The following documents have been developed by CDS Staff and Board as part of a process to better understand the impacts of intersecting privilege and oppression as they are expressed in our organisation and wider field. We are committed to doing better to understand, dismantle, and redress the racism within our organisation – today and in the context of our 40-year history. This needs to be integrated into everything we do, from the way we hold meetings, make decisions, appoint people to roles and responsibilities, and the programmes and opportunities that we create. 

Interim Code of Conduct (Summary)

CDS aims to be a welcoming space for all of the present and future communities that benefit from our resources: Members, hirers, class participants, visiting artists and audiences. We seek to actively prioritise the safety and championing of those who are marginalised from other arts spaces, platforms and communities.

CDS does not tolerate any behaviour or language that shows intolerance or hostility towards, or may have an oppressive impact on others, including (but not limited to): racism, colourism, ableism, homophobia, biphobia, transphobia, misogyny, classism, xenophobia, fatphobia, body-shaming, or slut-shaming. 

CDS will not tolerate:

• Physical or verbal assault, or threats of violence
• Microaggressions related to a person’s identity
• Non-consensual touch, or inappropriate/unwanted sexual attention
• Intrusion by pestering, spying or stalking
• Deliberate or repeated misgendering or use of deadnames
• Deliberate “outing” of any aspect of a person’s identity without their consent
• Sharing hate speech by other people online
• Humiliating, excluding, isolating or undermining a person’s self esteem. 
• Sustained disruption to someone’s ability to speak, participate, or do their job.

The full document includes notes on active allyship and a procedure for breaches of the policy. It can be downloaded here:

CDS Interim Code of Conduct Sept 2021 (PDF)

We will aim to publish our interim feedback and complaints procedure by the end of October 2021.