Safe to Create Programme

The Department of Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media have launched a new Safe to Create Programme dedicated to providing safer working conditions and promoting Dignity at Work within the Irish Arts and Creative Sector, including museum workers.

Through the Safe to Create programme, they are looking to transform culture and practices through training, information, voluntary compliance and certification, and provide key support for victims/survivors in the areas of reporting, counselling, and legal advice by providing:

• ‘Know your rights’ Information
• Free counselling, legal assistance and 24/7 helpline
• Resources for organisations including relevant legislation, codes, policies, sample HR procedures and templates (in development)
• Sectoral Code of Behaviour and Dignity at Work Trust Statement
• Sign the Code: Online register for organisations and individuals to formally sign up to the Code of Behaviour and publicly declare their commitment to implement it
• Training to address Dignity at Work issues
• Report to Support anonymous reporting system (in development)
• Research programme (in development)

A key initiative under this programme is the Safe to create code of behaviour, which all organisations in the arts, culture and creative sector are expected to adopt and sign - committing to four broad strands:

1. Adopting a zero tolerance approach to the damaging behaviours of bullying, harassment, sexual harassment, humiliation, victimisation, assault and sexual assault;

2. Have a mechanism for accepting and investigating complaints of damaging behaviour in a timely fashion;

3. Raise awareness of the damaging behaviours; and

4. All employees / members to undertake three free online training courses: Addressing Unconscious Bias; Tackling Bullying and Harassment at work; Being an active Bystander in the arts Training

Information workshops on the Code will be delivered via the Code-on-the-Road with upcoming sessions in Dublin, Limerick, Waterford and Kilkenny

This programme is managed by Irish Theatre Institute, on behalf of the Department of Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media and in partnership with the Arts Council, Screen Ireland and Minding Creative Minds.