1. Introduction
1.1. The Eudemonics ‘Code of Ethics’ establishes standards for our Consultants/Facilitators (Practitioners) when working within a relationship with Clients and outlines the organisation’s key expectations.
1.2. The Code of Ethics is designed to help us to practice safely and with transparency.
1.3. As part of Eudemonics commitment to development, Practitioners are required to comply with this Code in order to provide a consistent, best-practice approach to Consulting/Facilitating and the creation of an entirely person-centred modality of personal growth and flourishing.
1.4. The principles of the Code should be followed by internal and approved external Practitioners alike and must also be followed if working with a Client in an external organisation.
1.5. The Code complements the principles of our person-centred approach and aligns the Eudemonics Code of Conduct and our Rules of Consultation/Facilitation.
1.6. Governance for Consulting/Facilitating sits with the Eudemonics Board. Its commitment to our Practitioners is to;
• train and develop Practitioners, including providing access to continuing professional development (CPD)
• provide guidance, advice and support for practice, including access to supervision with a technical supervisor
• consider preferences, strengths, unique skills and characteristics of both Practitioner and Client when coordinating Coaching relationships.
2. Guiding principles
2.1. Confidentiality must be maintained throughout a Consulting/Facilitating relationship, with ways of working agreed between Practitioner and Client.
2.2. People other than the Practitioner and the Client will not be party to input or outcomes of conversations, unless shared by the Client or by prior agreement within an organisational triumvirate.
2.3. Practitioners will always facilitate a safe space for Clients to view and share the issues they consider of importance.
2.4. Practice should reflect the values outlined in Eudemonics policies and procedures.
2.5. Practitioners will help to promote equality and diversity in the services that you provide and encourage Clients to do the same.
2.6. The outcome(s) of Consulting/Facilitating should be to realise an overall improvement in the Client’s wellbeing, clarity of thought and levels of awareness that the Client, others, teams and organisations can benefit from. It is a key responsibility is to nurture the personal growth that Clients experience.
3. Confidentiality
3.1. A Practitioner must treat as confidential any information that a Client chooses to share with them. However, there are two notable exceptions to this:
3.2 Discussion of practice in a confidential conversation with a technical supervisor, which may require a Practitioner to share anonymised context from a Coaching/Facilitating relationship(s).
3.3 If it’s believed a Client is at risk of causing harm to themselves or to another person or discloses anything of an illegal nature that would require Police or other statutory intervention.
4. Responsibilities
4.1 Practitioners should always and primarily consider the Client’s needs, development level and abilities, the differences in your respective cultural identities, and their implications for practice.
4.2 Practitioners are responsible for agreeing the way they will work with Clients, through an agreement established at your first meeting together – the ‘contract’.
4.3 While personal and occupational commitments might sometimes make Practitioners unavailable, ideally, they are asked to Invest in their training and development – this represents a significant commitment to ongoing best practice and the ethics of Eudemonics.
4.4 Practitioners will not enter into an intimate relationship (physical or otherwise) with a Client with whom no such relationship existed prior to the commencement of their Consulting/Facilitating relationship.
5. Competence
5.1 Any Practitioners working on behalf of Eudemonics must have a demonstrable record of competence, submitted and scrutinised prior to undertaking any work on behalf of the organisation.
5.2 Eudemonics recognises that professional and occupational experience may or may not be qualified, although all Practitioners working on behalf of Eudemonics will be accredited.
5.3 Practitioners must be aware of the limitations in their practice, and if required refer a Client to an accredited third party where necessary in order to meet their individual needs.
5.4 If Practitioners identify a situation which represents a major difficulty or threatens the outcomes of the Consulting/Facilitating relationship, technical supervisors will always be notified, and an appropriate course of action agreed. This may or may not include a temporary or permanent withdrawal from the Consulting/Facilitating relationship.
5.5 Practitioners must engage in CPD in order to maintain and enhance skills.
5.6 Practitioners should engage in regular supervision with a technical supervisor and/or peers. It is considered essential for best practice, and both Practitioner and Client wellbeing.
6. Best Practice
6.1 Prior to the commencement of any Consulting/Facilitating relationship, agreement relationship boundaries for working together will be agreed, and recorded within the Consulting/Facilitating contract.
6.2 Practitioners should agree with the Client details such as the number and duration of sessions, and most importantly, a robust and coherent case plan where ever possible and practical.Notably, the nature of crisis intervention may negate this aspiration.
6.3 Tools and techniques may be used by a Practitioner must focus upon the enhancement of the Consulting/Facilitating process or enabling a Client to express their thinking or feeling, and to meet individual needs. Practitioners will not use experimental techniques without the prior approval of a technical supervisor.
6.4 Practitioners must never allow their personal opinions to take precedence over their Client’s, though sharing of experience may at times be appropriate, it should only be offered in situations where a Client is experiencing a difficulty or requires direct guidance to remedy a situation of significant concern. In such cases, this will be done in line with our strict rules of consultation. Consulting/Facilitating Practitioners will never do something for the Client which they are capable of doing themselves.
6.5. Practitioners should seek regular feedback on their practice.
6.6. Consulting/Facilitating relationships will end once the Client has received the help they originally sought and feels happy to move forwards without further support regarding issues addressed in any case plan. New case plans may be formed if the Client requires support in another area, but this must not be at the behest of or the result of coercion on the part of the Consultant/Facilitator.
Eudemonics does not encourage Client/Facilitator/Consultant dependency, It encourages personal growth and freedom.
7. Quality of Service
7.1 Practitioners will always represent themselves honestly with regard to their levels of training and credentials.
7.2 Clients are entitled to good service, so practitioners will seek supervision and technical direction regularly and in any case where progress is slow or not evident.
7.3 Practitioners will maintain their own physical and mental health in order to remain fit for their work. Where their health may compromise their performance, they will refrain from practice until their fitness returns. Referrals for current clients should be arranged during such periods of recovery.
7.4 Practitioners will seek to increase their professional knowledge and practical skills.
7.5 Practitioners who function as trainers and/or technical directors will provide instruction within their areas of knowledge, competence and certification, and use the most current training materials available.
8. Respect, Dignity, and Boundaries
8.1 Practitioners will treat all persons, including students, clients and other professionals with respect and courtesy.
8.2 Practitioners will refrain from speaking or writing derogatorily about any client or student. This does not preclude providing constructive criticism or feedback to students about specific practices or behaviors, delivered respectfully in appropriate circumstances.
8.3 Practitioners and trainers will remain sensitive to cultural differences, and will not discriminate on the basis of an individual’s age, gender, nationality, race, gender identification, or sexual orientation. Any practitioner unable to fulfill this requirement will refer the client to another practitioner.
8.4 The financial basis of the service being provided will be agreed upon before the commencement of the training course or session, with the rules and policies (such as fees for cancellation or missed appointments) clearly understood.