Guidelines for staff

This guidance sets out some key steps to take if you receive a disclosure of bullying, harassment or discrimination from a student.

The LARA Method for Managing Tense Talks

LARA stands for Listen, Affirm, Respond, and Ask Questions. The LARA method builds respect and common ground, allowing you to have difficult conversations more openly and honestly. LARA is especially useful when people are feeling discriminated against. Here’s how to use LARA:

Listen

Set aside your own agenda and learn what the student is saying and feeling, not to change or presume what the student thinks or feels. Aim to understand what the student means, not just exactly what they say.

Affirm

Affirm them in what they have shared. This will help in making the student feel heard and understood, and will build common ground between you.

To affirm the speaker’s feelings, use phrases like:

  • “What I hear you saying is…”
  • “I sense that you feel…”
  • “It seems like you feel…”
  • “I appreciate your honesty”

Respond

Respond directly to the concerns or questions the student has raised and show respect by taking the student’s concerns seriously and addressing them directly. Avoid portraying your perspectives and use their language and descriptors.

Ask Questions

Open-ended questions help you gain a better understanding of the other person’s perspective. They also demonstrate that you are genuinely interested in hearing their experience.

  • “How did that make you feel?”
  • “Why do you think you reacted that way?”
  • “How did you reach that conclusion?”

 

Anti-Discrimination Toolkit

An anti-discrimination toolkit will be regularly updated with key resources and links to aid staff supporting students who disclose any forms of bullying, harassment and discrimination.

 

Disclosing accounts of bullying, harassment and discrimination can be difficult and retraumatising, so ensure to make the student feel safe by remaining calm, friendly, supportive and empathetic. Remember, it is always the student’s decision to report an incident and they are given a choice on the Report and Support platform to report anonymously or with their named contact details. As a staff member you are able to report on behalf of the student keeping the students details anonymous or named.