When and where

14th May 2019 (10.45am – 5.00pm)

The Open University, London Office
(Note, the building is now branded as “FutureLearn”)
1-11 Hawley Crescent
Camden Town
London
NW1 8NP

Ask at reception for the room. Information on the venue, including directions to it, can be found here.

What

This is the second workshop in the Codes of Ethics Project. All welcome, and there is no fee. But you need to let us know you want to come so we can plan (see ‘Join us’ below).

Theme this year

This is the second in the series of three annual workshops. In last year’s event we looked at codes relating to whole professions (e.g. a code for policing, for the clergy, for journalists, etc.). This year we’ll look at codes dealing with specific behaviours that cut across sectors. Our focus will be on bullying and harassment and on confidentiality and whistle-blowing, with another session on the practical aspects of creating and reviewing a code of ethics in an institutional setting.

The day will be structured around presentations and hands-on work in a friendly, informal environment, with participants from both academia and the professional world pooling their diverse experiences and expertise.

Draft Programme

We anticipate having three main 90′ sessions, ranging over the following three themes for this year, as shown below. NOTE: we may shift things around if we find that participant’s interests warrant it (e.g. shortening one session and lengthening another). But the start and end times are reasonably stable.

10h30 – 10h45  Coffee available

10h45 – 11h00  Organizers’ introduction

11h00 – 12h30  FIRST MAIN THEME: Whistleblowing and confidentiality

We expect to have presentations on the protection of sources in journalism; on the the limits to confidentiality for interpreters; and a hands-on segment where we scrutinize relevant codes in detail – particularly codes relevant to workshop participants.

12h30 – 13h30  Lunch (provided on site)

13h30 – 15h00  SECOND MAIN THEME: Bullying and harrassment

This session will include an overview of the legal setting in which codes on bullying/harassment operate; a presentation on bullying in the clergy; and a hands-on session as above, this time codes relating to bullying and harassment. One aim will be to understand what codes can and can’t do, and to spot strengths and weakness in particular codes.

15h00 – 15h20  Tea and coffee break

15h20 – 16h50  THIRD MAIN THEME: The practicals of creating a code of ethics

UPDATE: this session will now include some overrun from the previous session, including more on the legal status of codes, with a more limited presentation on the third theme: an outline of an online Code of Ethics Toolkit being developed by the workshop organizers.

16h50 – 17h00  Closing thoughts and formal end of the workshop (though participants are welcome to stay and discuss matters raised during the day)

Join us…

See the Code of Ethics Project page for whether this is likely to be of use to you. You certainly do not need to have any expertise in the nuances of codes of ethics, just a motive to learn more or a general interest in the topic. If you have a perspective or experiences to share, all the better but it is not essential.

We particularly welcome participation by people with responsibility for producing, maintaining or implementing a particular code – or those thinking about whether their organization should have one.

There is no fee, but we need to know numbers for catering purposes and because the room is of fixed size. If you are interested in participating contact alex.barber@open.ac.uk by end of Tuesday May 8th 2019 (so we can arrange catering), or earlier to be sure of a place.