New Community Support Contact for Code of Conduct Incidents

TYPO3 exists because people choose to give their time and skill to something they believe in. That kind of community is powerful — and it's also fragile. Conflicts, unclear boundaries, discriminatory behaviour, or harassment don't always show up loudly. More often, they show up quietly: someone stops attending calls, stops contributing to a repo, stops replying in a channel — and by the time anyone notices, they're already gone.

When a conflict or inappropriate behavior occurs, knowing where to turn can make all the difference. To help community members find the support that best fits their situation, TYPO3 now provides both an internal and an independent, external point of contact. In the upcoming Q&A, you can meet both teams and learn how they can support you.

Although TYPO3 has a Code of Conduct, an Ombudsperson Committee, and a documented and publicly available mediation process, the current system does not seem to work in practice. It has rarely been used in the past two years and may not be well suited to complaints involving people in important or leadership roles. Possible reasons include limited awareness, a lack of perceived independence, fear of negative consequences or no action being taken, and language or cultural barriers. Without changes, the process may remain unused and may not provide enough support when a serious case occurs.

We want to make it easier to reach out when that happens. This post introduces the contact points available to you if you experience or witness a conflict, inappropriate behavior, discrimination, harassment, or any Code of Conduct violation within the TYPO3 community — both the structures inside TYPO3 itself, and a new external, confidential option.

From 1 September 2026, you can choose between two first contacts:

• Internal Ombudsperson Committee —  If you are comfortable speaking with trusted members of the TYPO3 community who understand its people and structures.
• Independent External Contact — If you prefer to speak with someone outside TYPO3, especially if the situation involves a person in a leadership role, if a member of the internal Ombudsperson Committee may have a conflict of interest in your case, or if you simply do not feel safe using the internal contact.

You do not need to contact the internal Committee first. Choose the option that feels most appropriate for you.

If you feel comfortable raising the issue within TYPO3, you can directly contact the TYPO3 Ombudsperson Committee. Its members are part of the community and understand its people, teams, and internal structures, which can help them assess the situation and identify practical ways forward.

The committee consists of 

• Mathias Bolt Lesniak
• Rachel Foucard
• Thomas Löffler

You can contact them if you experience or witness behavior that may go against the TYPO3 Code of Conduct — from recurring team tensions, disrespectful or harmful communication, and personal attacks to discrimination, sexualized harassment, or violence. They can help you understand the situation and decide what support may be appropriate.

• Write to ombudsperson@typo3.org or use the official contact form. You will receive an acknowledgement within 2 working days. The Ombudsperson Committee will contact you within 5 working days to offer a first conversation or explain what will happen next. If the Committee cannot respond within this timeframe, you will be informed and reminded that you can contact the independent external team directly. 
• The Ombudsperson Committee will review your message, contact you to better understand the situation, and discuss the possible next steps with you.
• Depending on the situation, they may provide advice, help resolve the issue informally, speak with the people involved, or start the formal complaint-handling process.
• They may also recommend external support if the matter cannot be handled appropriately within TYPO3.
• Your personal information will only be shared with the Ombudsperson Committee members when necessary to handle the complaint and will otherwise be protected. It will not be disclosed outside this process without your consent unless required by law.

Not everyone wants to raise something internally first — and that's okay. From 1 September 2026, TYPO3 also offers direct access to an external team of experienced conflict counsellors and mediators, independent of the Board and of any internal team structures.

The team comes from Inmedio Berlin and currently consists of 

• Elisa Kassin
• Frederik Wortmann
• Kimberly Alder
• Bernd Fechler

These are advisors with backgrounds in mediation, conflict counseling, prevention of misuse of power, and sexualized harassment and violence. They also have specific experience with volunteer-driven communities and open-source projects and can provide support in English and German.

You can reach them if you experience or witness behavior that may go against the TYPO3 Code of Conduct — from recurring team tensions, disrespectful or harmful communication, and personal attacks to discrimination, sexualized harassment, or violence. They can help you understand the situation and decide what support may be appropriate.

• Write to typo3@inmedio.de. You'll get a reply within 24 hours on workdays.
• Within three working days, they will arrange a first conversation — by phone or video call, whichever you prefer.
• The goal of this first conversation is simple: Make sure you have time and space to talk to an impartial person about what you have experienced and what matters to you.
• They will listen, and together you will have a look at what options you have and what might make sense for you to address the issue at hand.
• You decide what comes after this initial conversation.
• There's no obligation to take any further step.
• Everything you share is confidential. Inmedio reports to the TYPO3 Ombudsperson Committee only in aggregated form, on a quarterly basis — how many hours of advice were taken up, nothing about individual cases or people.

26 August 2026, 11:00–12:00 CEST, we will hold a live video meeting, open to the whole community. It will be an opportunity to meet the team, ask questions, and learn how the service works before you may need it.