Declaration of Professional Practices and Procedures

1 Declaration of Professional Practices and Procedures Importance of a Declaration of Professional Practices and Procedures A Declaration of Professional Practices and Procedures is important as it prevents the occurrence of ethical problems. The document clarifies the boundaries and rules with clients before services are provided. It informs the clients about the Board Certified Behavior Analyst’s (BCBA) details and credentials, including academic information, the field of study, specific degree, years of practice, and specialty area.

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Such information is important as it helps the clients to know whether the BCBAs are qualified and are practicing within the boundaries of their expertise and training. It also provides information on what the BCBAs do and how they operate. The document also details the responsibilities of the client, including providing truthful information about details such as the medication they are taking (Bailey & Burch, 2016). It also provides details on such topics as making appointments, fees, and maintaining confidentiality.

Presenting the Document The BCBA should present this document to the client at the beginning of the relationship.

The BCBAs should go through the document with the clients for about 30 minutes and ensure that they agree to the outlined terms. Both the BCBA and the client should then sign the document in the presence of a witness (Bailey & Burch, 2016). The BCBAs should then date the declaration, share a copy of the document with the client’s family, and keep another one for their records.

How It Relates to Ethical Responsibilities to Colleagues and the Profession of Applied Behavior Analysis The declaration is related to my ethical responsibilities to the applied behavior analysis profession and my colleagues. In the declaration, the BCBAs declare that they will provide services ethically and professionally in accordance with the ethical standards and compliance with the ethical compliance code (Bailey & Burch, 2016). This is related to the BCBAs’ ethical responsibilities. One of the ethical responsibilities of behavior analysts to their colleagues is to promote an ethical culture in the work setting and make others aware of the compliance code (Behavior Analyst Certification Board (BACB), 2014). As a behavior analyst, it is my responsibility to monitor my colleagues’ behavior to identify any incidents of ethical violations

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that may pose harm to the clients and report them to the relevant authorities. After identifying an ethical or legal violation by my colleagues, I need to determine whether it can potentially harm the clients. If there is potential for harm or the client’s rights are being violated, I should take the necessary steps to protect the client, such as informing the relevant authorities, consulting with professionals, following the company’s policies, and documenting my efforts to resolve the issue (BACB, 2014). I should try to resolve the issue through an informal means without violating confidentiality rights and report it to the appropriate authority such as the supervisor, employer, or regulatory authority if a solution is not found.

Furthermore, I have an ethical responsibility to the behavior analysis profession to advance and uphold its values, principles, and ethics. It is also my obligation to take part in behavior-analytic professional activities. It is also the responsibility of behavior analysts to promote the profession by disseminating information about it to the public through media such as discussions and presentations (BACB, 2014). This ethical responsibility is related to the declaration as BCBAs are required to explain to their clients and families what they do and how they work, which increases the public’s awareness about the profession (Bailey & Burch, 2016).

How It Relates to Ethical Responsibilities to Client and the Family or Those in the Client’s Support System The declaration relates to my ethical responsibilities to my clients and their families. As a behavior analyst, it is my ethical responsibility to the clients and their families to ensure that I work in their best interest. The declaration of professional practices and procedures requires me to inform my clients about my credentials, academic information, and boundaries of my expertise and training (Bailey & Burch, 2016). This requirement relates to my ethical responsibilities as I can only accept clients whose needed services fall under my education,

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experience, and training (BACB, 2014). It is also my ethical responsibility to provide an accurate set of my credentials to the clients on request.

The declaration also requires BCBAs to maintain confidentiality when handling the clients’ information (Bailey & Burch, 2016). This relates to the BCBAs’ ethical responsibility to the clients and their families as they are required to protect their confidentiality (BACB, 2014).

BCBAs need to discuss confidentiality before they begin a relationship with the client and later on if circumstances warrant it. They need to minimize privacy violations by including only the required information in reports (BACB, 2014). Confidential information should only be discussed with the concerned individuals. Behavior analysts should also avoid creating situations that may lead to sharing details about their clients on social media. They cannot disclose confidential information without the client’s consent unless where the law permits it for various purposes, such as protecting the client from harm.

Another ethical responsibility of BCBAs is to ensure that before offering services, there is a signed contract detailing the responsibilities, the scope of services to be offered, and the responsibility of each party. They need to reach an agreement about the fees and billing arrangements with the clients as early as possible (BACB, 2014). Similarly, the declaration requires BCBAs to include information about the responsibilities of the client and the behavior analyst and billing details before signing the contract (Bailey & Burch, 2016).

The declaration also specifies that the relationship between BCBAs and the clients is professional, and therefore, no gifts or parties are accepted (Bailey & Burch, 2016). Similarly, according to the BACB ethical compliance code, BCBAs should not receive gifts or money for professional referrals (BACB, 2014).

DECLARATION OF PROFESSIONAL PRACTICES AND PROCEDURES References Bailey, J. S., & Burch, M. R. (2016). Ethics for behavior analysts (3rd ed.). Routledge.

Behavior Analyst Certification Board (BACB). (2014). Professional and ethical compliance code for behavior analysts. https://www.bacb.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/05/BACBCompliance-Code-english_190318.pdf.

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