Introducing the GenderSAFE Institutional Assessment Tool

Introducing the GenderSAFE Institutional Assessment Tool

Wednesday 26 November

11.00 – 12:30 CET

While many institutions adopt policies against gender-based violence, too often they lack the structures, resources, or monitoring mechanisms to ensure these policies are effective in practice. The result is a persistent gap between formal commitments and the lived realities of staff and students. The GenderSAFE Institutional Assessment Tool provides a structured framework to evaluate an organisation’s capacity and progress in addressing gender-based violence and supports institutions in adopting coherent, sustainable strategies across prevention, protection, provision of services, prosecution, partnerships, and policy (7P model). 

Join us on Wednesday, 26 November at 11.00 CET to explore how this tool can turn reflection into action. You’ll learn how the self-assessment is structured, what kind of tailored feedback institutions receive, tips and advice on completing the assessment, and how repeating the exercise over time can support meaningful development and inform policy cycles. Universities that have already tested the tool will share their experience, offering practical insight into its usefulness, added value and next steps. 

The session brings together those involved in the development and early testing of the tool: Marcela Linková (Czech Academy of Sciences), Panagiota Polykarpou (Yellow Window), Iveta Bayerová (Charles University) and Rachel Payne & Jennifer Kirman (Oxford Brookes University). Their reflections will illustrate how self-assessment can become a practical driver for institutional learning and sustainable change. 

Who is it for?  

• Gender equality officers/focal points, equality and/or diversity officers 
• Human resources officers 
• Gender equality plan implementing teams 
• Health and safety officers 
• Ombudspersons 
• Head of Departments/Units in charge or involved in gender-based violence 
• Trainers on the topic of gender-based violence in academic settings 
• Students interested in policy implementation 
• The training is designed for anyone interested in or working with anti-discrimination and equality structures in higher education and research institutions.  

Speakers

Iveta Bayerová is the Equal Opportunities Agenda Coordinator at Charles University and Secretary of the Equal Opportunities Board, an advisory body to the Rector on equality, diversity, and inclusion. She is a third-year PhD candidate in Applied Ethics at the Faculty of Humanities, where her research connects care ethics with strategies for fostering inclusive gender equality and transforming academic culture. She is the Vice-Chair of the Coimbra Group’s Equality and Diversity Working Group and co-represents it in the ERA Forum Subgroup on Inclusive Gender Equality. 

Jennifer (Jen) Kirman is an adult nurse, midwife and health visitor by professional background. Jen is an Associate Professor at Oxford Brookes and leads an annual interprofessional conference for Brookes students and staff on violence against women and girls. She is the co-founder and co-chair of the university’s Gender-Based Violence Advisory Group. 

Marcela Linková PhD is Head of the Centre for Gender and Science at the Institute of Sociology of the Czech Academy of Sciences. Her work spans research, support activities and advocacy. Her research focuses on the sociology of gendered organisations and institutional change, gender-based violence in academia, governance of research, and public policies for gender equality in R&I. Marcela is the Member State Co-Chair of the ERA Forum Sub-group on Inclusive Gender Equality. She has been the coordinator of EU-funded projects GENDERACTION and GENDERACTIONplus) and participated a number of other EU-funded projects including GE Academy, Gender-SMART, CASPER, UniSAFE and currently GenderSAFE. 

Rachel Payne is an art and design educator by professional background, having worked in teacher training, undergraduate and postgraduate levels of Education. Rachel is an Associate Professor and Deputy Head (Education and Student Experience) at Oxford Brookes and initiated the Sexual Consent Education prevention programme. She is the co-founder and co-chair of the university’s Gender-Based Violence Advisory Group. 

Panagiota Polykarpou is a Consultant for Equality, Diversity and Inclusion with a background in business management and social innovation, specialising in supporting European Research and Innovation projects. 

Register now to learn how to use the tool and how it can support institutional transformation!