IAABC
CODE OF ETHICS
Effective
July, 2004
Preamble
The
Board of Directors of the International
Association of Animal Behavior
Consultants, Inc. (IAABC) hereby
promulgates, pursuant to Article
2 of the Association's Bylaws,
the IAABC Code of Ethics, effective
July, 2004.
The IAABC strives to honor
the public trust in animal
behavior consultants by setting
standards for ethical practice
as described in this Code.
The ethical standards define
professional expectations
and are enforced by the IAABC
Ethics Committee. The absence
of an explicit reference to
a specific behavior or situation
in the Code does not mean
that the behavior is ethical
or unethical. The standards
are not exhaustive. Animal
behavior consultants who are
uncertain about the ethics
of a particular course of
action are encouraged to seek
counsel from consultants,
attorneys, supervisors, colleagues,
or other appropriate authorities,
and also refer to IAABC General
Practice Guidelines, and the
Code of Ethics and Practice
Guidelines for divisions of
IAABC.
Both law and ethics govern
the practice of animal behavior
consulting. When making decisions
regarding professional behavior,
animal behavior consultants
who are IAABC members must
consider the IAABC Code of
Ethics and applicable laws
and regulations. If the IAABC
Code of Ethics prescribes
a standard higher than that
required by law, animal behavior
consultants must meet the
higher standard of the IAABC
Code of Ethics. Animal behavior
consultants comply with the
mandates of law, but make
known their commitment to
the IAABC Code of Ethics and
take steps to resolve the
conflict in a responsible
manner. The IAABC supports
legal mandates for reporting
of alleged unethical conduct.
The IAABC Code of Ethics
is binding on Members of IAABC
in all membership categories,
and applicants (hereafter,
IAABC Member). IAABC members
have an obligation to be familiar
with the IAABC Code of Ethics
and its application to their
professional services. Lack
of awareness or misunderstanding
of an ethical standard is
not a defense to a charge
of unethical conduct. The
process for filing, investigating,
and resolving complaints of
unethical conduct is described
in the current Procedures
for Handling Ethical Matters
of the IAABC Ethics Committee.
Persons accused are considered
innocent by the Ethics Committee
until proven guilty, except
as otherwise provided, and
are entitled to due process.
If an IAABC Member resigns
in anticipation of, or during
the course of, an ethics investigation,
the Ethics Committee will
complete its investigation.
Any publication of action
taken by the Association will
include the fact that the
Member attempted to resign
during the investigation.
Principle
I
Responsibility to Clients |
| |
Animal
behavior consultants advance
the welfare of animals and families.
They respect the rights of those
persons seeking their assistance,
and make reasonable efforts
to ensure that their services
are used appropriately Core
values for the profession are
respect for client right to
self-determination, positive
regard and a non-judgmental
approach. |
| 1.1 |
Animal
behavior consultants provide professional
assistance to persons without
discrimination on the basis of
race, age, ethnicity, socioeconomic
status, disability, gender, health
status, religion, national origin,
or sexual orientation. |
| 1.2 |
Animal
behavior consultants comply with
applicable laws regarding the
reporting of animal bites and
possible neglect/abuse. |
| 1.3 |
Animal
behavior consultants do not use
their professional relationships
with clients to further their
own interests. |
| 1.4 |
Animal
behavior consultants embrace a
non-judgmental approach that includes
positive regard, and respect the
rights of client families to make
decisions and help them to understand
the consequences of these decisions.
Consultants clearly advise the
clients that clients have the
responsibility to make decisions
regarding their animal(s). |
| 1.5 |
Animal
behavior consultants continue
working with a client only as
long as it is reasonably clear
that the client is benefiting. |
| 1.6 |
Animal
behavior consultants assist persons
in obtaining other consultative
services if the consultant is
unable or unwilling, for appropriate
reasons, to provide professional
help. |
| 1.7 |
Animal
behavior consultants do not abandon
or neglect clients without making
reasonable arrangements for the
continuation of services. |
| 1.8 |
Animal
behavior consultants obtain written
informed consent from clients
before videotaping, audio recording,
or permitting third-party observation. |
| 1.9 |
Animal
behavior consultants upon agreeing
to provide services to a person
or entity at the request of
a third party, clarify, to the
extent feasible and at the outset
of the service, the nature of
the relationship with each party
and the limits of confidentiality.
|
Principle
II
Confidentiality |
| |
Consultants
respect and guard the confidences
of clients. |
| 2.1 |
Animal
behavior consultants disclose
to clients and other interested
parties, as early as feasible
in their professional contacts,
the nature of confidentiality
and possible limitations of
the clients’ right to confidentiality.
Consultants review with clients
the circumstances where confidential
information may be requested
and where disclosure of confidential
information may be legally required.
Circumstances may necessitate
repeated disclosures. |
| 2.2 |
Animal
behavior consultants do not disclose
client confidences except by written
authorization or waiver, or where
mandated or permitted by law.
Verbal authorization will be sufficient
only in emergency situations,
unless prohibited by law. |
| 2.3 |
Animal
behavior consultants use client
and/or clinical materials in teaching,
writing, consulting, research,
and public presentations only
if a written waiver has been obtained
in accordance with Subprinciple
2.2, or when appropriate steps
have been taken to protect client
identity and confidentiality. |
| 2.4 |
Animal
behavior consultants store, safeguard,
and dispose of client records
in a manner that maintains confidentiality
and in accord with applicable
laws and professional standards. |
| 2.5 |
Upon
moving from an area or closing
a practice, a animal behavior
consultant arranges for the storage,
transfer or disposal of client
records in a manner that maintains
confidentiality and safeguards
the welfare of clients A animal
behavior consultant arranges for
someone else to perform such storage,
transfer or disposal of records
in the event of his/her death. |
| 2.6 |
Animal
behavior consultants, when consulting
with colleagues or referral
sources, do not share confidential
information that could reasonably
lead to the identification of
a client or prospective client,
research participant, or other
person with whom they have a
confidential relationship, unless
they have obtained the prior
written consent of the client,
research participant, or other
person with whom they have a
confidential relationship. Information
may be shared only to the extent
necessary to achieve the purposes
of the consultation.
|
Principle
III
Professional Competence and Integrity |
| |
Animal
behavior consultants maintain
high standards of professional
competence and integrity. |
| 3.1 |
Animal
behavior consultants work to minimize
the use of aversive stimuli and
maximize the effective use of
reinforcers to modify animal behavior. |
| 3.2 |
Animal
behavior consultants pursue knowledge
of new developments and maintain
competence in animal behavior
consulting through education,
training, or supervised experience. |
| 3.3 |
Animal
behavior consultants maintain
adequate knowledge of and adhere
to applicable laws, ethics, and
professional standards. |
| 3.4 |
Animal
behavior consultants seek appropriate
professional assistance for their
personal problems or conflicts
that may impair work performance
or clinical judgment. |
| 3.5 |
Animal
behavior consultants do not provide
services that create a conflict
of interest that may impair work
performance or clinical judgment. |
| 3.6 |
Animal
behavior consultants, as presenters,
teachers, supervisors, consultants
and researchers, are dedicated
to high standards of scholarship,
present accurate information,
and disclose potential conflicts
of interest. |
| 3.7 |
Animal
behavior consultants maintain
accurate and adequate clinical
and financial records. |
| 3.8 |
While
developing new skills in specialty
areas, animal behavior consultants
take steps to ensure the competence
of their work and to protect clients
from possible harm. Specifically,
animal behavior consultants do
not recommend euthanasia for animals
that have not had the benefit
of a professional evaluation.
Animal behavior consultants practice
in specialty areas new to them
only after appropriate education,
training, or supervised experience. |
| 3.9 |
Animal
behavior consultants do not engage
in the exploitation of clients,
students, supervisees, trainees,
employees, colleagues, or research
subjects. |
| 3.10 |
Animal
behavior consultants do not give
to or receive from clients (a)
gifts of substantial value or
(b) gifts that impair the integrity
or efficacy of the relationship. |
| 3.11 |
Animal
behavior consultants do not advise
on problems outside the recognized
boundaries of their competencies. |
| 3.12 |
Animal
behavior consultants make efforts
to prevent the distortion or misuse
of their clinical and research
findings. |
| 3.13 |
Animal
behavior consultants, because
of their ability to influence
and alter the lives of others,
exercise special care when making
public their professional recommendations
and opinions through testimony
or other public statements. |
Animal
behavior consultants are in
violation of this Code and subject
to termination of membership
or other appropriate action
if they: (a) are convicted of
any felony; (b) are convicted
of a misdemeanor related to
their qualifications or functions;
(c) engage in conduct which
could lead to conviction of
a felony, or a misdemeanor related
to their qualifications or functions;
(d) have their licenses or certificates
suspended or revoked or are
otherwise disciplined by regulatory
bodies; (e) continue to practice
animal behavior consulting while
no longer competent to do so
because they are impaired by
physical or mental causes or
the abuse of alcohol or other
substances; or (f) fail to cooperate
with the Association at any
point from the inception of
an ethical complaint through
the completion of all proceedings
regarding that complaint.
|
Principle
IV
Responsibility to Students and Supervisees |
| |
Animal
behavior consultants do not
exploit the trust and dependency
of students or supervisees. |
| 4.1 |
Animal
behavior consultants do not permit
students or supervisees to perform
or to hold themselves out as competent
to perform professional services
beyond their training, level of
experience, and competence. |
| 4.2 |
Animal
behavior consultants take reasonable
measures to ensure that services
provided by students and supervisees
are professional. |
Animal
behavior consultants do not
disclose student confidences
except by written authorization
or waiver, or when mandated
or permitted by law. In educational
or training settings where there
are multiple supervisors, disclosures
are permitted only to other
professional colleagues, administrators,
or employers who share responsibility
for training of the student
or supervisee. Verbal authorization
will be sufficient only in emergency
situations, unless prohibited
by law.
|
Principle
V
Responsibility to Research Participants |
| |
Investigators
respect the dignity and protect
the welfare of research participants,
and are aware of applicable
laws and regulations and professional
standards governing the conduct
of research. |
| 5.1 |
Investigators
are responsible for making careful
examinations of ethical acceptability
in planning studies. To the extent
that services to research participants
may be compromised by participation
in research, investigators seek
the ethical advice of qualified
professionals not directly involved
in the investigation and observe
safeguards to protect the rights
of research participants. |
| 5.2 |
Investigators
requesting participant involvement
in research inform participants
of the aspects of the research
that might reasonably be expected
to influence willingness to participate.
Investigators are especially sensitive
to the possibility of diminished
consent when participants are
also receiving clinical services,
or have impairments which limit
understanding and/or communication,
or when participants are children. |
| 5.3 |
Information
obtained about a research participant
during the course of an investigation
is confidential unless there
is a waiver previously obtained
in writing. When the possibility
exists that others, including
family members, may obtain access
to such information, this possibility,
together with the plan for protecting
confidentiality, is explained
as part of the procedure for
obtaining informed consent.
|
Principle
VI
Responsibility to the Profession |
| |
Animal
behavior consultants respect
the rights and responsibilities
of professional colleagues and
participate in activities that
advance the goals of the profession. |
| 6.1 |
Animal
behavior consultants remain accountable
to the standards of the profession
when acting as members or employees
of organizations. If the mandates
of an organization with which
a animal behavior consultant is
affiliated, through employment,
contract or otherwise, conflict
with the IAABC Code of Ethics,
animal behavior consultants make
known to the organization their
commitment to the IAABC Code of
Ethics and attempt to resolve
the conflict in a way that allows
the fullest adherence to the Code
of Ethics. |
| 6.2 |
Animal
behavior consultants assign publication
credit to those who have contributed
to a publication in proportion
to their contributions and in
accordance with customary professional
publication practices. |
| 6.3 |
Animal
behavior consultants do not accept
or require authorship credit for
a publication based on research
from a student’s program,
unless the consultant made a substantial
contribution beyond being an advisor
or research committee member.
Co-authorship on a student thesis,
dissertation, or project should
be determined in accordance with
principles of fairness and justice. |
| 6.4 |
Animal
behavior consultants who are the
authors of books or other materials
that are published or distributed
do not plagiarize or fail to cite
persons to whom credit for original
ideas or work is due. |
| 6.5 |
Animal
behavior consultants who are the
authors of books or other materials
published or distributed by an
organization take reasonable precautions
to ensure that the organization
promotes and advertises the materials
accurately and factually. |
| 6.6 |
Animal
behavior consultants participate
in activities that contribute
to a better community and society,
including devoting a portion of
their professional activity to
services for which there is little
or no financial return. |
| 6.7 |
Animal
behavior consultants are concerned
with developing laws and regulations
pertaining to animal behavior
consulting that serve the public
interest, and with amending
such laws and regulations that
are not in the public interest.
Animal behavior consultants
encourage public participation
in the design and delivery
of professional services and
in the regulation of practitioners. |
| 6.8 |
Animal
behavior consultants shall show
positive regard for colleagues
and negotiate issues respectfully. Positive
regard does not allow defamation.
Defamation is the act of
defaming; making false or
unjustified injury of the
good reputation of another
by slander or libel. It can
include communication to third
parties of false statements
about a person that injure
the reputation of or deter
others from associating with
that person.
• Slander is defamation
by oral utterance rather
than by writing, pictures,
etc. It is a spoken malicious
or abusive attack on a person's
character or good name.
• Libel is defamation
by written or printed works,
electronic broadcast, pictures,
or in any form other than
by spoken words or gestures.
It may be in the form of
a written declaration or
statement such as an ethics
complaint that maliciously
or damagingly misrepresents
the truth about a person's
conduct or character. Defamation
can lead to both civil and
criminal liability in addition
to violation of IAABC Code
of Ethics.
Therefore, Animal behavior
consultants:
1. Shall not make
statements about colleagues/competitors,
their businesses, or their
business practices which he/she
knows or should know are false
or misleading.
2. Shall not keep communications
which he/she knows or should
know are defamatory alive
by repeating them or
acting as channels of communication
for persons committing defamation.
3. Shall not file
an ethics complaint he/she
knows or should know is false
or unfounded. |
Principle
VII
Financial Arrangements |
| |
Animal
behavior consultants make financial
arrangements with clients and
students that are reasonably
understandable and conform to
accepted professional practices. |
| 7.1 |
Animal
behavior consultants do not offer
or accept kickbacks, rebates,
bonuses, or other remuneration
for referrals; fee-for-service
arrangements are not prohibited. |
| 7.2 |
Prior
to entering into the consulting
relationship, dog behavior consultants
clearly disclose and explain to
clients and students all financial
arrangements and fees related
to professional services, including
charges for canceled or missed
appointments. Once services have
begun, consultants provide reasonable
notice of any changes in fees
or other charges. |
| 7.3 |
Animal
behavior consultants represent
facts truthfully to clients
and supervisees regarding services
rendered. Animal behavior consultants
may not withhold records under
their immediate control that
are requested and needed for
an animal’s welfare solely
because payment has not been
received for past services,
except as otherwise provided
by law.
|
Principle
VIII
Advertising |
| |
Animal
behavior consultants engage
in appropriate informational
activities, including those
that enable the public, referral
sources, or others to choose
professional services on an
informed basis. |
| 8.1 |
Animal
behavior consultants accurately
represent their competencies,
education, training, and experience
relevant to their practice of
animal behavior consulting. |
| 8.2 |
Animal
behavior consultants ensure that
advertisements and publications
in any media (such as directories,
announcements, business cards,
newspapers, radio, television,
Internet, and facsimiles) convey
information that is necessary
for the public to make an appropriate
selection of professional services.
Information could include: (a)
office information, such as name,
address, telephone number, credit
card acceptability, fees, languages
spoken, and office hours; (b)
earned degrees (see subprinciple
8.5) and state or provincial licensures
and/or certifications; (d) IAABC
clinical or associate member status;
and (e) description of practice. |
| 8.3 |
Animal
behavior consultants do not use
names that could mislead the public
concerning the identity, responsibility,
source, and status of those practicing
under that name, and do not hold
themselves out as being partners
or associates of a firm if they
are not. |
| 8.4 |
Animal
behavior consultants do not use
any professional identification
(such as a business card, office
sign, letterhead, Internet, or
telephone or association directory
listing) if it includes a statement
or claim that is false, fraudulent,
misleading, or deceptive. |
| 8.5 |
Animal
behavior consultants list bachelor's,
master's, and doctoral degrees
only from recognized accredited
colleges and universities. |
| 8.6 |
Animal
behavior consultants correct,
wherever possible, false, misleading,
or inaccurate information and
representations made by others
concerning the consultant’s
qualifications, services, or products. |
| 8.7 |
In
representing their educational
qualifications, animal behavior
consultants list and claim as
evidence only those earned degrees:
(a) from institutions accredited
by regional accreditation sources
recognized by the United States
Department of Education, (b)
from institutions recognized
by states or provinces that
license or certify animal behavior
consultants, or (c) from
equivalent foreign institutions |
| 8.8 |
Animal
behavior consultants make certain
that the qualifications of their
employees or students are represented
in a manner that is not false,
misleading, or deceptive. |
| 8.9 |
Animal
behavior consultants do not
represent themselves as providing
specialized services unless
they have the appropriate education,
training, or experience.
|
This
Code is Published by
The International Association of Animal
Behavior Consultants, Inc.
|
Codice
Etico IAABC (Italian)
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