This document sets out the conduct expected of members and the complaint procedure to be used if it is necessary to make a complaint regarding the conduct of other members. 

General Rules

As part of our subscriptions, we may offer access to forums, Facebook groups, instant messaging services and other similar services at our discretion (hereafter referred to as the Forums). Additionally, we may offer opportunities to submit content such as comments, profile content, and competition entries through the Foundations Revealed website (hereafter referred to as the Website).  

Use of the Forums and the Website, and any other communications with Harman Hay Publications Ltd., is subject to our Terms and Conditions and this Code of Conduct. 

As per the Terms and Conditions of membership of Foundations Revealed, no member may use the Forums or the Website for any activities that:  

• breach any laws or regulations or infringe any third-party rights, 
• send or post or allow any posting of information that is defamatory or obscene or that violates the legal rights of others,  

• use the Forums and Website to send any unsolicited promotional or advertising material or any volume messages that may interfere with the provision of the Services or the use of the Services by others.  

For clarity, this includes statements that are deemed to be discriminatory on the basis of race, sex, sexual orientation, disability, religion or belief system. These groups are protected characteristics under UK Equalities Legislation. Recognition of a range of gender identities (including transgender, non-binary, gender-fluid, two-spirit, etc.), regardless of legal gender reassignment, is also protected under Foundations Revealed’s internal Diversity, Inclusion, Equality, and Cohesion policy, and use of the Forums and Website constitutes an agreement to respect this policy. Discriminatory statements against others’ gender identities or a refusal to respect pronouns when corrected will be seen as a breach of the Code of Conduct. 

In using the Website and Forums, please respect other members’ privacy and copyright. Do not repost any content or pictures to new locations without the original poster’s permission.   

The decision of Harman Hay Publications Ltd. (including the Forums Group Admins) regarding a member’s conduct is final.  

Acceptable Content and Use

Foundations Revealed aims to be a supportive and uplifting community that is inclusive of all. Our approach is laid out in our Diversity Statement and all members are expected to comply with this. 

The membership of the groups is diverse, covering many countries, cultures, and languages.  We expect our members to show tolerance and understanding in posting, replying, and reading comments.    

Disagreements between members happen from time to time. We expect members involved to keep the disagreement polite and tolerant. 

Please be sensitive in discussions of words that may not be taken as offensive in one part of the world, but are problematic elsewhere, as we have a global audience and not everyone speaks English as a first language.   

Please be mindful of the fact that many words do have a negative history, and refrain from using those words. This includes words that originated with the slave trade or colonisation, or were previously used as medical diagnoses or classifications.  

Foundations Revealed encourages posting about clothing traditions and history from around the world. Please avoid using language or images that exoticize cultural aesthetics or traditions that are not your own and be sensitive in conversations around appropriation and marginalisation. In drawing inspiration from other cultures, aim for appreciation, not appropriation, and be mindful of the context that the clothing and accessories in question have come from. The line between appreciation and appropriation differs from person to person, even within a single community, depending on individual backgrounds and experiences: please aim to be sensitive to this and open-hearted, both in your posts and in your responses to conversations that may arise as a result. 

We encourage the use of inclusive language when writing about bodies, recognising the range of sizes, shapes, and genders in our community. Care should be used in describing bodily characteristics. Foundations Revealed is a safe space and shaming is not permitted. 

Avoid gendered language when it is not specifically necessary, in order to be inclusive of all our members. 

Always respect people’s pronouns. If you make a mistake, allow yourself to be corrected.    

Images are fabulous to include in your posts and are very helpful to our mentors and members. Please think carefully about images that include harmful racial, cultural, gendered, or other stereotypes (for instance, racist and sexist ‘jokes’ in older advertisements), and avoid posting them unless for the purpose of exploring a specific educational point.  Additionally, please do not post images that include offensive symbols (e.g., swastikas). 

Please be sensitive to differing abilities when discussing fitting advice or project progress: for instance, avoid setting bars for how long a given action or project ‘should’ take (unless it’s something like how long someone should let the glue dry for!), and avoid extreme self-deprecation that may make others feel discouraged about their own progress.  

Please be aware that accommodations for disabilities may result in people taking a different approach to tasks. Suggesting a way to do a task is great, but please do avoid inferring that it is the only way to do something. 

Complaints Procedure

Before complaining about a post, comment, or other content, members should consider the purpose and intent of the original statement/content. Try to work disagreements out with consideration, compassion, and kindness. 

Repeated complaints made against an individual member by one or more other members, if not upheld, may be regarded as vexatious or constituting harassment. The Group Admins may take action against the member concerned, in accordance with the process below.  No formal complaint of harassment needs to be made by the member concerned.  

How to Make a Complaint

Discord 

Tag or DM @Admin and indicate which post you are complaining about. 

Facebook Group 

In the first instance, the post should be reported to the group admins. To report a post to a Group Admin, you must report the post from the group. You can do this as follows:   

• Go to the post you want to report. 
• Click …  in the top right of the post. 
• Select Report post to group admins to report the post to an Admin. 

Instagram and Facebook Page 

Issues with content left on our accounts should be directed to Customer Services using the contact form. 

The Website 

Issues with content submitted through the Website by another member should be directed to Customer Services using the contact form. 

How We Respond To Complaints

Once we receive a report of a complaint about a post or comment we will follow the steps below: 

• Determine whether the post, comment or other content breaks any laws or regulations. 
• If the post is about a fellow member, we will discuss the post’s, comment’s, or other content’s impact with that member. 
• Discuss the intent and purpose behind the post, comment, or other content with the member who made it. 
• Discuss the findings of our investigations internally to determine whether the post, comment, or other content meets our requirements for tolerance and understanding. 
• If the complaint is upheld, it will be reviewed in line with any previous complaints upheld against the member and the severity of the offense.  
• Consequences may be imposed on the member and are given below. 

Potential Consequences of Breaches of the Code of Conduct

Available sanctions are given below. It is at Harman Hay Publications Ltd.’s discretion if sanctions apply only to the platform they occurred or if they are extended across to other parts of the Forum and/or Website.  If the offense is of a serious nature, then at the discretion of Harman Hay Publications Ltd., we may decide to cancel a membership. As per our Terms and Conditions, no refunds for any unused portion of the membership will be made if this occurs. 

 

Discord 

Time Out	Member is prevented from posting or commenting in the group
Kick	Member is removed from the group, sometimes for a minimum period, and will have to request to rejoin.
Block	Member is removed from the group and is blocked from rejoining.

 

Facebook 

Time Out	Member is prevented from posting or commenting in the group for a period of time
Post Approval	All of a member’s posts or comments have to be approved by an admin before they are released to the group
Remove	Member is removed from the group, sometimes for a minimum period, and will have to request to rejoin.
Block	Member is removed from the group and is blocked from rejoining.

 

Comments, Competition Entries, and Other Content Submitted Through the Website 

Post Approval	Any content submitted to the Website has to be approved by a staff member before it is released to the Website
Time Out	Member is blocked from having content published on the Website for a defined period of time.
Block	Member blocked from submitting content through the website.

 

Emails, Social Media DMs, and Other Communications with Us 

Essential Communications only	Member is removed from non-core mailing lists and only receives emails directly relating to Services and their account.
Block	Member is blocked from our Social Media account or from contacting us as appropriate. Should a person be blocked from emailing us, their account will be cancelled.