What is CIISA?
The Creative Industries Independent Standards Authority (CIISA) is an independent body which is currently being established in the United Kingdom, with the aims of upholding and improving standards of behaviour across the creative industries, and preventing and tackling all forms of bullying and harassment, including bullying and harassment of a discriminatory nature. Its initial focus will be the film, TV, theatre and music industries.
CIISA proposes to provide services such as mediation and dispute resolution, to gather and share data on the creative industries, to advocate for improvements and reforms, and to offer legal support and advice to individuals in more serious cases.
CIISA is funded by contributions from organisations within the creative industries. It operates on a “two-company” funding model, where a separate company, the CIISA Board of Finance (CIISABOF) collects and distributes funding to CIISA. They claim that this will ensure the independence of CIISA from the organisations providing its funding, particularly in circumstances where there is a potential conflict of interest, for example where an individual has raised a complaint against an organisation which funds CIISA.
CIISA is currently consulting on its proposed Standards, which it describes as “a set of expectations that set out the minimum standards of behaviour expected across the creative industries to enable safe and inclusive working environments”. It aims to publish these Standards in February 2025.
What does CIISA mean for Freelancers in The Arts?
From a theatre freelancer’s standpoint, this could mean that if, for example, a dispute arose with an employer which had signed up to the CIISA Standards, and it transpired that dispute could not be resolved internally, CIISA could provide mediation services between the freelancer and the employer. CIISA could also offer an independent channel for the reporting of misconduct by individuals and/or organisations within the creative industries. The degree to which anonymity or full anonymisation of such reports can realistically be achieved will potentially be a key factor in the effectiveness of CIISA’s protection of individual freelancers in such situations.
You can find out more about CIISA on their website here.