CONSENT & BOUNDARIES
Clear expectations, the right to say no, respect for boundaries and practices that reduce coercion or pressure.
Safer Scene
A BETTER SCENE
DOES NOT HAPPEN BY ACCIDENT.
Frequency Forge works to make consent, boundaries, harassment prevention, inclusion and protection part of electronic music culture by design, not as a late reaction.
Our approach
SAFETY IS CULTURE, NOT DECORATION.
A safer scene is built through clear expectations, training, accountability and understandable response routes. We do not promise zero risk: we work to reduce it, prevent harm and improve how people and organisations respond.
Framework in development
SAFER SCENE MARK.
IN DEVELOPMENTWe are developing a quality framework for clubs, promoters, festivals, studios, schools and electronic music projects. At this stage it is not an awarded certification or accreditation: criteria, evidence, review and renewal are being designed before formal launch.
Proposed standards
WHAT A RESPONSIBLE SCENE SHOULD BE ABLE TO DEMONSTRATE.
PREVENTION & RESPONSE
Measures addressing harassment, intimidation and inappropriate conduct, with clear routes to seek help and respond.
SAFEGUARDING & ESCALATION
Defined responsibilities, proportionate incident records and referral to qualified professionals where appropriate.
INCLUSION & ACCESSIBILITY
Dignified participation, non-discrimination and review of physical, social and cultural barriers.
TRAINING & CONTINUOUS IMPROVEMENT
Trained teams, periodic review and learning from incidents and feedback.
How we want to build the mark
CRITERIA. PRACTICE. EVIDENCE. REVIEW.
COMMIT
The organisation accepts public criteria and clear responsibilities.
TRAIN
Teams and responsible people receive context-appropriate training.
IMPLEMENT
Measures are built into events, spaces, programs and communications.
EVIDENCE
Practices and improvements are documented without unnecessary exposure of sensitive data.
REVIEW
Participation is reviewed and, where appropriate, renewed.
Mark architecture
NOT A BADGE. A SYSTEM OF PRACTICE AND REVIEW.
The FF Safer Scene Mark is being designed as a defined-scope standard with minimum criteria, proportionate evidence and documented decisions. It does not guarantee zero risk, replace legal compliance or become available simply by paying a fee.
NO FF SAFER SCENE MARKS HAVE BEEN AWARDED YET.
8 assessment areas
WHAT WILL NEED TO BE EVIDENCED.
POLICY & GOVERNANCE
Named owner, applicable code, clear roles, conflict management and documented leadership commitment.
PEOPLE & HIRING
Lawful and proportionate selection or references, code acceptance, onboarding, professional boundaries and conduct expectations.
TRAINING
Role-based induction and training, periodic refresh and evidence of attendance and risk-appropriate understanding.
REPORTING & RESPONSE
Understandable routes, protection from retaliation, triage, escalation, proportionate records and documented response.
PARTICIPANT SAFETY
Visible rules, consent, access and backstage controls, capacity to consent, intervention, safer exit and team coordination.
PRIVACY & CONFIDENTIALITY
Data minimisation, limited access, defined retention, confidentiality and no unnecessary exposure of affected people.
INCLUSION & ACCESSIBILITY
Non-discrimination, review of physical, sensory, communication and social barriers, and reasonable context-specific measures.
REVIEW & IMPROVEMENT
Debrief, corrective actions, trend review, feedback and accountable follow-up with evidence of closure.
Evidence
EVIDENCE PRACTICE WITHOUT EXPOSING PEOPLE.
A review must be able to verify that measures exist and are used. We do not need personal case files, survivor narratives or unnecessary sensitive data.
POLICIES
Code of conduct, protocol, responsibilities, versions and review date.
TRAINING
Plan, content, roles covered, attendance and learning checks where appropriate.
OPERATIONS
Briefings, checklists, signage, escalation maps, backstage or event controls and named shift responsibilities.
RESPONSE
Anonymised evidence that recording, triage, referral, follow-up and closure work; not intimate case details.
COMMUNICATION
Visible information for participants and teams about rules, boundaries, help, privacy and contact routes.
IMPROVEMENT
Corrective actions, owners, deadlines, follow-up and evidence of implementation.
Decision rules
A CRITICAL FAILURE IS NOT OFFSET BY POINTS.
The proposed design uses minimum criteria and evidence, not a marketing score. Every decision applies to a defined scope: organisation, venue, event, programme or an explicitly stated combination.
- Critical criteria must be met before any award.
- Strong performance elsewhere cannot compensate for a failed critical criterion.
- The review records scope, evidence seen, open actions and the decision.
- Reviewer conflicts of interest must be declared and managed.
- An organisation may not present the mark as a guarantee of no incidents or as a legal certification.
Mark lifecycle
SCOPE. EVIDENCE. REMEDIATE. DECIDE. RENEW.
DEFINE SCOPE
Which entity, venue, event, programme and period are being reviewed.
SELF-ASSESS
The organisation maps its practice against published criteria.
REVIEW EVIDENCE
Documents and practice are checked proportionately to scope and risk.
REMEDIATION PLAN
Fixable gaps receive actions, an owner and a deadline before decision.
DOCUMENTED DECISION
Award or non-award is recorded with scope and conditions.
REGISTER & MARK USE
Only a current mark may be displayed within its authorised scope.
MONITOR
Material changes may trigger an extraordinary review.
RENEW
Working model: time-limited validity, initially proposed at 12 months, subject to final criteria before launch.
Suspension & withdrawal
THE MARK CAN BE LOST.
A complaint alone does not prove non-compliance. Conduct, response and evidence matter. The mark may nevertheless be suspended or withdrawn where documented reasons make continued status incompatible with the standard.
- Falsified evidence, material concealment or deliberately misleading information.
- Logo use outside scope, after expiry or in a way that implies an absolute guarantee.
- Serious or repeated failures against critical criteria without adequate corrective response.
- Retaliation, obstruction of review or unjustified refusal to provide necessary and proportionate evidence.
- Material operational or governance changes that invalidate the reviewed scope.
Future transparency
A PUBLIC REGISTER, WITHOUT PUBLISHING INCIDENTS.
Once awards begin, the goal is to publish organisation, scope, award/renewal/expiry date and current/suspended/withdrawn status. Incident narratives and personal data will not be published as part of the register.
Review governance
REVIEWERS MUST ALSO BE ACCOUNTABLE.
Before the first award, rules for independence, conflicts, decisions, appeals and mark use will be published. Working model: nobody reviews an organisation where they have a material conflict, and award or withdrawal decisions require documented review by more than one person.
For people
KNOWING WHAT TO EXPECT IS ALSO PROTECTION.
We want spaces where people know the rules, can express boundaries, are not forced to disclose personal experiences and understand how to raise a concern. Privacy, consent and dignity belong in the experience, not in the small print.
For the industry
CLUBS. FESTIVALS. PROMOTERS. STUDIOS. SCHOOLS.
We work with organisations that want to review their practices and contribute to a more responsible electronic music culture. The aim is not to sell a logo: it is to create a useful, verifiable standard capable of improving people’s real experience.
COLLABORATE AS AN ORGANISATION ↗Responsible boundaries
WE ARE NOT AN EMERGENCY SERVICE AND DO NOT REPLACE SPECIALIST SUPPORT.
Frequency Forge does not replace clinical care, legal representation, emergency services or specialist safeguarding resources. Where a situation requires those capabilities, the appropriate response is referral to or work with qualified professionals and organisations.
SAFEGUARDING POLICY ↗Build better practice