Australian Community Workers Association Australian Community Workers Association

Ethics and standards

For community workers the requirement for ethical practice is absolute.

ACWA has set ethical and practice benchmarks for community workers in accordance with industry and public expectations. These professional standards are presented in the Australian Community Workers’ Code of Ethics and the Australian Community Work Practice Guidelines.

While these two documents can be downloaded individually, they are not designed to be standalone. Working to a set of clear guidelines within a strong ethical framework is essential.

ACWA members can be held accountable for breaches of the Code.

 

Australian Community Workers Code of Ethics

A code of ethics is an explicit document that lays down the expectations of a professional working in the field. ACWA members agree to the Code of ethics and demonstrate adherence to the code in every aspect of their professional life. Members can be held accountable for breaches of the Code.

ACWA-Code-Of-Ethics-Jan-2023

Preferred citation: Australian Community Workers Association (2023) ACWA Code of Ethics. Retrieved from https://www.acwa.org.au/workers/ethics-and-standards/ACWA-Code-of-Ethics-Jan-2023.pdf

 

Australian Community Work Practice Guidelines and tools

The Australian Community Work Practice Guidelines complement the Code of Ethics and provide a guide to all community workers. Previously known as Practice Standards, this document includes indicators and is matched with a self-assessment tool for practitioners to identify skill gaps and training needs. A supervisor-supported assessment tool is also available and has been designed for a practitioner and supervisor to work through together, making it ideal for performance reviews.

ACWA-Practice-Guidelines-Aug-2021

Preferred citation: Australian Community Workers Association (2021) Australian Community Work Practice Guidelines. Retrieved from https://www.acwa.org.au/workers/ethicsandstandards/ACWA-Practice-guidelines-Aug-2021.pdf

ACWA-self-assessment-tool-practitioners

ACWA-assessment-tool-supervisor-supported

 

Combined guide

ACWA-Ethics-and-good-practice-guide-Jan-2023

Preferred citation: Australian Community Workers Association (2023) Australian Community Workers Ethics and Good Practice Guide. Retrieved from https://www.acwa.org.au/workers/ethicsandstandards/ACWA-Ethics-and-good-practice-guide-Jan-2023.pdf

 

Employer Code of Practice

The Employer Code of Practice is a framework that can be adopted by employers and followed through with concrete policies and procedures. The Code has been designed to be publicly displayed in a work space thereby increasing the organisation’s visible commitment to staff.

ACWA-Employer-Code-generic
ACWA-Employer-Code-custom