Community Base is dedicated to creating an environment in our spaces in which all tenants, staff and visitors feel safe, comfortable and protected.
Regardless of ability, age, cultural background, education, ethnicity, gender identity, nationality, parental status, race, religion, sexual orientation, socio-economic background or any other personally identifying factor, everyone should feel welcome in and able to access our spaces.
We encourage all users of our spaces to be proactive in creating such an environment and will take a zero-tolerance approach to any behaviours that undermine this.
We will take actions accordingly to ensure individuals or groups of individuals are protected.
This policy applies to all users of Community Base spaces. This policy also applies to all spaces rented or hired by our tenants, other organisations and community groups.
In this policy, space refers to both physical space (e.g. meeting rooms, offices) and digital space (e.g. emails, official social media channels, virtual meetings). This policy describes actions that should be taken in response to incidents in which unacceptable behaviours occur.
Breeches of the Safe Space Policy
The following are examples of behaviours that would represent a breach of this policy.
Violence and/or threat – all acts of physical intimidation, aggression or force, including threats of violence.
Sexual misconduct – any unwanted behaviour of a sexual nature. Can include, but is not limited to, sexual comments or jokes, sexual gestures, unwelcome sexual advances, any non-consensual touching/groping, sharing of inappropriate images/sexual content.
Discriminatory and/or exclusionary behaviour – any unjust or prejudicial treatment of an individual or group of individuals based on a protected characteristic as defined by the Equality Act 2010. Includes ageism, ableism, sexism, transphobia, racism, religious prejudice (e.g. Islamophobia, anti-Semitism), homophobia and discrimination based on marital status.
Bullying and/or abuse – any behaviour (physical, verbal or cyber) that intends to cause physical or psychological harm.
Coercion – any behaviour that forces someone to do something they are not willing to do through threat, intimidation or manipulating a social power imbalance. This includes initiations or other compulsory (or effectively compulsory) degrading rituals that can negatively impact the physical or mental wellbeing of an individual.
Reporting of Incidents
Organisations who rent space at Community Base (including tenants) are required to adopt our Safe Space Policy. Organisations are also required to have appropriate policies and procedures in place to enable their own staff and visitors to feel safe, comfortable and protected. This includes (but not limited to) a complaints procedure.
Therefore, incidents occurring in physical or digital spaces should be brought to the direct attention of the organisation where the incident occurred.
If the incident relates to Community Base and or its staff, or a visitor to the Community Base building, then the incident should be reported to Community Base reception. Community Base has its own Complaints Policy and Procedure which is available from the Community Base Reception.
Consequences of Breaching this Policy
Visitors
There are various actions that may be taken against a visitor who is in breach of this policy including:
- Ejection from the Community Base building – for incidents deemed non-minor (usually including harassment or intimidation), it may be appropriate to remove the person from the building.
- Exclusion from the Community Base building – it may be appropriate that person may be barred from entering Community Base.
Tenants
There are various actions that may be taken against a tenant who is in breach of this policy including:
- A written warning.
- A serious breach of this policy may result in a tenant being served notice.
Community Base’s expectation is that organisations who rent space at Community Base (including tenants) ensure that all complaints are handled fairly, consistently and wherever possible resolved to the complainant’s satisfaction.
