276 The Coaching Toolkit for Child Welfare Practice
Professional Executive Coaching and Supervision (APECS) provide
similar guidance on boundaries and ethical decision making.
Although both professions have separate ethical standards, there
are significant similarities between them (see Appendix A, B and C).
Key Shared Themes of Codes of Ethics
The NASW, ICF, and APECS Codes of Ethics share the following
key themes:
Maintaining conduct in accordance with professional standards
and levels of competence (macroscopically).
Maintaining professional conduct and abiding by ethical
responsibilities (microscopically).
Avoiding conflicts of interest.
Maintaining confidentiality and privacy.
Considering ethical issues in evaluation.
Prior to beginning the coaching, it is recommended to review
standard reporting laws with the learner. This includes the
mandated reporting laws (PC 11166) to report any suspected child
abuse and neglect to the appropriate agency or jurisdiction. Further,
in accordance with the NASW Code of Ethics, the coach will
maintain confidentiality except “when disclosure is necessary to
prevent serious, foreseeable, and imminent harm to a client or other
identifiable person”.
Coaches working within the child welfare agency often have the