SCBWI

Society of
Children's Book Writers
and Illustrators

SCBWI Policies

 

Privacy Policy

The SCBWI takes very seriously the responsibility of maintaining the privacy of our members, event attendees, and event faculty. It has long been, and will continue to be, our policy not to share or sell personal information, including contact information or membership activity, such as conference or workshop attendance. Communications from the SCBWI to its members are limited to information regarding SCBWI events; education and opportunities in writing, illustrating, and translating; the field of publishing; and related endeavors. Likewise, doxing in any form is strictly prohibited.

If members receive questionable correspondence from someone outside the organization or believe their contact information may have been shared with or hacked by an outside entity, please contact Patricia Wiles. We will investigate the source and, if necessary, issue an immediate cease and desist order to the offending party.

 

Weapons Policy

It is the policy of the SCBWI to maintain an environment that is safe for all persons.  To achieve this objective, SCBWI maintains a firearms- and weapons-free environment at all of our events and prohibits the possession of firearms and weapons regardless of any license or permit that an individual may have which would otherwise authorize the individual to carry firearms or weapons. Weapons are defined as anything that is intended to cause harm to another person.

 

Non-Solicitation Policy

The SCBWI has a very strict policy on the use of any and all Regional Volunteer contact information. This applies to all published materials from the SCBWI and information on the SCBWI website and on its regional websites. This includes all email addresses, member information and chapter volunteer contact information, including but not limited to Regional Advisors, Assistant Regional Advisors, and Illustrator Coordinators. THIS CONTACT INFORMATION MAY NOT BE USED FOR ANY SOLICITATIONS, ANNOUNCEMENTS, OR OTHER ITEMS OF ANY KIND. Violation of this policy will result in immediate termination of your membership. Regional Volunteers are under no obligation to read or respond to unsolicited emails, nor are they obligated to disseminate information they receive in unsolicited emails. Use of regional volunteers’ contact information for solicitations of any kind is prohibited.

 

Whistleblower Policy

SCBWI’s Whistleblower Policy is intended to encourage SCBWI’s directors, officers, employees, members and volunteers to report suspected or actual occurrences of illegal, unethical or inappropriate acts, behaviors or practices without fear of retribution or retaliation. Reporting violations allows SCBWI to address inappropriate conduct and actions.

1. SCBWI’s directors, officers, employees, members and volunteers are expected to report violations of: (a) SCBWI’s Diversity, Equality, and Inclusion Principles and Initiatives; (b) SCBWI’s Anti-Harassment Policy, which is designed to create an environment free of unlawful harassment and discrimination and prohibits sexual harassment, discrimination, and all other forms of harassment; (c) SCBWI’s Anti-Discrimination Policy, which is designed to ensure that everyone receives equal treatment regardless of race, sex, age, disability, family status, sexual preference, sexual orientation, gender identity, marital status, national origin, socio-economic status, age, caste, physical or mental disability, medical condition, religion, veteran status, or ancestry; and (d) suspected violations of law.

2. SCBWI Members should promptly report any violation or act to the Member’s Regional Advisor. If the Whistleblower would be uncomfortable or otherwise reluctant to report to the Whistleblower’s Regional Advisor, then the Whistleblower should report the event to an SCBWI officer or director or directly through the SCBWI’s anti-harassment report form, which may also be used, for both harassment violations as well as violations other than harassment. The form can be found here. The prompt reporting of complaints is critical, so SCBWI can respond and take appropriate remedial action.

3. There will be no retaliation by SCBWI against any individual who reports a violation, act harassment or discrimination in good faith, and anyone who retaliates against the Whistleblower for reporting a violation or act in good faith may be subject to discipline.

4. The Whistleblower can report any violation anonymously and violations or suspected violations may be submitted on a confidential basis by the Whistleblower. In such a case, the identity of the Whistleblower, if known, shall remain confidential to those persons directly involved in applying this policy to the extent feasible in conducting the investigation. Reports of violations or suspected violations will be kept confidential to the extent possible, consistent with the need to conduct an adequate investigation; provided, however, SCBWI and its officers, directors, employees, members and volunteers do remain subject to all laws, court orders, subpoenas and civil discovery.

5. SCBWI shall investigate any report of a violation. If the investigation of the report is not satisfactory to the Whistleblower, the Whistleblower has the right to report the event to the appropriate legal or investigative agency or other authority.

 

Anti-Harassment Policy

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 and will take any and all necessary steps to address and prevent harassment at events associated with SCBWI. Harassment under this policy may include verbal comments, written comments, displayed images, or behaviors such as intimidation, stalking, body policing, unwelcome photography or recording, sustained disruption of talks or other events, inappropriate physical contact, unwelcome sexual attention or advances, and bullying or coercion. 

The SCBWI Member Anti-Harassment Policy applies to all situations of harassment or intimidation at any SCBWI Event. An “SCBWI Event” is any event, meeting or activity that is authorized by an SCBWI Regional Manager to be sponsored by, or affiliated with, SCBWI. SCBWI events may include, if properly authorized by an SCBWI Regional Manager, the Annual Summer Conference in Los Angeles, the Annual Winter Conference in New York, regional conferences, meetings and meet-ups. This SCBWI Member Anti-Harassment Policy also applies to “SCBWI On-Line Interactions,” which include Zooms, Webinars, online meetings, communications and content posted on, or directed towards, SCBWI’s Social Media accounts or sent through any of the communication tools available on SCBWI’s website, www.scbwi.org. SCBWI’s Social Media accounts under this policy include the official SCBWI accounts on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, Pinterest, Tumblr and LinkedIn.

 

Code of Conduct

All participants in SCBWI Events and SCBWI On-Line Interactions, including faculty, volunteers, staff, and attendees, are required to comply with the following anti-harassment code of conduct. The SCBWI Anti-Harassment Policy prohibits harassment, including but not limited to the following behaviors:

  • Intimidation, stalking, or following;
  • Sustained disruption of talks or other events;
  • Unwelcome sexual attention or advances;
  • 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;
  • Harmful or prejudicial verbal comments, written comments, or visual images related to gender, sexual orientation, ethnicity, race, religion, socio-economic status, disability, age, appearance, body size, or other personal characteristics;
  • Inappropriate use of nudity and/or sexual images
  • Unwelcome or uninvited attention or contact
  • Physical assault (including unwelcome touching or groping);
  • Real or implied threat of physical harm;
  • Real or implied threat of professional or financial damage or harm;
  • Body policing, unwelcome photography or recording;
  • Doxing
  • Harassment does not include respectful disagreement or reasonable and respectful critique made in good faith. SCBWI continues to welcome and appreciate presentation of appropriate controversial ideas, free speech, and creative artistic expression. SCBWI encourages members to hold one another accountable to the Code of Conduct as stated in this part of the Policy and to take the perspectives of others seriously when a disagreement arises.

We expect all participants at SCBWI activities, meetings, and networking events to abide by this Anti-Harassment Policy in all venues, including sanctioned events, ancillary events, unofficial events, and social gatherings.

 

Reporting Procedures

Any person who believes there has been a violation of the SCBWI Anti-Harassment Policy can report the offense in one or all of the following ways:

  • Certain SCBWI Events, including the Annual Summer Conference in Los Angeles and the Annual Winter Conference in New York, will designate one or more Safety Team Members who will be available during the conference to provide a safe space for members to report an incident. The Safety Team Member will report directly to the conference director or regional advisor in charge.
  • A complainant may submit a complaint under this policy to the Director of Community Marketing and Engagement, the Director of Illustration and Artist Programs and/or your Regional Manager.
  • SCBWI has a dedicated email address for reporting any potential incident of harassment under this policy. Anyone who chooses to report an incident can find the Anti-Harassment Report Form on the SCBWI website (About > Anti-Harassment) or use the following link: https://www.scbwi.org/anti-harassment-report-form/. Reports should include the substance of the complaint, date, and whenever possible, a list of witnesses or a reference to the relevant URLs, if the offense occurred through an SCWBI On-Line Interaction.

 

SCBWI will investigate all complaints subject to the SCBWI Anti-Harassment Policy. If the policy applies, SCBWI will investigate the matter and take whatever action is necessary and appropriate to prevent a recurrence and protect the environment at SCWBI Events. If a complaint is made anonymously, please note that SCBWI will not be able to follow up on an anonymous report with the complainant directly, as SCBWI will not have contact information for the anonymous complainant. Moreover, anonymous complaints may hinder SCBWI’s ability to investigate the complaint.  SCBWI will take steps to protect the confidentiality of the complaint, to the extent possible.  However, complete confidentiality may not be possible in all circumstances.  SCBWI will make every attempt to respond to a named complainant in a timely fashion.

If appropriate, SCBWI may report the incident to local authorities.

 

Non-Retaliation

The SCBWI Anti-Harassment Policy prohibits retaliation against a member of the SCBWI community for reporting harassment, intimidation or discrimination, or for participating in an investigation relating to any complaint made under this policy. The sanctions for retaliation are the same sanctions available to address any other violation of the SCBWI Anti-Harassment Policy.

 

Sanctions

SCBWI takes all allegations of harassment seriously. Complaints will be investigated by SCWBI if they fall within the scope of SCWBI’s Anti-Harassment Policy. Depending on the results of the investigation, SCWBI will determine whether a sanction is appropriate.

Sanctions for faculty, speakers, volunteers, staff or board members may include any of the following:

  • warning the party involved that the particular behavior is inappropriate and must be ceased;
  • immediate removal from a particular event;
  • denial of access to SCBWI spaces and venues on a temporary or permanent basis;
  • withholding of a contracted honorarium;
  • prohibition from future speaking engagements;
  • prohibition from future faculty appointments;
  • expulsion from SCBWI; and/or
  • removal from the Board of Advisors or Board of Directors, when appropriate.

Sanctions for attendees, members, and guests can include any of the following:

  • warning the party involved that specified behavior is inappropriate and must be ceased;
  • immediate removal from a particular event, without refund;
  • denial of access to SCBWI spaces and venues on a permanent or temporary basis;
  • termination of SCBWI membership, without refund; and/or
  • prohibition of future SCBWI membership.

If the conduct at issue involves one of SCBWI’s employees, SCBWI will utilize whatever corrective action is appropriate based on the result of the investigation and subject to SCBWI employment policies and practices.

 

Confidentiality

SCBWI will make every reasonable effort to conduct all investigations into allegations of harassment, intimidation, or discrimination in a manner that will protect the confidentiality of all parties and witnesses. Notwithstanding the above, confidentiality is not absolute, and those with a legitimate business reason to know and be informed of the allegations will be so informed. Parties to the complaint should treat the matter under investigation with discretion and respect the reputation of all parties involved.

If you wish to file a complaint or an anonymous complaint, CLICK HERE to access the Anti-harassment Report Form.

If you have questions regarding this policy, you may send an email to tammybrown@scbwi.org. Please include the words “Anti-Harassment Policy” in the subject line.