Page 5 - OSCA Ethical Guidelines - 2009.pdf

Aims of the Handbook
The Guidelines have been developed to clarify Ontario school counsellors’ understanding of their position in terms of the profession’s ethical principles and the law.
Two secondary aims are worthy of note. First, the Guidelines will be of assistance in counsellor education programs. Secondly, it is intended to stimulate dialogue within the profession concerning ethical and legal matters.
Some might question the wisdom of combining an ethical casebook with discussions of legal matters. The inextricable relationship between ethics and the law became increasingly apparent to those involved in the development of the project. It is anticipated that the reader will come to share this opinion through use of the Guidelines.
Use of the Handbook
1. For the purposes of this document, a “counsellor” is defined as a qualified teacher, with additional qualifications in Guidance (recognized by the Ontario College of Teachers), working in a guidance and career education capacity in an educational setting.
2. Under each ethical standard, cases illustrating ethical and unethical conduct are outlined. Each example is classified as acceptable (consistent with ethical principles) or unacceptable (inconsistent with ethical principles). It is anticipated that in further revisions of this Guideline, more examples will be added.
3. There has been no attempt to distinguish degrees of consistency or inconsistency within the ethical statements. For example, some of the incidents labelled unacceptable are examples of grossly unethical conduct, while others exemplify poor judgement.
4. Following each set of cases illustrating acceptable and unacceptable conduct in relation to the ethical standards, a brief explanation of related legal implications appears under the heading: Legally Speaking.
Proviso
Nothing in the Guidelines is intended to provide legal advice but is simply informational regarding the manner in which the law might affect counsellors’ actions. Any specific legal problems must be addressed by a lawyer.
Acknowledgments
The OSCA Board of Directors would like to acknowledge the contribution of OSCA members to the development and revisions of these Guidelines. In addition we also appreciate the contribution made by the Ontario College of Teachers, the Elementary Teachers’ Federation of Ontario, the Ontario English Catholic Teachers’ Federation and the Ontario Secondary School Teachers’ Federation, whose moral and financial support has made this publication possible. Thank you as well to Maurice Green and Susan Luft of Green and Chercover for their legal expertise in the proofing of this document.
OSCA Ethical Guidelines for Ontario School Counsellors 2010 • www.osca.ca ■ 5
Introduction