Ethics service

Supporting you to make decisions 

Our Ethics Officers can support you in making ethical decisions autonomously by helping you to:

• identify the areas of the Ethical Framework which may be applicable to your dilemma
• understand and apply the principles of the Ethical Framework in practice

Responding to your queries

Please note that the Ethics Service doesn't offer an emergency service. If you're concerned about the safety of a vulnerable person, please ensure that you've taken reasonable steps to protect them, in accordance with BACP's Ethical Framework and in consultation with your supervisor. Please also continue to make use of other professional sources of support and guidance such as your clinical lead (if applicable), your insurer and BACP's Ethics hub. 

See our safeguarding and protecting people web page for more information. 

Unfortunately, the Ethics Officers aren't legally trained therefore if you have a legal or employment related query, we recommend you contact your insurers for legal support or ACAS www.acas.org.uk for any employment disputes. 

If you need support around data requests,  GDPR and data protection please see our FAQs on GDPR or please contact the ICO for additional information www.ico.org.uk

Confidentiality 

We keep a brief note of the date of your call, the theme and any actions we take (such as sending you information). Anything you tell our Ethics Officers or consultants will be kept confidential with some exceptions. Find out more about confidentiality.

Employment law helpline

If you'd like legal guidance on an employment related query, we can now offer referral to a free legal helpline. To book an appointment, please email ethics@bacp.co.uk with convenient times for a call back. 

Many thanks for your patience at this time.