RESPONSIBILITY AND LEADERSHIP

If you engage, commission, manage or host freelancers

Organisations, producers, commissioners and venues control access to work, budgets, contracts, procedures and working conditions. That brings greater responsibility for preventing racist harm and responding properly (and timely) when it happens.

An anti-racism statement only matters if it changes decisions, resources and people’s day-to-day experience. Responsibility sits with those who hold power, not with freelancers whose work may be less secure.

BEFORE PEOPLE START

Contract and prepare properly

• Provide clear written terms covering the role, rate, hours, expenses, payment, cancellation, credit and responsibilities.
• Make sure conduct, anti-racism, complaints and dignity-at-work standards explicitly include freelancers, contractors, visiting companies and temporary workers. Share them directly in an accessible format rather than relying on an employee intranet.
• Give people a named contact for concerns and a separate alternative or escalation contact if the first person is involved or unavailable.
• Explain the reporting process, expected response times, how information will be handled and where independent support can be found.
• Plan and budget for suitable hair, make-up, costume, lighting, photography, religious or cultural practice, access, travel and accommodation.
• Treat cultural consultancy or additional lived-experience work as a separate responsibility. Agree its scope, credit and payment rather than assuming it is included.
• For touring work, agree responsibilities between the company and each venue at contracting stage and use the Anti-Racism Touring Rider as a working checklist.

ACCESS TO WORK

Recruit and commission fairly

• Be transparent: Publish the fee or rate, dates, location, expenses, expected time commitment, selection process and decision timetable.
• Set relevant criteria: Agree the skills and selection criteria before reviewing applications, submissions or auditions, then apply them consistently.
• Look beyond familiar networks: Review where opportunities are shared, allow enough time to respond and actively reach communities that existing networks may exclude.
• Share decisions: Use more than one decision-maker where possible, consider who is represented in the process and record the reasons for decisions.
• Pay for work: Do not use recruitment or commissioning processes to obtain substantial unpaid ideas, pitches, consultancy or development.
• Value expertise properly: If a role requires cultural knowledge or lived-experience expertise, explain why it is needed and how it will be supported, credited and paid.
• Look for patterns: Where appropriate and lawful, review who applies, who progresses, who is appointed and who returns. Use the findings to change the process, not simply to report numbers.

DO NOT WAIT FOR A COMPLAINT

Prevention is part of the job

Freelancers may not report racism because they fear losing work, damaging their reputation or being excluded from future opportunities. Silence is not proof that a working environment is safe.

Managers should actively check working conditions, provide more than one route for raising concerns and make sure nobody is penalised, isolated or disadvantaged for speaking up.

WHEN A CONCERN IS RAISED

Respond promptly, fairly and safely

The way an organisation responds can reduce further harm or make it worse. Take every concern seriously, including concerns raised by freelancers, witnesses or people whose engagement has ended.

• Acknowledge the concern promptly and check whether any immediate change is needed to keep people safe.
• Explain who will handle it, what process will be followed, likely timescales, what information may need to be shared and the limits of confidentiality.
• Use someone who can act impartially and has no conflict of interest. Provide an alternative or escalation route if the named contact is involved.
• Listen without minimising what happened or requiring the person to repeatedly retell it. Allow them to be accompanied or supported where possible.
• Handle the matter fairly and sensitively for the person raising it, any witnesses and anyone accused. Do not assume every situation is suitable for informal resolution.
• Protect people from retaliation, victimisation or disadvantage. Keep them appropriately informed and record the decisions and action taken.
• Review what allowed the harm to occur and make practical changes to prevent it happening again.

FROM COMMITMENT TO ACTION

Make progress visible and accountable

• Give anti-racism work a named senior owner, an appropriate budget and time within people’s workloads.
• Create an action plan with specific responsibilities, deadlines and evidence that each action has been completed.
• Review recruitment, progression, pay, retention, complaints, freelancer feedback and repeat bookings for patterns of inequality. Handle personal data lawfully and with a clear purpose.
• Provide regular learning and support for managers and teams. Training should inform changed practice, not be treated as proof that the work is finished.
• Pay freelancers and people with lived experience when asking them to contribute substantial consultation, training or organisational development.
• Review the conduct and working practices of partner organisations, venues, suppliers and contractors as well as your internal team.
• Share progress honestly, including actions that are incomplete or have not worked. Set a date for reviewing and updating the plan.

ABOUT THIS PAGE

How this page was compiled

This page was compiled using publicly available workplace guidance and anti-racism standards developed for the creative and cultural sectors. Several of these resources were shaped through consultation with freelancers, organisations and people with lived experience of racism.

FMTW has brought their practical principles together and adapted them for organisations, producers, commissioners and venues working with freelancers across theatre and live performance.

This page provides general good-practice information. It is not a complete HR procedure or a substitute for legal or employment advice about a particular organisation or incident.

Sources and guidance

• CIISA Standards
• SOLT and UK Theatre’s 10 Principles for Safe and Inclusive Workspaces
• Anti-Racism Touring Rider and checklist
• Inc Arts Unlock anti-racism toolkit
• The New Normal: A Manifesto to Create Safe Spaces, Free of Racism, for the Black Artist
• Acas guidance on preventing race discrimination
• Acas guidance on handling complaints
• Equality Commission for Northern Ireland guidance on race discrimination

Links and guidance last checked: September 2026.