SayPro Why have Codes of Ethics?

There are four main reasons for having Codes of Ethics:

• Codes define the overall aims of the profession, the ideals to which childcare workers aspire, so that they provide a sense of direction. Even if the aims that these general principles describe are idealistic and represent an ultimate goal beyond the standards usually found in day to day practice, they provide a context for the objectives described in other standards.

•  Codes may describe good standard childcare practice above the minimum acceptable, but nonetheless achievable in day-to-day work. In this respect, they provide guidance and help for childcare workers, helping them to become aware of the standards they should realistically be able to achieve, and acting as a quality assurance mechanism.

• Codes lay down the minimum standards of conduct which are considered acceptable, and which no childcare workers should breach if they are to be considered professional or remain in the work. People who work directly with children and young people have privileged access to them and may be in positions of power over them; they therefore have ethical and practical responsibilities for their welfare. In this respect, Codes may be seen as regulatory, and may be used for disciplinary purposes if it is felt that their standards are breached.

• The process of drawing up or studying Codes of Ethics involves childcare workers in learning to think and reason about their professional aims. In some countries there is a tradition of working to written laws and regulations, while in other countries issues are dealt with through discussion and dialogue, with very little recorded guidance. Whatever ways are customary, the process of discussing such matters helps people at all levels to think further about what they are trying to achieve and about the ways in which they should be working towards their aims.

The fundamental purpose of setting up Codes of Ethics, underlying those listed above, is to encourage the highest standards of care for children and young people, and the ultimate test of their effectiveness is whether they have an impact on practice.

In the contents of a Code of Ethics for childcare workers, therefore, the emphasis should be upon the needs of children and their families, and upon the ways in which those needs may best be met. Codes should spell out why children and meeting their needs are important, strengthening the motivation of childcare workers to carry out their work effectively and reinforcing their professional values, such as respect, care and concern for the children and families with whom they work.