Ethics, Consent & Professional Practice

Example Consent Letter Home

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Testing children and young people is a highly sensitive process: one which needs to be carried out with considerable care and attention. Practitioners need to be thinking about both the intended and the un-intended consequences of their actions. This means that, as well as a screening protocol which details what you are going to test and why, practitioners also need to be thinking about what impact the testing process might have on a child, young person and their family. This is why we need to think about ethics, consent and professional practice.

When we talk about 'ethics' we're thinking about the moral principles which guide the decisions we make concerning what is good for an individual, and/or good for society (ideally they would be one and the same). As you might imagine, ethics is a fluid concept - we don't all agree on exactly the same principles; and this is made more complex by power. What someone in a position of power thinks is ethically appropriate may not feel that way to the person or people about whom the decision has been made. Thinking like this, it becomes important to include 'consent' as part of the screening process. Even if we feel confident that the testing protocol is designed to help, the child, young person and their parents-carers need to be fully informed to be able to make their own decision about participating. They will need to understand what is going to happen, when, how, and perhaps most importantly, why. Parents-carers and pupils over the age of 13 years should be able to give (or withdraw) their consent. Children and young people (CYP) aged 12 and under are able to give (or withdraw) their assent at the point of the assessment (their engagement with the process). Both should be respected.

A prototype letter for you to adapt and personalise to your setting.

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HCPC Practice Standards in full

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The Standards summarised above in full on the HCPC website.

Ten important practice standards

1. Promote and protect the interests of the CYP and families you are working with.

2. Communicate appropriately and effectively - think about what, when and why.

3. Work within the limits of your knowledge and skills - seek expert help when needed.

4. Delegate appropriately - any adult helpers should be trained and knowledgeable in what you need doing, with an eye for detail.

5. Respect confidentiality - think about where you store personal data and how you will protect it.

6. Manage risk - make sure the CYP you are working with, and also that you yourself, are well enough to participate in the assessment process.

7. Report concerns about safety - take appropriate action with regards the safeguarding of CYP

8. Be open when things go wrong - share when something has gone wrong and be open to criticism and constructive feedback

9. Be honest and trustworthy - behave in a way that inspires trust and confidence

10. Keep records of your work - promptly complete paperwork and look after it carefully for future reference if necessary.

A summary of the HCPC September 2024 Revised standards of conduct, performance and ethics

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Included in the free Get Started download...

Six screening protocols covering all ages and areas of need

An example Consent letter you can personalise to your setting

Example reports for all age groups

Example information for colleagues

A basic overview spreadsheet to add your data into

A Local Assessors Guide pro forma

A how-to Mail Merge guide

Pupil Observation Forms for all ages

Conversation guides for Parent-Carer meetings

A Screening Overview poster

Jump to:

Screening Protocols

Ethics, Consent & Professional Practice

How to Run a Screening

Recording & Understanding Data

Reporting to Families & Colleagues

Analysing Cohort Data