Policies

Safeguarding policy

Safeguarding Guidelines for Online Learning

See also our article on Advice on Eradicating Child Sexual Abuse in Folk

Privacy Policy

(Information on how we store and use personal data) 

Equal Opportunities policy

Health and Safety Policy and Procedures and Access to Cecil Sharp House

The English Folk Dance and Song Society also endorses and promotes:

• ISM & MU Code of Practice
  A set of principles to help eradicate bullying, harassment and discrimination in the music sector.
• Music Education Code of Practice
  Helps to ensure music practitioners provide high quality music making and learning experiences for the people they work with. 
• EFDSS is aligned with the ArtWorks Code of Practice Principles for Artists in Participatory Settings.
• The Arts Council England Quality Principles work aims to raise the standard of arts and cultural work produced by, with and for children and young people.
• We are committed to improving and advocating environmental best practice, and are working towards becoming a plastic free venue. You can fill your reusable water bottle in the Cecil Sharp House cafe. Read more about our efforts to go green

On the practice of painting faces with black paint, burnt cork or boot polish

We want to engage all people, of all backgrounds, in the folk arts. Therefore we do not condone the practice of ‘blackface’.

For more details read:

• Our Winter 2016 EDS article: Facing up to a dancing debate
• Our Autumn 2020 EDS article: Time’s up for ‘blacking up’
• A letter by our Chief Executive and Artistic Director published in The Guardian in August 2019

In a letter to us dated 21 November 2019, the Department of Culture, Media and Sport wrote ‘we believe that those participating should take into consideration the potential for this practice to cause offence’ (Ministerial Support Team, ref. TO2019/11979/FBM).