The Code
All staff, tutors, students, graduates, associates and members of The Coaching Academy agree to:
- Always conduct themselves to the highest levels of ethics, integrity, accountability and responsibility.
- Treat all clients and potential clients with absolute dignity, confidentiality and respect as free and equal individuals.
- Create an agreement/contract regarding roles, responsibilities and rights of all parties involved with clients prior to the commencement of any services.
- Maintain the good reputation of the coaching profession in general and The Coaching Academy in particular.
- Comply with both the spirit and the letter of any commercial agreements made with clients, potential clients, professional colleagues and The Coaching Academy.
- Make commercial agreements with clients and potential clients that are fair and will respect all parties to such agreements.
- Only barter for services, goods or other non-monetary remuneration when it will not impair the coaching relationship.
- Not knowingly take any personal, professional or monetary advantage or benefit of the coach-client relationship, except by a form of compensation as agreed in the agreement or contract.
- Keep appropriate and accurate records of your work with clients and ensure they will remain confidential, are stored securely and comply with GDPR requirements.
- Maintain professional boundaries with all of my current clients and/or sponsors.
- Not charge my client professional fees without relevant and appropriate professional accreditation and professional indemnity insurance.
- Have professional indemnity insurance adequate to cover your coaching and/or coaching supervision practice.
- Represent true levels of status, title, competence and experience in order not to mislead, misrepresent or defraud.
- Clearly state to clients and potential clients the terms of any commercial agreement including the expectations of both parties.
- Be aware of and actively manage any power or status difference between the client and coach that may be caused by cultural, relational, psychological or contextual issues.
- Disclose to my clients the potential receipt of compensation, and other benefits I may receive for referring my clients to third parties.
- Assure consistent quality of coaching regardless of the amount or form of agreed compensation in any relationship.
- Make no claims or implications of outcomes that cannot be demonstrated or guaranteed.
- Monitor the quality of your work through feedback from clients and other appropriate professionals.
- Obtain written permission from any client or potential client before releasing their names as referees.
- Have qualifications, skills and experience appropriate to the needs of your client. If not refer your client to those who do, such as more experienced coaches, coaching supervisors, counsellors, mentors, or other specialist services.
- Respect the absolute rights of the client's confidentiality except as expressly permitted by the client or potential client in writing or as required by law.
- Avoid all conflicts of interest and give notice of such potential conflicts.
- Refrain from offering professional information or advice that you know to be confidential, misleading or where the accuracy is beyond your competence to assess.
- Endeavour to enhance public understanding and acceptance of professional coaching.
- Hold responsibility for being aware of and setting clear, appropriate and culturally sensitive boundaries that govern interactions, physical or otherwise.
- Do not participate in any sexual or romantic engagement with client(s) or sponsor(s). I will be ever mindful of the level of intimacy appropriate for the relationship. I take the appropriate action to address the issue or cancel the engagement.
- Be fit and healthy enough to practice. If not, you should stop until you are and, if necessary, your clients should be offered alternative support.
- Share skills and experience with fellow members and associates of The Coaching Academy to further increase the body of knowledge, skills and competencies of such parties.
- Continually develop professionally in both the theory and practice of coaching.
- Respect all copyrights, agreements, work, intellectual property and trademarks and comply with all laws covering such areas.
- Avoid coaching minors (people who have not yet had their 18th birthday) without the express written consent of parent, guardian or teacher as appropriate.
- Respect the client's right to terminate the coaching relationship at any point during the process, subject to the provisions of the agreement or contract. I will be alert to indications that the client is no longer benefiting from our coaching relationship.
- Contact The Coaching Academy immediately if you find yourself in a situation which may create conflict, litigation or bad publicity.
- Comply with all laws and by-laws of the UK and, if coaching clients based abroad, with the laws of the clients' country.
- Ensure that all advertisements and promotional materials, whether verbal or written, are legal, decent, truthful, honest and in compliance with the requirements of the UK Advertising Standards Authority.
- Respect the commercial confidentiality of The Coaching Academy by not divulging business information to any third parties.
- Make a copy of this Code freely available to clients if they request it.
The challenge with working ethically means that coaches will inevitably encounter situations that require responses to unexpected issues, resolution of dilemmas and solutions to problems. This Code of Ethics is intended to assist those persons subject to the Code by directing them to the variety of ethical factors that may need to be taken into consideration and helping to identify alternative ways of approaching ethical behaviour.
