Critique Groups Code of Conduct

The Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators (SCBWI) is dedicated to providing a safe and harassment-free environment for all of its members, volunteers, and employees, and has a zero-tolerance policy regarding harassment, intimidation, and discrimination. This includes all harassment, intimidation, and discrimination made on the basis of race, age, sex, gender, gender identity and expression, sexual orientation, national origin, ancestry, disability, medical condition, religion, class, body size, veteran status, marital/domestic partnership status, citizenship, or any other marginalized identity.

Defining Harassment

Harassment includes verbal comments, written comments, displayed images, or behaviors such as deliberate intimidation, stalking, body policing, unwelcome photography or recording, sustained disruption of talks or other events, inappropriate physical contact, and unwelcome sexual attention. The SCBWI Anti-Harassment Policy applies to all situations where the harassment, intimidation, or discrimination denies or limits a person’s ability to fully participate in or benefit from SCBWI’s programs and activities and is applicable to all SCBWI events and all SCBWI venues, including but not limited to SCBWI events, conferences, meetings, meet-ups, critique groups, and online interactions. Harassment, intimidation, and discrimination at any SCBWI event, any one of the foregoing events, or online is prohibited.

Code of Conduct

All participants in SCBWI events and activities, including faculty, staff, and critique group members, must comply with the following anti-harassment code of conduct. The SCBWI Anti-Harassment Policy prohibits harassment, including but not limited to the following behaviors: Deliberate intimidation, stalking, or following. Sustained disruption of talks or other events. Inappropriate physical contact. Unwelcome sexual attention. Abusive verbal comments. Quid pro quo – sexual harassment that occurs when one in an authority position requests sex or a sexual relationship in exchange for professional consideration or favors. Harassment does not include respectful disagreement or reasonable and respectful critique made in good faith. SCBWI continues to welcome and appreciate the presentation of controversial ideas, free speech, and creative artistic expression.

Critique groups on the SCBWI website are self-governed by their creators and members. SCBWI is not liable for any manuscript, illustrated, or translated content discussed within them. SCBWI is also not responsible for verbal or written interactions among group members aside from behavior outlined in this Code of Conduct.

Members may leave a group and remove it from their profile at any time due to personal or creative differences. Creators may dissolve a group with one week's notice to members and may start a new one whenever they choose.

To report harassment by a fellow SCBWI member, please use the SCBWI Harassment Report Form.

_________________________________________________________________

All critique groups hosted off the SCBWI website should be managed at the discretion of the group creators and members. SCBWI is not responsible for the content of any manuscripts, written, or verbal critiques which may be encountered in these off-site groups.

If you experience harassment from a fellow SCBWI member, please report through the SCBWI Harassment Report Form..

In the event of personal or creative differences, members may leave a critique group and have it removed from their profile. Group creators may “dissolve” a critique group and create a new one.

Click here for the complete SCBWI Anti-Harassment policy.

Critique groups on the SCBWI website are self-governed by their creators and members. SCBWI is not liable for any manuscript, illustrated, or translated content discussed within them.

To report harassment by a fellow SCBWI member, please use the SCBWI Harassment Report Form.