Course 17: Functional Assessment
Related Code of Ethics
Related Code of Ethics Statements for the Course on Functional Assessment.
The NADSP Code of Ethics:
As a Direct Support Professional, I will:
1. Person Centered Supports
As a Direct Support Professional my first allegiance is to the person I support; all other activities and functions I perform flow from this allegiance.
- Recognize that each person must direct his or her own life and support and that the unique social network, circumstances, personality, preferences, needs and gifts of each person I support, must be the primary for guide the selection, structure and use of supports for that individual.
- Know that an active commitment to person-centered practice is necessary because supports are still primarily "system" or "program" centered and financial, bureaucratic and political concerns often prevent or diminish person-centered approaches.
- Provide advocacy when the needs of the system over-ride those of the individual(s) I support, or when individual preferences, needs or gifts are neglected for other reasons.
- Honor the personality, preferences and gifts of people who cannot verbally communicate by seeking other ways of understanding them.
- Focus first on the person, and understand that my role in direct supports will require flexibility, creativity and commitment.
2. Promoting Physical and Emotional Well Being
As a Direct Support Professional, I am responsible for supporting the emotional, physical and personal well being of the individuals receiving support. I will encourage growth and recognize the autonomy of the individuals receiving support while being attentive and energetic in reducing their risk of harm.
- Assist the individuals I support understand their options and the possible consequences of these options as they relate to their physical health and emotional well-being.
- Know and respect the values that the people I support hold regarding their personal physical health, safety and emotional well-being and facilitate their expression of choices related to those values.
- Challenge others including support team members, professionals (e.g., doctors, nurses, therapists) and co-workers to recognize and support the rights of individuals to make informed decisions even when these decisions involve risk.
- Consistently address challenging behaviors proactively, respectfully and by avoiding the use of aversive or deprivation intervention techniques. If these techniques are included in an approved support plan I will work diligently to find alternatives and will advocate for the eventual elimination of these techniques from the person's plan.
4. Confidentiality
As a Direct Support Professional, I will safeguard and respect the confidentiality and privacy of the people I support.
- Recognize that confidentiality means keeping information private.
- Seek information directly from those I support regarding their wishes in how, when and with whom privileged information should be shared.
5. Justice, Fairness and Equity
As a Direct Support Professional, I will promote and practice justice, fairness and equity for the people I support and the community as a whole. I will affirm the human and civil rights and responsibilities of the people I support.
- Help the individuals I support accept the responsibilities and privileges of full citizenship.
- Help the individuals I support understand and express their rights and responsibilities.
6. Respect
As a Direct Support Professional I will respect the human dignity and uniqueness of the people I support. I will recognize each person I support as valuable and help others understand their value.
- Seek to understand the individuals I support today, in the context of their past life, their social and family networks, and their hopes and dreams for the future.
- Honor the choices and preferences of the people I support.
- Protect the privacy of the people I support.
- Uphold the human rights of the people I support.
- Interact with the people I support in a respectful manner.
- Recognize and respect the cultural context (e.g., religion, sexual orientation, ethnicity, socio-economic class) of the person supported and his/her social network.
- Provide opportunities and supports which help the individuals I support be viewed with respect and as integral members of their communities.
8. Self-Determination
As a Direct Support Professional I will assist the people I support to direct the course of their own lives.
- Work in partnership with others to support individuals in leading self-directed lives.
- Foster an appreciation for the need to balance taking reasonable risks with freedom from harm (dignity of risk).
- Promote personal growth by encouraging exposure to a variety of experiences.
- Weigh the benefits of these new experiences against all possible outcomes.
9. Advocacy
As a DSP I will advocate with the people I support for justice, inclusion and full community participation.
- Support individuals to speak for themselves in all matters where my assistance is needed.
- Represent the best interests of people who cannot speak for themselves by finding alternative ways of understanding their needs including gathering information from others who represent their best interests.
- Assist individuals to grow and learn by helping them consider the risks and possible outcomes of the choices they make and assist others to recognize that reasonable risk is essential to human growth and learning.