F.1 Core ethics principles

What the outline says

Task F.1 in content area F, Ethics (11 of the 75 scored questions): "Identify and apply core principles underlying the BACB’s ethics code for RBT certificants (e.g., benefit others; treat others with compassion, dignity, and respect; behave with integrity)."

Where the principles come from

BCBAs and BCaBAs follow the BACB's Ethics Code for Behavior Analysts, and every RBT applicant and certificant agrees to follow the RBT Ethics Code (2.0). Both rest on the same four core principles. The 29 standards in the RBT Ethics Code are specific rules that put those principles into practice, so when a situation is not covered word for word by a standard, the principles still tell you which way to lean.

The code applies to all of your behavior-technician activities, in every setting (home, clinic, school, community) and every modality (in person, phone, email, text, video). It does not cover your personal life unless your personal behavior clearly poses a risk to the health and safety of clients, stakeholders or coworkers. Not knowing a standard is no excuse: the code says plainly that lack of awareness or misunderstanding does not excuse a failure to comply.

The four principles in practice

• Benefit others. Work in the client's best interest and do no harm (Standard 2.01). Decisions are judged by their effect on the client, not by what is easiest, what pleases adults most or what bills the most hours. Benefiting others also means knowing and following mandated-reporting requirements and acting when a client may be at risk of harm (Standard 2.07).

• Treat others with compassion, dignity, and respect. Protect privacy during personal care, use age-appropriate language and materials, give help discreetly, avoid talking about a client in front of them or others as if they were not there, and treat everyone equitably, without harassment or discrimination (Standard 1.08). This applies to caregivers, coworkers and supervisors as well as clients.

• Behave with integrity. Be honest and accountable (Standards 1.01 and 1.02). Record data and session times exactly as they happened, admit and correct your own errors, never take part in fraudulent billing, and follow through on commitments. When a commitment cannot be met, work with your supervisor on a solution that serves the client.

• Ensure their own competence. Provide only the services your supervisor has confirmed you can perform, ask for training before using unfamiliar procedures or working with unfamiliar populations, and tell your supervisor when a request goes beyond your competence (Standards 1.06 and 2.04). Task F.2 covers this in detail.

Dignity and assent

Client dignity is part of daily work, not a separate procedure. Close the door during toileting or dressing, explain what is about to happen, offer choices the plan allows, and speak to a teen or adult the way you would to anyone their age. When you need to discuss a client's behavior with a colleague, do it privately and share only what the job requires.

Assent is the client's own agreement to take part, shown in words or behavior: approaching, engaging and staying with the activity. It is different from consent, which is the legal permission given by the client or, for a minor, a parent or guardian. Preparing a client for service delivery includes building rapport and gaining assent, for example by pairing yourself with the client's favorite activities before teaching starts. Turning away, crying, pushing materials away or trying to leave can signal that the client is withdrawing assent. Follow the plan and tell your supervisor so the team can respond.

When something seems wrong

RBTs practice under close supervision, so the code tells you to seek support from your supervisor and other appropriate people at work when you are unsure how to apply a standard or face an ethical dilemma. The BACB does not interpret the code for individuals. In working through a dilemma, RBTs prioritize following the law and placing the interest of clients first.

If you suspect another certificant is violating an ethics code, follow the steps the code lays out:

• Try to resolve it by first bringing it to your supervisor's attention.

• Document every action you take: what you did, relevant dates, the people involved and the outcome. Save the documentation.

• If it cannot be resolved directly, report it to the appropriate authority, such as the employer, a licensure board or law enforcement.

• If it involves a violation of the RBT Ethics Code or the Ethics Code for Behavior Analysts and is not resolved with your supervisor's support, report it to the BACB.

If a client may be in danger, as with signs of abuse, do not investigate yourself. Follow mandated-reporting laws and your organization's policy, inform your supervisor, document what you did, and contact authorities when the law requires it.

How F.1 connects to the other ethics tasks

The other F tasks are specific applications of these principles: competence (F.2), supervision (F.3 and F.4), confidentiality (F.5), public statements (F.6), multiple relationships and gifts (F.7 and F.8), professional skills (F.9) and cultural humility (F.10). Many of the same principles also show up in documentation and reporting (domain E), where accurate, objective and timely records are a matter of integrity.

Common mistakes

• Treating the core principles as abstract values. On the exam they are tied to concrete behavior: honest data and billing, privacy during personal care, asking for training.
• Reporting a coworker straight to the BACB. The code's first step is to bring the concern to your supervisor and document what you do; the BACB report comes when the matter is not resolved with the supervisor's support.
• Investigating suspected abuse yourself. Follow mandated-reporting requirements and organization policy, inform the supervisor and document; do not question family members or take your own photos.
• Confusing assent with consent. Consent is legal permission from the client or a legally authorized person; assent is the client's own willingness to take part, shown by words or behavior.
• Assuming the code covers everything you do in private life. It covers behavior-technician activities in all settings and modalities, and personal behavior only when it clearly risks the health and safety of clients, stakeholders or coworkers.

How it's tested

Expect short scenarios that ask which principle an action shows, or what the RBT should do in a situation involving honesty, dignity or a possible violation. Watch for answers that sound kind or efficient but bend the truth ("note the explanation elsewhere"), skip the supervisor, or have the RBT act alone. The best answer usually keeps records accurate, protects the client and brings the supervisor in early.

Related ethics code standards

• 1.01 Honesty and following the rules: RBTs are truthful themselves and help keep their workplace a place where others are truthful too. They never push or encourage anyone toward fraud, illegal acts or unethical conduct, and they obey the law as well as the rules set by the BACB, their employer and their supervisor.
• 1.07 Cultural responsiveness: RBTs work with their supervisor to make their services culturally responsive. They examine their own biases and their ability to serve people with different backgrounds and needs, and they get any training they need under their supervisor's direction.
• 1.08 No harassment or discrimination: RBTs do not harass or discriminate against anyone, including clients and coworkers. They treat people fairly and inclusively regardless of characteristics such as age, disability, race, religion, sexual orientation or gender identity, or any other basis protected by law.
• 2.01 Do no harm and mandated reporting: RBTs avoid harming their clients and act in their clients' best interest. They know the mandated-reporting requirements that apply to them and follow them.
• 2.02 Following direction, accurate implementation and documentation: RBTs follow their supervisor's direction, carry out services accurately, and complete all required documentation accurately, including client data and billing records. In short, they do what the plan says, do it the way it was designed, and make sure every record matches what really happened.
• 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.
• 3.02 Honesty with the BACB and your supervisor: RBTs are honest and accurate in every communication with the BACB and their supervisor. If they learn they gave the BACB inaccurate or false information, they contact the BACB immediately to correct it; if they gave it to their supervisor or employer, they contact them immediately to correct it and work out whether a self-report to the BACB is needed.
• 3.03 Exam and competency assessment integrity: RBTs don't cheat, or help anyone else cheat, on RBT competency assessments or the RBT exam. They follow the rules of the BACB and its approved testing centers, including the rules against falsifying information and against unauthorized collection, use or sharing of exam materials.
• 3.04 Self-reporting to the BACB: RBTs know which events they must self-report to the BACB and to other required parties such as their employer or supervisor. They report to the BACB within 30 days of the event, or within 30 days of becoming aware of it.