Work your way through the Code of Ethics guidelines. | ||
Equity and access
Clients should have ready access to the services they need and receive equal treatment for equal need (non-discriminatory).
This is particularly important for people who have dual or multiple problems because they are often referred from one service to another without receiving appropriate treatment.
Access and equity can be promoted through a non-discriminatory approach to all service users, significant others and community stakeholders, and by considering the cultural, physical, religious, economic and social needs.
Individual needs
Services should be relevant and responsive to the individual needs of the client. They should be appropriate for the client’s:
- gender
- social circumstances
- ethnic and cultural background.
They should also take into account any other problems or disabilities the person may have (for example: mental illness, intellectual, physical or sensory disability, brain injury, or chronic illness).
The client’s values, expectations and belief systems should be respected. Providing opportunities for clients and ex-clients to participate in the planning, development, management and evaluation of services, will help ensure that services are relevant and responsive to clients.
Community needs
In recognising that individual health and wellbeing is dependent upon the place and practices of individuals as members of communities, AOD services have a responsibility to consider the broader community needs that may exist in relation to service operation.
Effective outcomes
Services should strive to deliver positive outcomes for the client.
The overall effectiveness of services should be measured from the perspective of the clients, and include consideration of ethics and values alongside other traditional outcome measures.
Services should hold regular planning and evaluation sessions. Programs that are not effective should be revised and amended so they do provide a positive outcome.
Consumer consultation
Consumer consultation and involvement can enhance health service design, quality, outcomes and community acceptance.
Community consultation should be built into what AOD services actually do.
Implicit in this is the notion of community/ consumer/client expertise on their own values and interests as a positive territory of authority in relation to planning and implementing new AOD innovations. It also entails the duty of AOD workers to inform clients of their rights and responsibilities as service users or participants.
Research
Consistent with peak ethics guidelines (eg NHMRC, Australasian Evaluation Society), research projects (including ‘QA’ and evaluation) involving human participants should be submitted to an appropriate level of ethics committee review prior to conduct.
Cost efficiency
Services should be efficient and use the available resources to achieve the best possible effect.
Privacy
Privacy and confidentiality to the extent permissible by law is vital in any area of human service: however, it is even more important in the alcohol and other drug field.
The illegal nature of some drug use and the stigma associated with drug dependency mean that confidentiality is a key issue for clients.
Training and PD
Ongoing training and professional development is crucial to maintain high ethical standards.
Increased funding needs to be devoted to this area to ensure that all staff have opportunities to develop their skills and awareness of ethical issues.
Stress and workload
Breaches of ethics often occur when workers are under a high level of stress or have an impossible workload. Under these conditions it is difficult for staff to maintain appropriate ethical and professional standards. Such breaches are unacceptable.
Management need to ensure that staff have:
- a reasonable workload
- suitable working conditions
- appropriate procedures
- support and training for the worker
- guidelines to follow when such breaches do occur.
Client/worker relationship
A good relationship between the client and the worker is extremely important in achieving positive outcomes for the client. Services are most effective when the relationship is collaborative and focuses on working together to solve problems.
Like any human relationship, the relationship between a client and a worker is complex. It is not appropriate for workers and clients to engage in any kind of sexual or financial relationship, as this will breach the therapeutic relationship they have developed.
The welfare of clients and the general public, and integrity of profession, take precedence over self-interest and the interests of a members’ employer and colleagues.
Advocacy
AOD workers, in adopting the stance of equality and social justice in relation to alcohol and other drug use and consequences, have a responsibility to engage at some level in ongoing debate and advocacy around drug policy reform issues and the social goals of other reforms to improve health and wellbeing of clients.
In an advocacy role, AOD practitioners should draw from a wide range of resources in relation to knowledge access and protection, science, ethics, practice and communication.
Ethics engagement
All AOD practitioners should be able to engage with the moral and ethical basis of drug use and its outcomes (both positive and negative).
Ethical issues and value questions are as important in drug policy, practice and research as other clinical, empirical and political concerns. The AOD workforce has an obligation to consider the ethical, social and political dimensions of proposed programs and interventions, and in doing so seek the value perspectives and participation of all groups whose interests are affected.
This requires an awareness of existing peak charters, codes and guidelines relevant to questions of ethics and values (eg ANCD Alcohol and Other Drugs Charter, ADCA Code of Ethics, relevant professional codes and NHMRC research ethics guidelines).
AOD practitioners need to consider guides to decision-making processes around ethical challenges, and the consideration of ethics in evaluation of self-practice and innovations in the AOD field (eg research, policy, and treatment).
The responsibility of ethics engagement exists for all sectors of the AOD workforce, including treatment, outreach, education and training, policy, research, administration, law enforcement, health promotion, prevention, primary care etc.