Fair Access Principles
Launchpad believes that opportunities are most inclusive when they:
APPLICATIONS
Are free to enter. This ensures equality of access for all, regardless of financial situation.
Allow entry regardless of age, educational level or qualification. This ensures no one is discriminated against on grounds of access to previous opportunities, or from having taken a career break.
Offer accessible application processes, and proactively offer access support and alternative application methods (e.g. video applications). This ensures that no one is disabled by an application process, or feels excluded by having to ask for an alternative method.
Have a realistic deadline for applications, and proactively offer flexibility regarding the schedule. This helps you to be able to put together a good application, and plan how you will manage other professional and personal commitments including caring responsibilities. It also ensures that disabled composers are not disadvantaged if they require more time at any stage.
Have a named point of contact. This ensures that you know who you can speak to if you have any questions or concerns about the application or opportunity.
SELECTION
Have an open and transparent selection process. This ensures that you are clear about the different stages of shortlisting and selection, who is involved in making decisions, and the criteria being used.
Do not use anonymised selection. This ensures that processes consider the diversity and backgrounds of the pool of applicants and encourages consideration of potential, rather than access to past opportunities
Use selection panels that are as inclusive and as representative as possible. This ensures that the broadest possible a range of voices, backgrounds and experiences are involved in the decision-making process
Rotate external selection panellists and panel chairs. This ensures a renewed variety of background, taste and experience of the decision-makers
MONEY
Offer fees or bursaries for participation. This helps to normalise principles of fair pay for participation, and ensures participants are not financially disadvantaged through taking part in an opportunity, including the selection process.
Cover travel and other expenses, including childcare, for attendance at mandatory events on the programme. This ensures that when you are required to be at an interview or other event that is not scheduled by them, they are not financially disadvantaged by where they have to travel from or by being a primary carer.
Cover the cost of access requirements, and advertise that this is available. This ensures that, if you are disabled, you are not excluded on financial grounds, or feel excluded by having to ask for access support. This includes selection panellists as well as selected participants.
CONVERSATION
Offer flexibility for you in how you can participate. This ensures that everyone is able to fully participate (including parents, carers, disabled and neurodiverse participants) – making considerations for where, when and how activities happen.
Offer constructive feedback to unsuccessful applicants. This ensures that applicants understand why they were not selected, and above all should help them move forwards in a positive frame of mind. Feedback should encourage you to reapply, or to apply successfully to other opportunities, which may not otherwise happen. If providing personal feedback to all applicants is logistically impossible, provide information on the number of applications received and ensure at least shortlisted candidates receive personal feedback. Consider also what else might be of benefit to applicants, such as insight into the programme or selected projects
Respond flexibly to remove barriers to access, with an open and approachable mind-set. This ensures we are constantly seeking to listen and learn, and to improve our processes in response to feedback
The Launchpad Fair Access Principles are based on Sound and Music’s Fair Access Principles. Sound and Music developed the Fair Access Principles through consultation with a broad range of composers and organisations, as well as from their experience of running open call programmes. Sound and Music’s Fair Access Principles are designed to act as a code of best practice for running successful, open and inclusive artist development programmes, competitions and awards for composers. The definition of “composer” varies between organisations; at Sound and Music they mean “anyone creating their own music, in any style or genre”.
Sound and Music’s Fair Access Principles aim to open up a positive public conversation about how as a sector we can work together to identify and take steps to remove barriers to inclusion or consideration.
Find out more at soundandmusic.org.
See also: Social model of disability, Equalities Act 2010 - reasonable adjustments, Arts Council England access support. Sound and Music is a PRS Foundation Talent Development Partner and is funded by public funding from Arts Council England
External links:
A composer’s perspective on the social model
Equalities Act 2010 – reasonable adjustments
Arts Council England access support – for ideas on what support can be offered