ICO Equality, Diversity & Inclusion Action Plan
ORGANISATION
- By 2030, increase the diversity of people employed by the ICO and appointed to our Board of Trustees through future recruitment so that they more accurately reflect the ethnic diversity of the UK population, based on 2021 UK census information (see most recent update on new board recruitment, May 2022)
Current staff and Board
- Publish on our website a full anonymous audit of our current staff and Board (first audit Jul 2020. Most recent audit May 2023)
- Recruit an independent HR advisor for staff support (HR advisor recruited in Nov 2020)
- Provide unconscious bias training and follow-up support to staff and Board (see Nov 2021 update)
- Supported by an independent HR advisor, undertake a comprehensive review of ICO staff support structures, including our annual and quarterly staff appraisals (support structures reviewed March 2021)
- Be transparent about ICO staff pay scale and options for regrading jobs (see July 2021 update)
- Commit to carrying out exit interviews with best practice advice from an independent HR advisor (begun Feb 2021)
- Highlight our Equality, Diversity and Inclusion plan in new staff inductions and to freelancers we work with
- Establish a staff mentoring scheme to support professional development
- Undertake an honest and thorough assessment of ICO staff feedback processes and how we can make space for new ideas to be heard and carefully considered
- Explore a partnership with Inc Arts UK to offer mental health support to employees who experience racism
- Explore ways to make ICO organisational culture more welcoming and supportive for all; including considering models such as reverse mentoring and bystander training and committing resources for an annual away day to discuss ICO organisational culture and strategy to aid the inclusion of all staff
ICO recruitment, working with freelancers
- Supported by an independent HR advisor, re-assess all aspects of ICO recruitment including our job descriptions and recruitment packs; the workload required of applicants and awareness of available ICO support; where we advertise; and how to offer greater clarity on ICO recruitment processes (see May 2021 update)
- Include information on ICO staff payscale and options for regrading jobs in recruitment packs (see May 2021 update)
- Independent HR advisor to advise on shortlisting of applications (see May 2021 update)
- Commit to recruiting more Black, Asian and ethnically diverse freelancers to work on ICO projects, offering them free desk space for the duration of the project(s)
- Complete evaluations or formal debriefs with all freelancers we work with (see Nov 2023 update)
- Continue to pay all freelancers promptly (ongoing)
Communications
- Seek funding to research and commission resources for the ICO website advising cinemas on how to approach anti-racism from relevant individuals or organisations
- Audit our website language to ensure it is welcoming and accessible to all (see Nov 2023 update)
- Develop our overall website, social media and blog strategy to better highlight the anti-racism work of others
- Research and commit to a regular social media take–over to amplify the viewpoints of Black, Asian and ethnically diverse people on all topics
- Encourage the submission of new blog proposals and continue to directly commission ICO blogs from Black, Asian and ethnically diverse people on all topics (ongoing)
- Commit more staff resources to direct outreach for event recruitment and film marketing to broaden the people and groups we reach
Influencing
- Hold ICO-wide conversation about our organisational ‘voice’, whose voices we currently centre in our ideas, work and events, and how this should evolve. Secure funding to work with an external consultant to gather opinions from external partners and wider industry colleagues
- Lobby for exhibition employment data to be collected and made public (see Nov 2023 update)
ACTIVITIES
Distribution
- Commit to including at least 30% work from Black, Asian and ethnically diverse filmmakers (especially films with Black writers, directors or producers in their creative team) in all our tour packages
- Commit to partnering with more Black, Asian and ethnically diverse freelance curators on touring projects (seek funding to provide access to key older films made by Black creative teams to facilitate bookings in UK cinemas)
- Investigate the possibility of funding and partners for new Britain on Film heritage programmes focusing on the history of anti-racist activism in the UK
Programming
- Draw up a charter for our programming clients outlining our ambitions for programming with relation to race, discussed with distributors (most recent update Nov 2023)
- Agree a bespoke, measured commitment from each ICO programming client to show more films made by and about Black, Asian and ethnically diverse people
- Use the above as leverage to persuade distributors to acquire more films made by Black, Asian and ethnically diverse people for theatrical release and work with distributors to provide our venues with better marketing resources when they do
- Commit staff time to creating a resource sharing information about UK rights and materials availability for films made by Black creatives
- Commit staff time to researching our programming selections and how they currently relate to race
Training
- Invite FEDS alumni group to help co-create the next edition of the training scheme (see May 2021 update)
- Commit funds to an independent evaluation of the ICO’s FEDS scheme to date to ensure an improved experience for future trainees (undertaken by an external consultant or ex-FEDS themselves)
- Commit funds to developing and formalising the aspects of the FEDS scheme that provide ad hoc advice/coaching to employees of the organisations who take on trainees, about how to offer a more inclusive and welcoming workplace for all
- Invite more Black, Asian and ethnically diverse speakers onto our courses and champion their work, as well as actively seeking to widen this pool of experts, including from outside film (ongoing)
- Raise funds to employ an external evaluator/collaborator to identify and address aspects of institutional whiteness present across our training portfolio, in our application processes, courses and evaluation methods
- Seek funding to further expand our audience development training, looking at how we can move these conversations outside the training environment into people’s working practices across the sector
Screening Days
- Commit to showing at Screening Days events at least 30% (previously around 20%) films from Black, Asian and ethnically diverse creative teams which may include showing more feature films that are not within the current new release schedule or shorts packages (formally begun in November 2020. Most recent update May 2022)
- Undertake a comprehensive review of current Screening Days format and marketing and adaptations we can make to encourage more Black, Asian and ethnically diverse attendees and new discussions (see Nov 2021 update)
- Commit staff time needed for promotion and marketing work to attract a higher number of Black, Asian and ethnically diverse attendees
- Research and evaluate how I.D. (Inclusion & Diversity) Screening Days could work in the future, maintaining it as a valuable space for community, discussion and debate but inviting more fundamental collaboration with Black, Asian and ethnically diverse partners earlier in planning (see Nov 2021 update)
- Consider the potential for further Screening Days collaborations, guest curators and/or ‘takeovers’ more broadly (see Nov 2021 update)
- Seek expert advice on removing bias from/challenging assumptions in our Screening Days evaluation methods
- Create a new safety policy/enhanced ‘Code of Conduct’ for all ICO event attendees (see Nov 2021 update)
Film Hub South East
- Commit staff time to outreach and research to find new partners in the region we might not yet be engaging with
- Commit staff time to holding more one–to–one meetings with community groups and other grassroots organisations led by Black, Asian and ethnically diverse people in the region
- Carefully consider our strategy for collaboration and seeking partners in the region for mutually beneficial partnership opportunities
- Research a pilot project and potential funding to support organisations led by Black, Asian and ethnically diverse people in the region to move to the next level of resourcing and sustainability
- Research new opportunities for collaboration between cinemas and organisations led by Black, Asian and ethnically diverse people in the region