APS members are required to abide by principles of professional conduct, responsibilities and confidentiality. These are set and monitored by the APS in its
Code of Ethics
. The Code was developed to safeguard the welfare of consumers of psychological services and the integrity of the profession. The APS Ethics Committee may investigate breaches of these standards, and those found guilty of breaches may be censured or excluded from membership of the APS.
APS Code of Ethics
At the 2007 APS AGM, Members of the APS voted to adopt the proposed Code of Ethics, which had been developed over the preceding two years.
The new Code is principle-based, and quite different in structure from the previous version.
The following document has been prepared by the Code Review Committee as a guide and reference to identify how clauses from the 2003 Code are represented in the 2007 Code.
Ethical Guidelines
The APS
Code of Ethics
is complemented by a series of more than 30 Ethical Guidelines, which apply the Code to issues encountered in everyday professional practice. An Ethical Guidelines Advisory Group oversees the development of the Guidelines and regularly reviews and revises existing Guidelines.
Go to APS Ethical Guidelines
(members only)
See also:
Guide for the development of APS ethical guidelines
(revised August 2007)
(PDF, 115 kb )
Ethical complaints
Complaints about the ethical conduct of APS members are usually initially referred to the
Psychology Board of Australia
.
The APS Ethics Committee may also review complaints against APS members. Should you wish to make a complaint about an APS member, please
contact the APS
.
Charter for clients
The Charter outlines the service a client should expect from an APS psychologist.