Towards a national psychology ethics code: Systematic analysis of Australian professional and registration board standards

Abstract

National Australian Registration and Accreditation of Psychologists from July 2010 replaces the State and Territory Psychology Boards, and a national set of ethical and professional standards is required to guide the licensing and registration model of the new Psychology Board of Australia. This study analysed the six ethical codes of practice currently operating in Australia, five emanating from the State and Territory Registration Boards and one from the professional society (Australian Psychological Society [APS]). A content analysis of the six codes was performed, comparing coverage of ethical standards. Two raters independently scored the data with good interrater reliability (κ = .90, p < .00). Results showed that the APS Code of Ethics (2007) was the most comprehensive, with only three of the remaining Codes addressing more than half of the APS ethical standards. This study raises some issues that may require consideration or revision in a new national code, but generally posits that it is appropriate to adopt the APS Code of Ethics (2007) content along with its accompanying guidelines as a national standard.

Key words:

• Code of conduct
• ethics
• malpractice
• professional standards
• regulation