Australasian Code of Ethics for Direct Support Professionals

Twelve (12) ethical principles have been identified and a series of supporting guidelines developed. The guidelines are designed to inform the professional conduct of individual direct support professionals, for use as part of agency-based induction and in-service training and to inform curriculum content for TAFE, polytechnic, RTO and university courses. 

The content of this first edition of the Australasian Code of Ethics for Direct Support Professionalsis based on information gathered during a series of workshops conducted between November 2002 and November 2006, and a further Australasian-wide consultation during 2007. The workshops were conducted in every state of Australia and on both the north and south islands of New Zealand. Over 300 people participated in the workshops and contributed to the consultation. Contributors were predominantly staff engaged in the provision of direct support of people with disability, living in the community. They came from government and non-government sectors, and were working in the areas of accommodation, day support, education, employment and advocacy.