Code of Conduct

This Code of Conduct sets out the behaviour expected of members, volunteers, staff, committee members, partners, contractors, visitors, and other people taking part in the organisation's activities.

It is intended to help create a respectful, safe, inclusive, and practical Landcare environment where people can work together for the benefit of local places, communities, and landscapes.

Our Commitment

The organisation aims to provide a welcoming environment for people of different ages, backgrounds, skills, cultures, abilities, and levels of experience. Everyone involved is expected to help maintain a culture of respect, care, cooperation, and shared responsibility.

Expected Behaviour

• Treat other people with courtesy, patience, and respect.
• Follow reasonable directions from activity leaders, staff, committee members, site hosts, or event organisers.
• Work safely and report hazards, incidents, injuries, or concerns as soon as practical.
• Respect private property, public places, cultural heritage, equipment, wildlife, plants, waterways, and project sites.
• Use inclusive language and avoid behaviour that could intimidate, exclude, humiliate, or harass another person.
• Handle disagreements constructively and raise concerns through appropriate channels.
• Protect confidential, personal, or sensitive information shared through the organisation.

Unacceptable Behaviour

Unacceptable behaviour may include harassment, bullying, discrimination, threats, unsafe conduct, deliberate damage, misuse of organisational resources, intoxication that creates risk, repeated disruption of activities, or behaviour that undermines the safety and dignity of others.

Safety and Duty of Care

Participants must take reasonable care for their own health and safety and for the health and safety of others. People should only undertake tasks they feel able to do safely and should ask for support, training, or alternative duties where needed.

Working With Children and Vulnerable People

Activities involving children, young people, or vulnerable people must be conducted with appropriate supervision, permissions, and safeguarding practices. Concerns about safety or wellbeing should be reported promptly to the relevant activity leader or authorised person.

Raising a Concern

Concerns about behaviour should be raised with an activity leader, staff member, committee representative, or another nominated contact. The organisation should respond in a fair, confidential, and proportionate way, while prioritising safety and wellbeing.

Responding to Breaches

If this Code of Conduct is breached, the organisation may take appropriate action. This may include a reminder about expectations, mediation, changed duties, removal from an activity, suspension of participation, referral to another authority, or other steps consistent with the seriousness of the issue.

Review

This Code of Conduct should be reviewed periodically by the organisation's governance body and updated when needed to reflect current legal, safety, organisational, and community expectations.