The Creative Industries Independent Standards Authority (CIISA) has published a ‘Services Guide’, setting out details of the range of services it plans to put in place.

We have previously commented on CIISA’s work here. It was set up in 2022 following a range of high-profile allegations being raised about behaviour within the creative industries and aimed to “uphold and improve standards of behaviour across the creative industries and to prevent and tackle all forms of bullying and harassment, including bullying and harassment of a discriminatory nature”.

Earlier this year, CIISA published its ‘Standards’ (on which we commented here) which were described as a “framework for a single, unified vision of professional standards of behaviour within the creative industries, [outlining] what a safe and inclusive working environment, that treats people with dignity, looks like”. The Standards included a series of recommendations of steps that organisations can take to ensure that their working environment is (1) safe, (2) inclusive, (3) has open and accountable reporting mechanisms, and (4) is a responsible learning culture.

The publication of the Standards represented the first in a series of steps that CIISA intends to take as it continues its work, which are set out in detail in three sections in the Guide.

1. Setting Standards and Embedding Best Practice

Now that the Standards have been set, CIISA will “engage with organisations, productions and projects across the screen, stage and music industries to raise awareness of the Standards and discuss how they can be used in practice”. It will also work with volunteer organisations which have agreed to become ‘trailblazers’ for the Standards, before publishing both sector-specific and ‘role and theme-specific’ guidance.

CIISA also says that it plans to create educational and professional development resources that complement the Guide and Standards, as well as to explore the implementation of an accreditation scheme and work with organisations to carry out confidential organisational assessments.

2. Support and Intervention

The Guide sets out in detail the process by which CIISA will “monitor and benchmark how the creative industries are doing to embed the Standards”. It describes a step-by-step approach that begins with a confidential reporting service that people will be able to use to report to CIISA any concerns they might have. That information will, in turn, inform the production by CIISA of sector-specific and thematic reports and help it to “understand themes, trends, and [the] potential demand for [its] remaining services”. Assuming that the demand exists, the next step that is envisaged is for CIISA to stage early interventions. The guide provides examples of the criteria that are likely to apply for it to intervene, as well action it could take, such as issuing a confidential ‘Standards Notice’ indicating that a potential breach may have occurred. Finally, CIISA intends to offer confidential dispute resolution services, and the guide provides further information about CIISA Mediations and CIISA-led arbitrations.

3. Independent Investigations

The Guide explains that CIISA would only investigate individual cases where no other suitable route is available or upon request from an organisation, production, or project. An individual investigation constitutes the fifth and final step of the series of measures outlined above that the CIISA could take, and would be reserved only for “serious and complex cases” such as where Standards have been “significantly breached” or “there is a degree of potential harm linked to the issues raised”.

An investigation would be carried out by an appropriate independent investigator (such as a law firm), instructed by CIISA, and include the preparation of an Investigation Findings Report which would be considered by an Adjudication Panel. Whilst CIISA would not have the power to prevent people from working in the creative industries, the Guide explains that where it sees patterns of “significant and seriously harmful behaviour”, CIISA may refer matters to a relevant public authority (such as the police) or choose to publish the outcome of an investigation. Separate from these formal investigations, CIISA also envisages conducting ‘Culture Reviews’ which would be aimed at “understanding and addressing systemic concerns raised about their working environments and culture that have relevance to the Standards”.

To read the Guide in full, click here.

CIISA’s Funding

Separate to the Guide, the Chief Executive of CIISA has written to the Chair of the Culture, Media and Sport Committee about how to secure its funding for the future. In it, she argued that the existing funding model based on voluntary contributions from organisations is “precarious and unsustainable”.

Two alternative models are proposed to replace the existing arrangements. First, a mandatory industry-wide levy could be raised for CIISA. Second, all beneficiaries of the Creative Sector Tax Relief could be mandated to contribute a small percentage of the relief they receive to CIISA.

To read the letter in full, click here.