Staff and volunteers who are unsure about whether something they propose to do on social media might breach policies should seek advice from the Chair of Cheltenham Arts Council (CAC).

This policy applies to all social media platforms used in a professional and personal capacity. The CAC Hon. Sec. is responsible for the day-to-day publishing, monitoring and management of our social media channels. No other staff member or volunteer is permitted to post content on CAC’s channels without the permission of the Chair.

CAC currently uses Facebook and Instagram.

Policy ownership

The Hon. Sec. is responsible for authoring and updating this document. The policy must be approved by the trustees and reviewed every 2 years, unless a significant change requires the organisation to check the policy before the next review date.

Rules for social media use:

Code of conduct upon which basis the CAC Hon. Sec uses socal media.

  • I will not insult, harass, bully or intimidate individuals or organisations

  • I will respond to others’ opinions respectfully and professionally

  • I will not do anything that breaches my terms of voluntary role

  • I will acknowledge and correct mistakes promptly using provided guidance

  • I will disclose conflicts of interest where I am able

  • I will not knowingly post inaccurate information

  • I will link to online references and original source materials directly

  • I will be considerate, kind and fair

  • I will ensure my activity does no harm to the organisation or to others

  • I will champion CAC and its services

Specifics:

1.   Social media guardian

The Hon. Sec. is responsible for setting up and managing CAC’s social media channels. The Hon. Sec. will uphold best practices for channel security with secure passwords that regularly change and remain confidential.

2.   All social media content to have a purpose and a benefit for CAC.

3.   Consent

Staff and volunteers must not post content about supporters, service users or partners without their, or their guardian’s, express permission.

If staff or and volunteers are sharing information about supporters, service users or third party organisations, this content should be clearly labelled so our audiences know it has not come directly from CAC.

If using interviews, videos or photos that clearly identify a child or young person, staff and volunteers must ensure they have the consent of a parent or guardian before using them on social media.

4.   Remain politically neutral

CAC is not associated with any political organisation or have any affiliation with or links to political parties. We can express views where appropriate on policies that impact our work and service users, but it is essential that CAC remains, and is seen to be, politically neutral.

5.   We cannot endorse a political party or candidate. We must carefully manage the risk that we are perceived to have any party-political bias and should carefully consider any posts which might be perceived as such, for example, posts which talk about individual politicians or parties rather than policies.

6.   Check facts and be honest

7.   Complaints:

If a complaint is made on CAC's social media channels, Trustees should be consulted before responding in the case of a serious complaint.

8.   Know what to do in a crisis :

If any CAC staff or volunteers become aware of any comments online that they think have the potential to escalate into a crisis, whether on CAC's social media channels or elsewhere, they should speak to a Trustee immediately.

9.   Use AI appropriately

Conscious use of AI is avoided as a house policy. avoided.

Defamation:

Whether staff or volunteers are posting content on social media as part of their job or in a personal capacity, they should not bring CAC into disrepute by making defamatory comments about individuals or other organisations or groups.

Copyright law:

It is critical that all staff or volunteers abide by the laws governing copyright, under the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988, when representing the charity. Never use or adapt someone else's images or written content without permission. Failing to acknowledge the source/author/resource citation, where permission has been given to reproduce content, is also considered a breach of copyright.

Confidentiality:

Any communications that staff and volunteers make must not breach confidentiality.

Discrimination and harassment:

Staff and volunteers should not post content that could be considered discriminatory against, or bullying or harassment of, any individual, on either an official CAC social media channel or a personal account. For example:

  • Accessibility: We endeavour to ensure our social media is as accessible as possible. This includes:

  • Using plain English, accessible fonts and avoiding small text sizes

  • Using contrasting colours

  • Using subtitles where appropriate

  • Using alt text for videos and images

  • Explaining text contained in an image in the copy that accompanies it.