Harman has changed the training chambers must deliver - is yours compliant?

Following Baroness Harman's independent review of bullying, harassment and sexual harassment at the Bar, the Bar Council and Bar Standards Board (BSB) now expect every chambers to take proactive preventative steps, not just react to complaints. This includes providing role-specific training for barristers, pupils, employees and workers that is recent, tailored to the Bar and aligned with the Commissioner for Conduct Protocols, the Bar Council Toolkit and the BSB's Core Duties and Conduct Rules.

The Commissioner for Conduct is a role recommended by the Harman Review and agreed in protocols between the Bar Standards Board, the Lady Chief Justice and the Senior President of Tribunals. The Commissioner receives reports via "Talk to Spot," decides whether behaviour meets the threshold for serious misconduct and liaises with the judiciary on reports of judicial conduct via the Judicial Conduct Investigations Office (JCIO) portal.

Yes. Barristers and pupils are self-employed and regulated directly by the BSB, facing different professional consequences for misconduct findings than employees and workers, who are covered separately by the employee focussed legislation including the Worker Protection Act. Because of this, Wdidi runs two separate, role-specific programmes: one for barristers and pupils and one for chambers employees and workers, rather than a single generic course for both.

Wdidi's training for chambers employees and workers is built to support the "all reasonable steps" standard employers must meet under the Worker Protection Act. The Comprehensive Programme contains the messaging Employment Tribunals expect to see delivered on contractual, policy and behavioural obligations. Chambers also face dual compliance duties around bullying and harassment. While the Equality Act applies broadly to everyone, the Worker Protection Act specifically covers employed personnel, while barristers and pupils fall under the BSB's Conduct Rules. Training that addresses only one of these leaves a gap.

The Comprehensive Programme provides 120 minutes of qualifying CPD for practising barristers, delivered as self-paced, video-based online learning across six modules covering regulatory safeguards and reporting routes, behavioural expectations, bullying, unlawful harassment and unlawful sexual harassment.

Both are 120-minute, Bar-specific programmes offering 120 minutes of CPD. The Bar Council's course ("Tackling harassment, bullying and inappropriate behaviours") runs as a one-time Zoom session at £190 (+VAT). Wdidi's Comprehensive Programme is on-demand online learning with 12 months' access at £180 (+VAT), or £150 (+VAT) on bulk purchase and additionally offers role-specific modules, auto-enrolment, auto-messaging, an audit trail and bespoke options.

Wdidi's content is led by founder Julia Gidney, a former leading employment law Partner at top UK firms and Group Head of People & Compliance for major international organisations, with over 30 years' front-line experience handling employee complaints, claims and disputes. Recognised Bar experts are brought in to validate content where helpful.

Yes. Wdidi's training platform allows for real-time content updates, so when a change is made to the implementation of the Harman Review recommendations, BSB Conduct Rules or Bar Council Toolkit guidance, the training is quickly updated.

Employers have a duty to take “reasonable steps” to prevent sexual harassment of employees and workers. From October 2026, the Employment Rights Act 2025 raises that to “all reasonable steps”, a higher standard and extends employer liability to harassment by third parties across all protected characteristics, not just sex. Until government regulations are published (expected 2027); EHRC guidance indicates 'all reasonable steps' include risk assessments, up-to-date policies and role-specific training as the practical evidence employers are expected to show.