Standard 2.07: Protecting clients' rights and safety
When RBTs find out that a client is at risk of harm or that a client's legal rights are not being respected, they take the actions needed to protect the client. They report it to their supervisor, follow organization policy and document what they did, and sometimes they also need to contact outside authorities such as law enforcement, the BACB or a licensure board.
What it means in practice
The code's glossary defines client rights broadly: human rights, legal rights, rights set out within behavior analysis, and organization rules meant to benefit the client. Examples of violations include unapproved restraint or seclusion, withholding meals, sharing private information without permission, abuse, neglect and taking a client's money or belongings.
The standard's core steps are to report the matter to your supervisor, follow your organization's policies and document your actions. If a client is in immediate danger, protect them first, which may mean calling emergency services.
Some situations require going outside the organization: law enforcement for crimes or emergencies, child or adult protective services under mandated-reporting law (see 2.01), and the BACB or a licensure board for professional misconduct. If your supervisor is involved or doesn't act, the code's introduction tells you to take the matter to the appropriate authority.
Scenarios
| Situation | What to do |
|---|---|
| You see another staff member shut a client in an empty room and hold the door closed as a "time-out" that isn't in the client's plan. | Make sure the client is safe, report it to your supervisor right away, follow your organization's incident policy and document what you saw. Make a mandated report if the law requires it. |
| At a group home, you learn that a staff member has been taking money from an adult client's wallet. | Report it to your supervisor, follow the organization's policy and document it. Possible financial exploitation of a vulnerable adult may also have to be reported to adult protective services or law enforcement. |
| Your supervisor tells you to keep a client strapped in their chair for the whole session, which isn't in the plan, and dismisses your concern. | Don't do it, and document the instruction and your response. Because the supervisor is involved and the concern wasn't resolved, report it to the appropriate authority, such as the supervisor's manager or the organization's compliance contact, and to the BACB. |
| At pickup, a caregiver who smells strongly of alcohol and is unsteady on their feet starts to drive away with your young client in the car. | This is immediate risk of harm. Call emergency services, then notify your supervisor, follow organization policy and document what happened. |
Practice questions
-
Question 1During a community outing, a client goes out of sight and cannot be found after a quick search of the immediate area. What should the RBT do?
Show answer
D: Follow the missing-person procedure and call emergency services. A missing client is an emergency. The RBT follows the organization's missing-person procedure, which typically includes calling emergency services right away and notifying the supervisor and caregivers.
- A: Delay increases danger; emergency procedures exist so help starts quickly.
- B: Leaving the area wastes time and means no one is searching where the client was last seen.
- C: Caregivers are notified as policy requires, but emergency services and the supervisor must be contacted.
Task D.7 · 40-hour curriculum section E · RBT Ethics Code 2.01 · RBT Ethics Code 2.07
-
Question 2The steps in a client's crisis plan are not working, the situation is getting more dangerous, and the supervisor cannot be reached. What should the RBT do?
Show answer
A: Call emergency services if there is immediate danger, as policy directs. If there is an immediate risk of serious harm and the plan's steps are not keeping people safe, organization policies typically direct staff to call emergency services. The RBT then reports to the supervisor as soon as possible.
- B: When danger is immediate, waiting for the supervisor can lead to serious harm.
- C: Unplanned restrictive procedures are not allowed and can cause injury.
- D: Leaving the client in a dangerous situation is unsafe.
Task D.7 · 40-hour curriculum section E · RBT Ethics Code 2.01 · RBT Ethics Code 2.07
-
Question 3A caregiver tells the RBT that their child came home from a day program with scratches and said a staff member grabbed them. What should the RBT do?
Show answer
B: Tell the supervisor at once and follow mandated-reporting rules and policy. A report that a client may have been harmed calls for immediate action. The RBT tells the supervisor, follows organization policy and any mandated-reporting duties, and documents what was done.
- A: Waiting delays protection for the client; the RBT does not need proof before reporting.
- C: Investigating is not the RBT's role and could interfere with an investigation.
- D: Leaving it to the caregiver does not meet the RBT's own obligations.
Task E.1 · RBT Ethics Code 2.07 · RBT Ethics Code 2.01
-
Question 4During a session, a teenage client says, "I want to hurt myself tonight." What should the RBT do?
Show answer
B: Follow the safety protocol and contact the supervisor at once. A statement about self-harm is a safety concern that calls for immediate action under the organization's protocol and immediate contact with the supervisor.
- A: The RBT is not trained to assess risk; they follow the protocol.
- C: This dismisses the statement and does not protect the client.
- D: Waiting for a meeting is far too slow for a safety concern.
Task E.2 · RBT Ethics Code 2.01 · RBT Ethics Code 2.07
Answer every question to see your score.
Where it sits in the code
Standard 2.07 is in section 2, Responsibilities in Providing Behavior-Technician Services, of the RBT Ethics Code (2.0). On the exam it relates to task F.1 Core ethics principles. Read the official text for the exact wording.
Related standards: 2.01 Do no harm and mandated reporting, 2.05 Restrictive and punishment-based procedures, 2.08 Confidentiality and privacy.