As a member of the profession of Youth and Family Counsellors I commit myself to fulfill to the best of my ability the following obligations:
- I will regard the well-being of the children, youth and families I serve as my primary professional obligation.
- I will fulfill my obligations and responsibilities with integrity.
- I will be competent in the performance of the services and functions I undertake on behalf of the persons I serve.
- I will respect the intrinsic worth of persons I serve in my professional relationships with them.
- I will protect the confidentiality of all professionally acquired information. I will disclose such information only when properly authorized or when obligated legally or professionally to do so.
- I will ensure that outside interests do not jeopardize my professional judgment, independence or competence.
- I will work for the creation and maintenance of workplace conditions and policies consistent with the standard of practice set by this Code.
- I will act to promote excellence in the Youth and Family Counsellor profession.
COMMENTARY
1. Primary Professional Obligation
I will regard the well-being of the children, youth and families I serve as my primary professional obligation.
Commentary
1.1 This declaration is fundamental and self-explanatory. All subsequent declarations are intended to aid the Youth and Family Counsellor in maintaining a reasonable standard of practice.
1.2 The Youth and Family Counsellor will be able to apply the practice values of acceptance, self-determination and individuality without being discriminatory on any grounds of race, ethnicity, language, religion, marital status, gender, sexual orientation, age, abilities, socioeconomic status, political affiliation or national ancestry.
2. Integrity
I will fulfill my obligations and responsibilities with integrity.
Commentary
2.1 The Youth and Family Counsellor will possess reasonable moral principles especially in relation to truth and fair dealing and have personal qualities of honesty and sincerity.
2.2 Integrity is the foundation of counselling practice and therefore underlies each ethical declaration.
2.3 The Youth and Family Counsellor will identify and describe education, training, experience, professional affiliations, competence, nature of service, and actions in an honest and accurate manner.
2.3.1 Educational degrees will be cited only when they have been received from an accredited institution of higher education.2.3.2 No person shall claim formal counselling education/training solely by attending a lecture, demonstration, conference, panel discussion, workshop, seminar or other similar teaching presentation.2.3.3 The Youth and Family Counsellor will not make a false, misleading or exaggerated claim of efficacy regarding past or anticipated achievement, with respect to clients or scholarly pursuits.
2.4 If a conflict arises in professional practice, the standards declared in this Code take precedence. Conflicts of interest may occur because of demands from the general public, workplace, organizations or clients. In all cases, if the declarations of this Code would be compromised, the Youth and Family Counsellor must act in a manner consistent with the standard of practice set by this Code.
3. Competency and Quality of Service
I will be competent in the performance of the services and functions I undertake on behalf of the persons I serve.
Commentary
3.1 Competence goes beyond formal qualifications. The Youth and Family Counsellor will make reasonable and continuous efforts to upgrade and use effectively the values, knowledge and skills of professional practice.
3.2 The Youth and Family Counsellor will not undertake a matter of professional practice unless there is an honest belief in the competence to handle it.
3.3 The Youth and Family Counsellor will recognize that sufficient ability for a particular task may require advice from or collaboration with other professional disciplines and will seek client agreement to work in these collaborative situations.
3.4 The Youth and Family Counsellor will recognize that personal problems and conflicts may interfere with professional effectiveness. Reasonable health and well-being will be maintained by the Youth and Family Counsellor as a recognized component of competent practice. If personal problems occur, reasonable care will be taken by the Youth and Family Counsellor to determine whether professional activities should be suspended, terminated or limited.
3.5 The Youth and Family Counsellor will provide a quality of service which is at least equal to the standard of practice one would expect to receive in a like situation.
3.6 The Youth and Family Counsellor will have adequate knowledge (i.e. of human development, interpersonal communications, methods of intervention, individual and social change strategies) and abilities (i.e. interpersonal interviewing skills, establishing the expectation of mutual participation in the change process, facilitating termination of services or referral to others) to meet standard of practice requirements.
4. Youth and Family Counsellor – Client Relationship
I will respect the intrinsic worth of persons I serve in my professional relationships with them.
Commentary
4.1 The Youth and Family Counsellor will respect the intrinsic worth of clients and act to ensure through reasonable advocacy and other intervention activities that dignity, individuality and rights of persons are safeguarded.
4.2 The Youth and Family Counsellor will be trustworthy and possess the necessary values to demonstrate respect for the intrinsic worth of individuals.
4.3 The central focus of practice, within a professional relationship, will be based on voluntary mutual agreements between the Youth and Family Counsellor and client.
4.4 The Youth and Family Counsellor will respect client motivation, capacity and opportunity for change at all times during the planned change process and use this knowledge appropriately to facilitate the attainment of intended outcomes.
4.5 The Youth and Family Counsellor will act to ensure that the difference between professional and personal relationships with clients is explicitly understood and respected, and that the Youth and Family Counsellors behaviour is appropriate to this difference. Sexual intimacy with a client is unethical.
4.6 The Youth and Family Counsellor will not exploit relationships with clients, supervisors, or students sexually or otherwise. The Youth and Family Counsellor will not condone or engage in sexual harassment.
5. Confidential Information
I will protect the confidentiality of all professionally acquired information. I will disclose such information only when properly authorized or obligated legally or professionally to do so.
Commentary
5.1 Confidentiality means that information received or observed about a client by a Youth and Family Counsellor will be held in confidence and disclosed only when the Youth and Family Counsellor is properly authorized by the client(s) or obligated legally or professionally to do so. The disclosure of confidential information involves the obligation to share information professionally with others in the workplace of the Youth and Family Counsellor as part of a reasonable service to the client. Youth and Family Counsellors recognize the need to obtain permission from clients before releasing information about them to sources outside their workplace and to inform clients at the outset of their relationship that some information acquired may be shared with personnel of the school or the employing society when doing so is in the client’s best interest.
5.2 Recording information
5.2.1 The Youth and Family Counsellor will ensure that all information recorded is either relevant to the solution of the client(s) problems or is needed for others within the workplace setting who have a need to know the information in the performance of their duties.5.2.2 The Youth and Family Counsellor will make reasonable efforts to avoid recording information that would be against the best interests of the client should the case record be subpoenaed or seen by the client.5.2.3 The Youth and Family Counsellor must obtain informed consent when it is proposed to use any electronic methods of recording actual work being done with the client.
5.3 Disclosure
5.3.1 The Youth and Family Counsellor will not disclose the identity of persons who have sought a counselling service or disclose sources of information about clients unless compelled legally or professionally to do so.5.3.2 The obligation to maintain confidentiality continues indefinitely after the Youth and Family Counsellor has ceased contact with persons served.5.3.3 The Youth and Family Counsellor in practice with groups will notify the participants of the likelihood that aspects of their private lives may be revealed in the course of their work together, and therefore require a commitment from each member to respect the privileged and confidential nature of the communication between and among members of the client group(s).5.3.4 Disclosure of information by the Youth and Family Counsellor may be justified to defend oneself or colleagues against formal allegations of conduct unbecoming a professional, including malpractice and negligence.5.3.5 Disclosure of information necessary to prevent a crime, to prevent clients doing harm to themselves or to others is justified. Such disclosure should be made with reasonable care and with the client’s knowledge, unless informing the client would impede the due process of law or violate the duty to warn others.5.3.6 The Youth and Family Counsellor must take reasonable care to thoroughly disguise confidential information when using it for teaching, public education, accountability and research purposes.
5.4 The Youth and Family Counsellor will make every effort to ensure the security of case files and records.
6. Outside Interests
I will ensure that outside interests do not jeopardize my professional judgment, independence or competence.
Commentary
6.1 Whenever an outside interest might influence the Youth and Family Counsellor’s judgment, the nature of the conflict should be disclosed and explained to the client, the employer and to the worksite supervisor.
7. Responsibility of the Workplace
I will work for the creation and maintenance of workplace conditions and policies which are consistent with the standard of practice set by this Code.
Commentary
7.1 The Youth and Family Counsellor is accountable and responsible to the employer and to the setting in which they work for the efficient performance of duties.
7.2 At times the responsibilities to the employer and the school and the client may be in conflict and the Youth and Family Counsellor will bring this situation to the attention of the employer. In some instances it may be necessary to consult and enlist the support of professional colleagues and associations in an attempt to safeguard client rights and promote changes in the procedures of the workplace which will be consistent with the values and obligations of this Code. It may be required of the Youth and Family Counsellor to subordinate the employer’s and/or worksite supervisor’s interests to the interests of the client.
8. Responsibility to the Profession
I will act to promote excellence in the Youth and Family Counsellor profession.
Commentary
8.1 The Youth and Family Counsellor will contribute reasonable time and professional expertise to activities that promote respect for the utility, the integrity and the competence of the counselling profession.
8.2 The Youth and Family Counsellor will protect and enhance the dignity and integrity of the profession.
8.3 The Youth and Family Counsellor will take reasonable action against unethical conduct by any other member of the profession.
8.4 The Youth and Family Counsellor will not solicit the clients of colleagues.
8.5 The Youth and Family Counsellor will not assume professional responsibility for the clients of another agency or a colleague without appropriate communication with that agency or colleague and consent of the client.
8.6 The Youth and Family Counsellor who replaces or is replaced by a colleague in professional practice will act with consideration for the interest, character and reputation of that colleague.
8.7 The Youth and Family Counsellor will seek arbitration or mediation when conflicts with colleagues require resolution for compelling professional reasons.
8.8 The Youth and Family Counsellor will extend to colleagues of other professions reasonable respect and cooperation.
8.9 The Youth and Family Counsellor engaged in research will ascertain that the consent of participants in the research is voluntary and informed, without any implied deprivations or penalty for refusal to participate, and with due regard for participants’ privacy and dignity.
8.10 The Youth and Family Counsellor is responsible for participation in continuing professional development.
Adapted from the Canadian Association of Social Workers Code of Ethics.