OPPORTUNITIES UNLIMITED, INC.
16.04.11.201.04g
Code of Ethics
Position
It is the position of Opportunities Unlimited, Inc. (OUI) to uphold basic values, ethical principles and standards for conflict of interest, exploitation, and inappropriate boundaries between agencies, its employees, and individuals with developmental disabilities.
Ethical Principles
The Code of Ethics offer a set of values, principles, and standards to guide decision making and conduct when ethical issues arise. The Code of Ethics does not specify which values, principles, and standards are most important and ought to outweigh others in instances when they conflict. Reasonable differences of opinion can and do exist among individuals with respect to the ways in which values, ethical principles, and ethical standards should be rank ordered when they conflict. Ethical decision making in a given situation must apply the informed judgment of administration and should also consider how the issues would be judged in a peer review process where the ethical standards of the profession would be applied.
This Code of Ethics cannot guarantee ethical behavior nor resolve all ethical issues. Rather, this Code of Ethics sets forth values, ethical principles, and ethical standards to which professionals aspire and by which their actions can be judged. Principles and standards must be applied by individuals of good character who discern moral questions and, in good faith, seek to make reliable ethical judgments.
1. Service
OUI draws on knowledge, values, and skills to help individuals with developmental disabilities to address physical or mental substantial functional limitations in self-care, receptive and expressive language, learning, mobility, self-direction, capability for independent living, and/or economic self-sufficiency.
2. Social Injustice
OUI pursues social change, particularly with and on behalf of vulnerable individuals. Social change efforts are focused primarily on issues of discrimination and other forms of social injustice. These activities seek to promote sensitivity to and knowledge about oppression and cultural and ethnic diversity. OUI employees strive to ensure access to needed information, services, and resources and provide equality of opportunity and meaningful participation in decision making for all people.
3. Dignity and Worth of the Individual
OUI respects the inherent dignity and worth of the person. OUI employees treat each individual in a caring and respectful fashion, mindful of individual differences and cultural and ethnic diversity. We promote individuals’ socially responsible towards self-determination by seeking to enhance the individual’s capacity and opportunity to change and to address their own needs.
4. Importance of Human Relationship
OUI recognizes the central importance of human relationships by understanding that relationships between and among individuals are an important means for change. OUI employees seek to strengthen relationships among individuals in a purposeful effort to promote, restore, maintain, and enhance the well-being of individuals, families, social groups, organizations, and communities.
5. Integrity
OUI behaves in a trustworthy manner. OUI is continually aware of the profession’s mission, values, ethical principles, and ethical standards and practice in a manner consistent with them. OUI will act honestly and responsibly and promote ethical practices on the part of our corporation.
5. Competence
OUI will practice within the areas of competence, development and enhancement of their professional expertise. OUI continually strives to increase their professional knowledge and skills and to apply them in practice.
Procedure Guidelines
The following ethical guidelines are relevant to all professionals and paraprofessionals employed by and affiliated with OUI. These guidelines concern ethical responsibilities to (1) individuals, (2) colleagues, (3) in practice settings, and (4) professionals.
Some of the guidelines that follow are enforceable for professional conduct, and some are aspirations. The extent to which each guideline is enforceable is a matter of professional judgment to be exercised by those responsible for reviewing alleged violations of ethical standards.
1. Ethical Responsibilities to Individuals
a. Promote the well-being of individual. In general, the individual’s interests are primary. However, OUI’s responsibility is to the larger society or specific legal obligations may on limited occasions supersede the loyalty owed individual. (Examples include when OUI is required by law to report that an individual has abused a child.)
b. Respects and promotes the right of individuals to self-determination and assist in their efforts to identify and clarify their goals. OUI employees may limit the individual’s right to self-determination when, in professional judgment, the individual’s actions or potential actions pose a serious, foreseeable, and imminent risk to themselves or others.
c. Provides services to individuals only in the context of a professional relationship based, when appropriate, on valid informed consent.
d. Provides services and represent themselves as competent only within the boundaries of their education, training, license, certification, consultation received, supervised experience, or other relevant professional experience.
e. Ensures services do not create a conflict of interest.
i. Alerts and avoid conflicts of interest that interfere with the exercise of professional discretion and impartial judgment. OUI should inform individuals when a real or potential conflict of interest arises and take reasonable steps to resolve the issue in a manner that makes the individual’s interests primary and protected to the greatest extent possible. In some cases, protecting individual’s interests may require termination of the professional relationship with proper referral of the individual.
ii. OUI will not take unfair advantage of any professional relationship or exploit others to further its personal, religious, political, or business interests.
iii. OUI will not engage in dual or multiple relationships with individual or former individual, in which there is a risk of exploitation or potential harm to the individual. In instances when dual or multiple relationships are unavoidable, OUI will take steps to protect the individual and responsible for setting clear, appropriate, and culturally sensitive boundaries.
iv. When OUI employees provide services to two or more individuals who have a relationship with each other (for example, couples, family members), OUI should clarify with all parties which individual will be considered the priority and the nature of professional obligations to the various individuals who are receiving services.
v. OUI will respect the individuals’ right to privacy and confidentiality.
vi. Under no circumstances will OUI support any sexual activities or sexual contact with between employees and affiliated representatives with individuals with developmental disabilities, whether such contact is consensual or forced.
vii. Under no circumstances will OUI support any sexual activities or sexual contact with or between employees and affiliated representatives with relatives of individuals with developmental disabilities, with whom individuals maintain a close personal relationship when there is a risk of exploitation or potential harm to the individual. Sexual activity or sexual contact with individual’s relatives or other individuals with whom individual maintain a personal relationship has the potential to be harmful to the individual and may make it difficult for Idaho OUI and individuals to maintain appropriate professional boundaries.
viii. OUI should not engage in physical contact with individuals when there is a possibility of psychological harm to the individual as a result of the contact (such as cradling or caressing).
ix. OUI will not tolerate any sexually harassment which includes sexual advances, sexual solicitation, requests for sexual favors, and other verbal or physical conduct of a sexual nature.
x. In cases where the individual lacks the decision making capability, OUI may act on behalf of individual and take reasonable steps to safeguard the interests and rights of those individuals.
2. Ethical Responsibilities to Colleagues
a. OUI will treat colleagues with respect.
i. OUI will avoid unwarranted negative criticism of colleagues in communications with individuals or with other professionals.
ii. OUI will cooperate with colleagues and with colleagues of other professions when such cooperation serves the well-being of individual.
b. OUI will respect confidential information shared by colleagues in the course of their professional relationships and transactions.
c. In cases where OUI may be a member of an interdisciplinary team they will participate in and contribute to decisions that affect the well-being of individual by drawing on the perspectives, values, and experiences of the profession. Professional and ethical obligations of the interdisciplinary team as a whole and of its individual members should be clearly established.
d. OUI will not take advantage of a dispute between a colleague and an employer to obtain a position or otherwise advance the corporation’s own interests.
e. OUI should take adequate measures to discourage, prevent, expose, and correct the unethical conduct of colleagues.
3. Ethical Responsibilities in Practice Settings
a. OUI employees generally should adhere to commitments made to the employer and employing organization.
b. OUI employees should work to improve Agencies’ policies and procedures and the efficiency and effectiveness of its service.
c. OUI employees should not allow an employing organization’s policies, procedures, regulations, or administrative orders to interfere with their ethical practice.
d. OUI employees should be diligent stewards of the resources of their employing organizations, wisely conserving funds where appropriate and never misappropriating funds or using them for unintended purposes.
4. Ethical Responsibilities as Professionals
a. OUI employees should accept responsibility or employment only on the basis of existing competence or the intention to acquire the necessary competence to become and remain proficient in professional practice and the performance of professional functions.
b. OUI employees should critically examine and keep current with emerging knowledge relevant skills and practices.
c. OUI employees do not practice, condone, facilitate, or collaborate with any form of discrimination on the basis of race, ethnicity, national origin, color, sex, sexual orientation, age, marital status, political belief, religion, or mental or physical disability.
d. OUI employees should not permit their private conduct to interfere with their ability to fulfill their professional responsibilities.
e. OUI employees will not participate in, condone, or be associated with dishonesty, fraud, or deception.
f. OUI employees will not engage in uninvited solicitation of potential individuals who, because of their circumstances, are vulnerable to undue influence, manipulation, or coercion.
g. OUI employees should work toward the maintenance and promotion of high standards of practice and uphold and advance the values, ethics, knowledge, and mission of the profession.