Ethics and Standards

Standards for Ethical Practice

Purpose

These Standards apply to all Members of the Association of Career Professionals International, and are intended to safeguard the public interest, the integrity and excellence of the career profession. Adherence to the Standards is a condition of membership.

Standards

All Members of the Association of Career Professionals International shall:

• Continuously improve their professional skills, competency and knowledge to provide the highest quality of service to organizations and individual clients.
  
  
• Comply with all laws, statutes and regulations affecting business practices and service relationships.
  
  
• Fully disclose any potential conflict of interest that may arise in the course of their professional practice.
  
  
• Report any illegal acts by their employers, peers or business partners to appropriate authorities.
  
  
• Clearly define the services which they offer, and ensure these services are within their knowledge and abilities. Members must recognize their boundaries of competence and provide only those services and use only those tools, techniques and materials for which they are qualified by education, training or experience.
  
  
• In marketing services, describe factually and neither claim, misrepresent nor imply professional qualifications exceeding those possessed, nor knowingly cannot be delivered.
  
  
• Administer and/or interpret only those assessment instruments for which they have appropriate qualifications.
  
  
• Release assessment results to third parties, where applicable, only after obtaining written permission from the individual client.
  
  
• Maintain confidentiality by disclosing to each individual client that general progress updates may be provided to a sponsoring organization (at their request); however, such reports would be generic in nature, and no personal or confidential information will be provided.
  
  
• Take reasonable action to inform potentially vulnerable third parties and/or responsible authorities when conditions indicate that there is a clear and imminent danger to the client, sponsor or others. Ideally, this will be done with the individual client's knowledge or permission, but if necessary, without.
  
  
• Offer no payment to employees of sponsoring organizations for referrals, nor accept inappropriate gifts.
  
  
• Refrain from supporting, assisting, participating in, and/or benefiting from the violation of these Standards.
  

Privilege of Membership

To safeguard the reputation of the Association and its Members, ACP International reserves the right to deny membership privileges to any person associated with any organization displaying a pattern of consistent violation of these standards.

Standards Non-Compliance Complaint Process

Complaints can be filed with the Chair of the International Ethics Council, with any other member of the Council, or with the Executive Director of ACP International. Complaints will be processed according to the Policies and Procedures of the ACP International Ethics Council which can be found on the ACP International website at www.acpinternational.org.

The International Ethics Council has sole responsibility for enforcing these Standards. Accordingly, no other entity within the Association is empowered to receive complaints, process them and/or impose penalties/sanctions on behalf of the Association.