Ethical Standards Subjects (Seven Responsibilities)

Preamble

Human services is a profession that was developed in response to the direction of human needs and human problems in the 1960s. Characterized by an appreciation of human beings in their diversity, human services offers assistance to its clients within the context of their communities and environments. Human service professionals and those who educate them promote and encourage human services' unique values and characteristics. In so doing, human service professionals uphold the integrity and ethics of the profession, promote client and community well-being, and enhance their professional growth.

The fundamental values of the human services profession include:

Respecting the dignity and welfare of all people.
Promoting self-determination.
Honoring cultural diversity.
Advocating for social justice.
Acting with integrity, honesty, genuineness, and objectivity.

Human service professionals consider these standards in ethical and professional decision-making. Conflicts may exist between this code and laws, workplace policies, cultural practices, credentialing boards, and personal beliefs. Ethical decision-making processes should be employed to ensure careful choices. Although ethical codes are not legal documents, they may be used to address issues related to human service professionals' behavior.

National Organization uses this code for Human Services members, students in relevant academic degree programs, faculty in those same programs, researchers, administrators, and professionals in community agencies who identify with the human services profession. The ethical standards are organized in sections around those to whom ethical practice should be applied.

Responsibility to Clients

STANDARD 1 Human service professionals recognize and build on client and community strengths.

STANDARD 2 Human service professionals obtain informed consent to provide services to clients at the beginning of the helping relationship. Clients should be informed that they may withdraw consent at any time except where denied by court order and should be able to ask questions before agreeing to the services. Clients who cannot give consent should have those who can legally give consent for them review an informed consent statement and provide appropriate consent.

STANDARD 3 Human service professionals protect the client's right to privacy and confidentiality except when such confidentiality would cause serious harm to the client or others when agency guidelines state otherwise or under other stated conditions (e.g., local, state, or federal laws). Human service professionals inform clients of confidentiality limits before the helping relationship's onset.

STANDARD 4 If it is suspected that danger or harm may occur to the client or others due to a client's behavior, the human service professional acts appropriately and professionally to protect the safety of those individuals. This standard may involve but is not limited to, seeking consultation, supervision, and breaking the confidentiality of the relationship.

STANDARD 5 Human service professionals recognize that multiple relationships may increase the risk of harm to or exploitation of clients and impair their professional judgment. When avoiding dual or various relationships is not feasible, human service professionals should consider whether the professional relationship should be avoided or curtailed.

STANDARD 6 Sexual or romantic relationships with current clients are prohibited. Before engaging in sexual or romantic relationships with former clients, friends, or family members of former clients, human service professionals carefully evaluate potential exploitation or harm and refrain from entering into such a relationship.

STANDARD 7 Human service professionals ensure that their values or biases are not imposed upon their clients.

STANDARD 8 Human service professionals protect client records' integrity, safety, and security. Client information in written or electronic form shared with other professionals must have the client's prior written consent, except in professional supervision or when legally obliged or permitted to share such information.

STANDARD 9 When providing services through technology, human service professionals take precautions to ensure and maintain confidentiality and comply with all relevant laws and requirements regarding storing, transmitting, and retrieving data. In addition, human service professionals ensure that clients are aware of any issues and concerns related to confidentiality, service issues, and how technology might negatively or positively impact the helping relationship.

Responsibility to the Public and Society

STANDARD 10 Human service professionals provide services without discrimination or preference regarding age, ethnicity, culture, race, ability, gender, language preference, religion, sexual orientation, socioeconomic status, nationality, or other historically oppressed groups.

STANDARD 11 Human service professionals know about the cultures and communities they work with. They are aware of multiculturalism in society and its impact on the community and individuals within it. They respect the cultures and beliefs of individuals and groups.

STANDARD 12 Human service professionals know local, state, and federal laws. They advocate for change in regulations and statutes when such legislation conflicts with ethical guidelines and, or client rights. Where laws harm individuals, groups, or communities, human service professionals consider the conflict between the values of obeying the law and the values of serving people and may decide to initiate social action.

STANDARD 13 Human service professionals stay informed about social issues affecting clients and communities. If appropriate to the helping relationship, they share this information with clients, groups, and communities as part of their work.

STANDARD 14 Human service professionals know social and political issues affecting clients from diverse backgrounds.

STANDARD 15 Human service professionals provide:

A mechanism for identifying client needs and assets
Calling attention to these needs and assets.
When appropriate to the relationship's goals, I assist in planning and mobilizing to advocate for those needs at the individual, community, and societal levels.

STANDARD 16 Human service professionals advocate for social justice and seek to eliminate oppression. They raise awareness of underserved populations in their communities and with the legislative system.

STANDARD 17 Human service professionals accurately represent their qualifications to the public. This standard includes but is not limited to, their abilities, training, education, credentials, academic endeavors, and areas of expertise. They avoid the appearance of misrepresentation or impropriety and take immediate steps to correct it if it occurs.

STANDARD 18 Human service professionals accurately describe the effectiveness of treatment programs, interventions, treatments, and techniques supported by data whenever possible.

Responsibility to Colleagues

STANDARD 19 Human service professionals avoid duplicating another professional's helping relationship with a client. They consult with other professionals who assist the client in a different type of relationship when it is in the client's best interest. In addition, human services professionals seek ways to collaborate and coordinate with other professionals when appropriate.

STANDARD 20 When human service professionals have a conflict with a colleague, they first seek the colleague's help managing the problem. If this effort fails, the professional seeks the assistance of supervisors, consultants, or other professionals to address the conflict.

STANDARD 21 Human service professionals respond appropriately to colleagues' unethical and problematic behavior. Usually, this means initially talking directly with the colleague and reporting the colleague's behavior to supervisory or administrative staff if no satisfactory resolution is achieved.

STANDARD 22 All consultations between human service professionals are kept private unless doing so would harm clients or communities.

Responsibility to Employers

STANDARD 23 To the extent possible, human service professionals adhere to commitments made to their employers.

STANDARD 24 Human service professionals work to establish and maintain employment conditions conducive to high-quality client services. They assist in evaluating the agency's effectiveness through reliable and valid assessment measures whenever possible.

STANDARD 25 When a conflict arises between fulfilling the employer's responsibility and the client's commitment, human service professionals work with all involved to manage the conflict.

Responsibility to the Profession

STANDARD 26 Human service professionals seek the training, experience, education, and supervision necessary to ensure their effectiveness in working with culturally diverse individuals based on age, ethnicity, culture, race, ability, gender, language preference, religion, sexual orientation, socioeconomic status, nationality, or other historically oppressed groups. In addition, they will strive to increase their competence in methods that are known to be the best fit for the population(s) with whom they work.

STANDARD 27 Human service professionals know the limit and scope of their professional knowledge and offer services only within their knowledge, skill base, and scope of practice.

STANDARD 28 Human service professionals seek appropriate consultation and supervision to assist in decision-making when there are legal, ethical, or other dilemmas.

STANDARD 29 Human service professionals promote cooperation among related disciplines to foster professional growth and optimize inter-professional collaboration's impact on clients at all levels.

STANDARD 30 Human service professionals promote the continuing development of their profession. They encourage membership in professional associations, support research endeavors, foster educational advancement, advocate for appropriate legislative actions, and participate in other related professional activities.

STANDARD 31 Human service professionals continually seek new and effective approaches to enhance their professional abilities and use conceptual or evidence-based techniques. When practicing experimental or new techniques, they inform clients of the status of such techniques and the possible risks.

STANDARD 32 Human service professionals conduct research that adheres to all ethical principles, institutional standards, and scientific rigor. Such research considers cross-cultural bias and is reported in a manner that addresses any limitations.

STANDARD 33 Human service professionals make careful decisions about disclosing personal information while using social media, knowing that they reflect the profession of human services. In addition, they consider how their public conduct may reflect on themselves and their profession.

Responsibility to Self

STANDARD 34 Human service professionals know their cultural backgrounds, beliefs, values, and biases. They recognize the potential impact of their backgrounds on their relationships with others and work diligently to provide culturally competent service to all of their clients.

STANDARD 35 Human service professionals strive to develop and maintain healthy personal growth to ensure that they can provide optimal services to clients. When they find that they are physically, emotionally, psychologically, or otherwise unable to offer such services, they identify alternative services for clients.

STANDARD 36 Human service professionals are committed to lifelong learning and continually advance their knowledge and skills to serve clients more effectively.

Responsibility to Students

STANDARD 37 Human service educators develop and implement culturally sensitive knowledge, awareness, and teaching methodologies.

STANDARD 38 Human service educators are committed to the principles of access and inclusion and take all available and applicable steps to make education available to differently-abled students.

STANDARD 39 Human service educators demonstrate high standards of scholarship in their scholarship, pedagogy, and professional service. Helpers stay current in the field by being members of their professional associations, attending workshops and conferences, and reviewing and conducting research.

STANDARD 40 Human service educators recognize and acknowledge students' contributions to the educator's work in such activities as case material, grants, workshops, research, publications, and other related activities.

STANDARD 41 Human service educators monitor students' field experiences to ensure the quality of the placement site, supervisory experience, and learning experience. The goal is personal, professional, academic, career, and civic development. When students experience potentially harmful events during field placements, educators provide reasonable investigation and response as necessary to safeguard the student.

STANDARD 42 Human service educators establish and uphold appropriate guidelines concerning student disclosure of sensitive/personal information. This standard includes giving students fair warning of self-disclosure activities, allowing students to opt out of in-depth self-disclosure activities when feasible, and ensuring that a mechanism is available to discuss and process such activities as needed.

STANDARD 43 Human service educators know that power and status are unequal in their relationships with students. They are responsible for clearly defining and maintaining ethical and professional relationships with students, avoiding conduct that is demeaning, embarrassing, or exploitative of students, and always striving to treat students fairly, equally, and without discrimination.

STANDARD 44 Human service educators ensure students are familiar with, informed by, and accountable to the ethical standards and policies put forth by their program/department, the course syllabus/instructor, their advisor(s), and the Ethical Standards of Human Service Professionals.

For more information regarding Ethical Standards, please email the NOHS Ethics Chair
NOHS Website - https://www.nationalhumanservices.org/ethical-standards-for-hs-professionals