the incident report form above.<\/li>\n<li>and experienced harassment, abuse or discrimination by a service user or member of the public, please see the <a href=\"https:\/\/inside.devon.gov.uk\/task\/unacceptable-customer-behaviour\/\" rel=\"noopener\">Unacceptable Customer Behaviour Policy<\/a> and speak to your manager.<\/li>\n<li>and manage a DCC social media account, please <a href=\"https:\/\/forms.office.com\/Pages\/ResponsePage.aspx?id=gzehjWjLP0S7S5l_d_1b-3k2zoamfoJKgcKfgFq7GXBUOUxSTFdMUzVQTlcwNzRSSExTTTdYRlQzSC4u\" rel=\"noopener\">log any incidents on social media here<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div><\/li><li id=\"item-69cce56f99a44-1\" class=\"accordion-item\" data-accordion-item=\"\"><a href=\"#\" class=\"accordion-title\">Make a complaint &#8211; service user or member of the public<\/a><div class=\"accordion-content\" data-tab-content><p><strong>If you are a service user or member of the public<\/strong> and think you have been discriminated against by a Devon County Council service \/ member of staff you can make a formal complaint using the Council&#8217;s <a href=\"https:\/\/www.devon.gov.uk\/haveyoursay\/feedback-and-complaints\/\">Complaints (Feedback) Process<\/a>. This includes services that the County Council commissions or runs in partnership with other organisations.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Complaints about Councillors<\/strong> can be made to the County Solicitor. Please see further information on <a href=\"https:\/\/www.devon.gov.uk\/democracy\/councillors-nav\/making-a-complaint-about-a-devon-county-councillor\/\">making a complaint about a Councillor.<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div><\/li><li id=\"item-69cce56f99a44-2\" class=\"accordion-item\" data-accordion-item=\"\"><a href=\"#\" class=\"accordion-title\">Contact a national helpline for advice on discrimination or harassment and human rights issues<\/a><div class=\"accordion-content\" data-tab-content><p>The <a href=\"http:\/\/www.equalityadvisoryservice.com\" rel=\"noopener\">EASS<\/a> is a national helpline that advises and assists individuals on issues relating to equality and human rights. Check their \u2018Resources\u2019 and \u2018Advice and Guidance\u2019 sections and contact them if you need further support. The EASS cannot provide legal assistance but can signpost you if you are unsure where to get legal assistance from. Staff can use this service if they want completely independent advice.<\/p>\n<p>Alternatively, local <a href=\"https:\/\/www.devon.gov.uk\/equality\/guidance\/organisations\/\">community organisations<\/a> such as the Intercom Trust (LGBT), Plymouth and Devon Racial Equality Council, Devon Rape Crisis and Sexual Abuse Service, and Living Options Devon (disability) may be able to assist you.<\/p>\n<p>If you are experiencing harassment in the community from other members of the public or neighbours, for example, please raise your concerns with the Police. If you require further support you may find <a href=\"https:\/\/www.victimsupport.org.uk\/\" rel=\"noopener\">Victim Support<\/a><\/p>\n<p>For all other issues, the Citizens Advice Bureau may be able to advise.<\/p>\n<\/div><\/li><li id=\"item-69cce56f99a44-3\" class=\"accordion-item\" data-accordion-item=\"\"><a href=\"#\" class=\"accordion-title\">Schools and school pupils<\/a><div class=\"accordion-content\" data-tab-content><p>If your complaint is with a school, you will need to complain to the school directly, using their complaints or grievance procedure. Please see our <a href=\"https:\/\/www.devon.gov.uk\/equality\/reportincidents\/schools\">guidance for schools<\/a>\u00a0for\u00a0further\u00a0information about bullying and prejudice\/hate incident reporting.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<\/div><\/li><li id=\"item-69cce56f99a44-4\" class=\"accordion-item\" data-accordion-item=\"\"><a href=\"#\" class=\"accordion-title\">Discrimination\/harassment in the community &#8211; Hate Crimes and Incidents or Sexual Assault<\/a><div class=\"accordion-content\" data-tab-content><p>Through the Safer Devon Partnership, we are working with partners to tackle prejudice and hate crime across Devon.<\/p>\n<p><strong>What is hate crime?<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Hate crime is any offence committed against a person or property that is motivated by the offender&#8217;s hatred of people because of their association with one or more of the equality strands. For example, you can be a victim of hate crime because of your race, religion, disability, sexual orientation\u00a0or gender identity.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Why report a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.devon.gov.uk\/equality\/reportincidents\/hatecrime\/\">hate crime<\/a>?<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>You can:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>help the council and the police to understand patterns of behaviour.<\/li>\n<li>provide a true picture of what is happening within your community.<\/li>\n<li>help police investigate an incident which may contribute to an arrest and\/or prosecution.<\/li>\n<li>help prevent these types of crimes happening to you again or to someone else.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.devon.gov.uk\/equality\/reportincidents\/\">More information on reporting a hate crime, hate incident or sexual assault<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div><\/li><\/ul><\/div>\n\n\n<p>Harassment, hate and direct discrimination&nbsp;involves hurtful&nbsp;behaviour or treating someone&nbsp;badly&nbsp;<em>because of <\/em>age, disability, gender identity, pregnancy or maternity, race\/ethnicity, religion\/belief or sexual orientation. It can include: hate speech, using offensive language or stereotyping; bullying; excluding or isolating; sexual innuendo and sexual harassment; refusing to provide a service on equal terms; not allowing a mother to breastfeed her baby; graffiti, physical assault and damage to property.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Indirect discrimination is where a provision, criteria or practice set by a service provider or employer disadvantages people from a particular group (which&nbsp;does not&nbsp;have&nbsp;an objective and&nbsp;legitimate reason).<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Failure to provide a reasonable adjustment for a disabled person is also a form of discrimination.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>If you have experienced harassment, discrimination, bullying or other unacceptable behaviour in connection with your role or service experience with Devon County Council (including a service we commission) you can tell us about your experience. You can do this anonymously via our Unacceptable Behaviour and Discrimination Report Form if you wish, or request further support [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":748,"featured_media":0,"parent":0,"menu_order":5,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":"","_links_to":"","_links_to_target":""},"class_list":["post-11","page","type-page","status-publish","hentry"],"acf":[],"publishpress_future_action":{"enabled":false,"date":"2026-05-31 14:40:58","action":"change-status","newStatus":"draft","terms":[],"taxonomy":"","extraData":[]},"publishpress_future_workflow_manual_trigger":{"enabledWorkflows":[]},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.devon.gov.uk\/equality\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/11","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.devon.gov.uk\/equality\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.devon.gov.uk\/equality\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.devon.gov.uk\/equality\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/748"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.devon.gov.uk\/equality\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=11"}],"version-history":[{"count":5,"href":"https:\/\/www.devon.gov.uk\/equality\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/11\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":4331,"href":"https:\/\/www.devon.gov.uk\/equality\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/11\/revisions\/4331"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.devon.gov.uk\/equality\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=11"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}