Code of Conduct

The Ceredigion Local Nature Partnership (henceforth the Partnership) is based on the themes of diversity, inclusivity, equality, sustainability and accessibility and brings together participants from around Ceredigion and Wales with diverse backgrounds. We strive to ensure that the Partnership will be a safe and welcoming professional space for all members. To guarantee this, we expect all members to abide by this code of conduct, in all their interactions related to the Partnership and on all platforms which can be accessed as part of the Partnership (such as websites, social media and any other platform).

Expected Behaviour

All members are to be treated with respect and consideration, valuing the diversity of views and opinions they bring to the success of the Partnership.
Members should also treat Partnership staff with the same consideration as described above.
Criticisms should be constructive and revolve around ideas and not personal attacks on individuals. Critical examination of ideas and conclusions does not, by itself, constitute hostile conduct or harassment. Discussions should be framed as openly and inclusively as possible and members should be aware of how language or images used may be perceived by others. Everyone has to make efforts to understand both points, ie criticism should be broached respectfully and directed towards specific ideas, while being received in the spirit of discussion of potential ideas and not taken personally unless directed as such.
In addition to this code of conduct, members are also expected to adhere to guidelines and terms and conditions of the other platforms (Facebook, YouTube etc.) which they may access via the Partnership.
Members are expected to be mindful of their virtual surroundings and of their fellow participants during meetings. In the event where members experience or notice unacceptable or inappropriate behaviour which can be construed as breach of this code of conduct (see section on Unacceptable Behaviour for reference), members should try and document them with evidence (eg screenshots of messages on Facebook etc) to present them to Partnership staff for further action. They should notify a Partnership staff member as soon as possible (see section on Reporting breaches of the code of conduct). The notifier is not required or expected to discuss the concern with the alleged offender.

Unacceptable Behaviour

To ensure that members are aware of the behaviours that are considered unacceptable, we provide below a non-exhaustive list of such behaviours:

Harassment, bullying, microaggressions, intimidation and insinuations that are hurtful (eg demeaning behaviour or speech such as personal insults, sexist, racist, homophobic, transphobic, ageist or ableist language).
All comments (verbal and vocal) related to gender, sexual orientation, disability, physical appearance, body size, race, religion, nationality.
All comments (verbal and vocal) that reinforce social structures of domination related to gender, gender identity and expression, sexual orientation, disability, physical appearance, body size, race, age, religion.
Inappropriate use of nudity and/or sexual images in platforms and networking spaces provided by the Partnership.
Threatening or stalking.
Advocating for or encouraging any of the above behaviours.

Unacceptable behaviour specific to online platforms/networking spaces

Spamming by sending a lot of messages one after the other. This can also include inappropriate use of emoticons or GIFs.
Invasive advertisements: messages and posts should be restricted to material which is relevant to the Partnership and of actual value for other members.
Non-professional or false profile pictures and names in any online platforms and networking spaces relating to the Partnership.
Sharing of personal information of others without their consent.
Sharing of illegal or pirated content, especially copyrighted material or stolen software. This also includes sharing of unauthorised tools or services, distributing viruses, malware or malicious software.
Sharing of false or misleading information: make sure to fact-check and share information only from reliable sources. Spreading false or misleading information can be harmful and undermines the trust and integrity of the community.
Impersonating other users, individuals or organisations, especially using specific usernames, pictures or display names.
Intentionally disrupting conversations or creating a hostile environment through trolling, flaming or excessive arguments.
Evading bans or mutes by creating alternate accounts or using other circumventions.

In case any complaint is brought to Partnership staff regarding the behaviour of a member which does not fall under these two lists, Partnership staff reserve the right, at their discretion, to treat such complaints with the same severity as behaviours in these lists.

Reporting breaches of the code of conduct

You can report breaches to the code of conduct by sending an email to our official email biodiversity@ceredigion.gov.uk. When you use this method, please make sure to provide an appropriate subject for the email (eg Ceredigion Nature Partnership Code of Conduct breach) to ensure that we can flag this email and respond as soon as possible.

Consequences

Partnership staff will deal with each situation in which a breach of code of conduct happens (either identified by the Partnership staff or brought to their notice by a member, and relating to members or another Partnership staff) in the following manner:

All complaints will be treated seriously and investigated promptly.
Partnership staff will ask anyone to stop any unacceptable behaviour. Anyone requested is expected to comply immediately.
The Partnership reserves the right to prohibit a member from any current and future Partnership events as a consequence of their actions. The severity and time period of this ban will depend on the individual circumstance.
Confidentiality will be honoured to the extent permitted as long as the rights of others are not compromised. To preserve both the safety and the confidentiality of the complainant/victim in the complaint, no specific action that will reveal their identity will be taken without consultation and approval of the complainant/victim.

We hope that this code of conduct will allow you to have a safe and fun experience in your dealings with Ceredigion Nature Partnership. We are always open to suggestions and feedback and if you have any comments to improve this document, please send us an email at biodiversity@ceredigion.gov.uk