> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://handbook.helendelovely.com/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Code of Conduct

> The standards we hold each other to.

Most of this you already know. It's written down so it's the same for everyone. The professional standard behind it is the NASW Code of Ethics (2021), which Utah incorporates into its rule for social workers (Utah Admin. Code R156-60e-502.2).

## With clients

* Treat every client with dignity, whatever they bring in the door.
* Practice only within your license, your training, and your supervision. See [Scope of practice](/clinical-practice/scope-of-practice).
* Protect their privacy in every channel, every time. See [Privacy, HIPAA, and security](/privacy-and-security/hipaa-overview).
* Keep boundaries. See [Professional boundaries](/conduct/professional-boundaries).
* Never promise outcomes.

## With each other

* Be direct and kind. Say the hard thing to the person, not about them.
* Questions are the job. Ask them.
* Route before you ask: check the manual and the SOPs, then ask the person who owns the answer. See [Who to contact](/reference/who-to-contact).
* Inside your lane, you decide. Outside it, you bring a recommendation.
* Every ask carries a date. "Soon" isn't a timeline.
* Disagreements that can't be resolved go to Helen. Nobody wins by being more persistent.

## With the practice

* Be honest in your records, your timekeeping, your session counts, and your expenses. A false entry on any of them is a serious matter.
* Use practice systems for practice work. See [Systems we use](/operations/systems-we-use).
* Don't speak for the practice publicly without approval. See [Social media](/privacy-and-security/social-media).
* Follow the law. If you're asked to do something you think is illegal or unethical, refuse and tell Helen.

Nothing in this code, or anywhere in this manual, restricts your right to discuss pay, schedules, or working conditions with coworkers or to raise those concerns together. See [Your rights at work](/conduct/your-rights-at-work).

## What this looks like when it fails

Violations of this code are handled under [Corrective action](/leaving/corrective-action). Serious violations, including dishonesty, privacy breaches, boundary violations with clients, harassment, and violence, can result in immediate termination.

> **Why.** A code of conduct doesn't make people good. It makes expectations explicit, so that when something goes wrong, nobody can say they didn't know.