UK Creative Industries Watchdog CIISA to Open Whistleblowing Service in September After Gaining Parliamentary Recognition

The Creative Industries Independent Standards Authority, the body created to improve workplace standards and accountability across the UK's creative industries, will open its first-stage reporting service in September 2026, giving workers in British film, television, music and theatre a channel to submit reports about workplace conduct. The authority was established to improve workplace standards across the creative industries. The launch follows Parliament's formal recognition of CIISA as an independent external whistleblowing body, a designation that takes effect on June 2 under the Public Interest Disclosure (Prescribed Persons) (Amendment) Order 2026. The service will cover workers across film, television, music and theatre, including live performance. The authority said the new status means people who report concerns through its channels may be entitled to additional legal protections under UK whistleblowing law, including in cases where they had previously signed non-disclosure agreements.

The Details

CIISA announced that it has been formally recognised in Parliament as an independent external whistleblowing body for people working in the film, TV, music and theatre industries, including live performance. Workers from across the film, television, music and theatre sectors, including live performance, are covered by the new recognition. That recognition was formalised through the Public Interest Disclosure (Prescribed Persons) (Amendment) Order 2026, which comes into force on June 2. Because CIISA is now a prescribed person under UK whistleblowing legislation, workers who raise concerns through the authority may be entitled to additional legal protections. The organisation specifically noted that these protections can apply even in cases where workers had previously signed non-disclosure agreements.

CIISA said in a statement: "CIISA has been formally recognised in Parliament as an independent external whistleblowing body for people working in the film, TV, music and theatre industries, including live performance."

The reporting service launching in September represents the first operational phase of CIISA's work. At this stage, the service will function primarily as a disclosure and data-collection mechanism. It will accept reports from individuals working across the creative sectors that fall under CIISA's remit, allowing the authority to begin compiling information about workplace behaviour patterns. The organisation has said this initial phase is intended to gather disclosures and build a clearer picture of sector-wide conduct before expanding its remit. This data-collection phase will operate throughout the 2026/27 period before the later service expansions outlined in the three-year strategy.

Alongside the reporting service, CIISA's 2026/27 work plan includes establishing a data-and-insight function that will analyse the information collected during this first stage. The focus during the opening year will be on intake and analysis, with the data-and-insight function processing the reports to identify patterns across the industries covered. The data-and-insight function will operate alongside the reporting service as part of CIISA's broader accountability remit.

Context

CIISA was created to improve workplace standards and accountability across the UK's creative industries, covering film, television, music and theatre. The body was set up to address concerns about workplace behaviour and to introduce stronger accountability mechanisms across the industries it covers. Its establishment followed the 2021 Noel Clarke scandal and the Time's Up UK movement, amid broader industry concern over bullying and harassment allegations in British entertainment, according to Deadline.

The organisation has published a three-year strategy that lays out a phased approach to its operations. The strategy divides CIISA's rollout into distinct phases, with the 2026/27 period focused on launching the reporting service and the 2027/28 period adding the early-intervention function. The current 2026/27 period is dedicated to launching the Independent Reporting Service and the accompanying data-and-insight function. The following year, 2027/28, is scheduled to see the introduction of an early-intervention function. CIISA has said the initial reporting phase is intended to gather disclosures and build a clearer picture of sector-wide behaviour patterns before the later service expansions. The early-intervention function planned for 2027/28 is the next stage of the three-year strategy.

What's Next

The first-stage reporting service will begin accepting whistleblowing submissions in September 2026. After that initial launch, CIISA plans to introduce an early-intervention function in 2027/28 as the next step in its three-year strategy. The authority will continue to operate under its newly granted prescribed-person status, meaning workers who submit reports through CIISA may be entitled to additional legal protections under the new designation. The reporting service will be accompanied by the data-and-insight function as part of the 2026/27 work plan.