The Deontology Framing my Practice as an Academic Coach
As President and founding member of the AFCSE I obviously adhere to the deontology on which I have actively worked!
Ethical Code of Conduct for professionals, members of the AFCSE
The school coaches of the association refer to the principles of respect for the fundamental rights of people, their dignity, their freedom, and base their practice on their own resources. They bring them, in all humility, a neutral, respectful, whole and benevolent support, help them to set their own objectives by making sure that they are motivating, fulfilling, and that they do not put the coachee in an uncomfortable situation or in "danger", on an emotional or personal level. The coach accompanies the students in the choice and implementation of the fastest and most effective means that will allow them to reach the goals they have set.
I. PRINCIPLES OF INDEPENDENCE
The coach who is a member of the Association Française du Coaching Scolaire et Etudiant must be totally independent ideologically, morally and technically.
If certain therapeutic or accompaniment methods refer to existential, philosophical, metaphysical, ontological, religious, scientific or political concepts, the coach who is a member of the association must not, in his daily practice, by manipulative or coercive means, place himself as a follower or disciple of an ideological system, a religious denomination or a political party. The coach cannot practice if his membership or tutelage in relation to such a movement hinders his freedom of thought or professional practice.
The coach cannot exercise or encourage any kind of pressure or constraint on a student, even if this method or exercise would appear necessary in the resolution of his problem, if the student refuses it.
The coach can always, for personal, ethical or professional reasons, refuse to undertake or continue to accompany a student. In this case, the coach will try to direct the student to the professional or institution that he/she feels is best suited to meet the student's needs.
The coach must ensure his independence in the implementation of his tools, methods or practices of coaching and does not leave the care and responsibility to any other coach or organization, the choice of methods or practices that he implements with his client or clients.
The coach must not accept any moral or material working conditions that could undermine his professional independence, hinder the quality of the coaching process or disrupt the specific relationship with the student.
II. PROFESSIONALISM AND PRACTICE
1) Profession
There is currently no legal text governing and regulating the profession of professional or school coach, which is why the conditions of membership for coaches who are members of the French Association of School and Student Coaching are particularly strict. You can read about these conditions of membership in the association's internal regulations. By signing this code of ethics, coaches commit themselves to producing only sincere and verifiable documents in order to join the association.
2) Conditions
The coaches of the AFCSE must have a suitable installation in their place of professional practice, adequate premises to allow the respect of professional secrecy, and sufficient technical means in relation to the nature of the tools and methods proposed or implemented.
3) Professional training
The AFCSE coach has followed a professional coaching training course leading to a diploma or certificate, at a university or within a recognized coaching training organization, which has enabled him/her to specialize. His or her competencies to professionally practice the coaching profession have been validated by the organization offering this training. He undertakes to inform his clients, when they request it, on the nature of his initial and specific coaching training, and on any other element of his background. The coaching he proposes is in line with his training and experience.
4) Continuing education
The different fields of human sciences and educational sciences are in perpetual evolution, and research is regularly carried out. The AFCSE coach must keep abreast of current events in his or her profession and in related humanities professions. He takes his time to continue training in order to guarantee his clients the highest level of competence and quality of support.
5) Working on oneself
The coach member of the association starts from the principle that he must know himself in order to be able to accompany others, this is why the coaches of the AFCSE have during their course carried out a work on themselves, whether it is a psychoanalysis or any other form of therapy aiming at identifying their own mechanisms. This allows them to identify and discern their personal involvement in the understanding of others or what could resonate with themselves during a coaching session, and to be able to manage it and control its effects as much as possible, so that it does not disturb the objectives, quality, benevolence and neutrality of the coach in his practice.
6) Supervision
The coach undertakes regular work on himself and on his practices as soon as he considers it necessary, by meeting with a colleague or any other specialist of the accompaniment, in order to take stock, to take a step back and to continue to progress in his practice in order to ensure a service of quality to his customers.
7) Responsibility
The school coach who is a member of the AFCSE has an ethical and professional responsibility in accordance with his or her sector of activity, requiring an unwavering commitment, rigor and seriousness. He/she is committed to ensuring that his/her interventions and accompaniments respect the rules of this code of ethics in every respect. Within the framework of his professional skills, the coach decides and assumes responsibility for the application of the tools and methods he designs and implements. He is therefore personally responsible for his choices and for the direct consequences of his actions and possible professional opinions.
However, the coachees remain the only ones responsible for the decisions they will make during the coaching process and for what these decisions will imply on the orientation of the coaching work.
8) Practices and new communication technologies
AFCSE member coaches may use, at the request or with the agreement of their clients, any modern means of communication available to the coach and client during the course of a coaching session, preferably in conjunction with face-to-face sessions. The purpose of these means of communication is to facilitate relationships, to ensure a particular follow-up, to bring punctual support and to favour the quality and the reactivity of the coaching.
Coaches must regularly check with the client to ensure that this mode of communication does not interfere with the established relationship, the quality and the objectives of the coaching.
9) Contract and Respect of objectives
The coach commits himself to respect the contract and the objectives that he makes with the student during the first contact session. He must ensure that the tools or methods he puts in place to help the student correspond to the exact nature and the most effective and rapid resolution of his problem, in accordance with his personality and his desires. The coaching contract stipulates at least the duration of the coaching and the sessions, the amount of the fees, the objective, the frequency, the place and the nature of the coaching.
10) Confidentiality
The AFCSE coach is subject to the rule of professional secrecy. He must therefore not reveal any information acquired during his professional activity concerning his client, nor his identity, to anyone. He must take all necessary precautions to ensure that all documents, notes, records of any kind are stored in such a way that secrecy is safeguarded.
Only with the written and signed agreement of the client, specifying the nature of the information, will the coach be able to divulge this information concerning him.
In serious circumstances where the coach would be competent to judge whether the client represents a danger to himself or to others, this rule of confidentiality can be lifted, and the appropriate action with the competent authorities within the framework of the law can be taken.
III. DUTIES TO THE STUDENT
1) Approach
The coach must verify the nature of the student's commitment before undertaking the coaching process, in order to ensure that the student is in a voluntary process and not forced by an institution or his parents. The coach must review the situation with the student if he/she is forced to do so, to ensure that nothing will hinder the process, and that the objectives defined are his/her own, without which the coaching could not be effective.
2) Respect for the client's interests
The coach must ensure that he has the skills to accompany the student and that the accompaniment he proposes serves the interests of the student and allows the work of his problematic. The coach must ensure that he/she is able to frame the proposed coaching with a high level of integrity and professionalism in respect of this deontological charter and the student, in order to guarantee the achievement of the objectives set in the contract. He commits to developing the client's autonomy during the coaching process. Whenever possible, he/she will refer the student to another professional whom he/she deems competent, if he/she cannot guarantee the respect of the student's interests. If, during the coaching process, the coach deems that he/she can no longer respect the contract with the student, for whatever reason, it is his/her duty to terminate the coaching process and to clearly explain to the student the reasons for this decision.
3) Professionalism
The coach, member of AFCSE, does not use his position for personal purposes, proselytizing or alienation of others, does not influence, advise or take advantage of his status and the possible dependency that could be established between him and the student. He will refrain from any abuse or acting out of any kind. He/she will not respond to the request of a third party who seeks an illicit or immoral advantage or who uses excessive or abusive authority in the use of his/her services that would be contrary to the student's interest.
IV. PROFESSIONAL POSITION
1) Position towards the profession
The coach remains reserved, open-minded and respects the conceptions and practices of his colleagues as long as they do not contravene the main principles of the code of ethics of the AFCSE and other recognized professional coaching associations; this does not exclude justified criticism.
The coach does not compete abusively with his colleagues and makes sure that any commercial communication concerning him does not alter the image of coaching that the various codes of ethics establish.
2) Position with regard to the association
No member can claim to represent the association unless this right has been formally granted in writing. Each member acts in his own name. A coach who is a member of the association, regardless of status, may state that he/she belongs to the AFCSE and adheres to the code of ethics in all his/her professional and personal communications.
I. PRINCIPLES OF INDEPENDENCE
The coach who is a member of the Association Française du Coaching Scolaire et Etudiant must be totally independent ideologically, morally and technically.
If certain therapeutic or accompaniment methods refer to existential, philosophical, metaphysical, ontological, religious, scientific or political concepts, the coach who is a member of the association must not, in his daily practice, by manipulative or coercive means, place himself as a follower or disciple of an ideological system, a religious denomination or a political party. The coach cannot practice if his membership or tutelage in relation to such a movement hinders his freedom of thought or professional practice.
The coach cannot exercise or encourage any kind of pressure or constraint on a student, even if this method or exercise would appear necessary in the resolution of his problem, if the student refuses it.
The coach can always, for personal, ethical or professional reasons, refuse to undertake or continue to accompany a student. In this case, the coach will try to direct the student to the professional or institution that he/she feels is best suited to meet the student's needs.
The coach must ensure his independence in the implementation of his tools, methods or practices of coaching and does not leave the care and responsibility to any other coach or organization, the choice of methods or practices that he implements with his client or clients.
The coach must not accept any moral or material working conditions that could undermine his professional independence, hinder the quality of the coaching process or disrupt the specific relationship with the student.
II. PROFESSIONALISM AND PRACTICE
1) Profession
There is currently no legal text governing and regulating the profession of professional or school coach, which is why the conditions of membership for coaches who are members of the French Association of School and Student Coaching are particularly strict. You can read about these conditions of membership in the association's internal regulations. By signing this code of ethics, coaches commit themselves to producing only sincere and verifiable documents in order to join the association.
2) Conditions
The coaches of the AFCSE must have a suitable installation in their place of professional practice, adequate premises to allow the respect of professional secrecy, and sufficient technical means in relation to the nature of the tools and methods proposed or implemented.
3) Professional training
The AFCSE coach has followed a professional coaching training course leading to a diploma or certificate, at a university or within a recognized coaching training organization, which has enabled him/her to specialize. His or her competencies to professionally practice the coaching profession have been validated by the organization offering this training. He undertakes to inform his clients, when they request it, on the nature of his initial and specific coaching training, and on any other element of his background. The coaching he proposes is in line with his training and experience.
4) Continuing education
The different fields of human sciences and educational sciences are in perpetual evolution, and research is regularly carried out. The AFCSE coach must keep abreast of current events in his or her profession and in related humanities professions. He takes his time to continue training in order to guarantee his clients the highest level of competence and quality of support.
5) Working on oneself
The coach member of the association starts from the principle that he must know himself in order to be able to accompany others, this is why the coaches of the AFCSE have during their course carried out a work on themselves, whether it is a psychoanalysis or any other form of therapy aiming at identifying their own mechanisms. This allows them to identify and discern their personal involvement in the understanding of others or what could resonate with themselves during a coaching session, and to be able to manage it and control its effects as much as possible, so that it does not disturb the objectives, quality, benevolence and neutrality of the coach in his practice.
6) Supervision
The coach undertakes regular work on himself and on his practices as soon as he considers it necessary, by meeting with a colleague or any other specialist of the accompaniment, in order to take stock, to take a step back and to continue to progress in his practice in order to ensure a service of quality to his customers.
7) Responsibility
The school coach who is a member of the AFCSE has an ethical and professional responsibility in accordance with his or her sector of activity, requiring an unwavering commitment, rigor and seriousness. He/she is committed to ensuring that his/her interventions and accompaniments respect the rules of this code of ethics in every respect. Within the framework of his professional skills, the coach decides and assumes responsibility for the application of the tools and methods he designs and implements. He is therefore personally responsible for his choices and for the direct consequences of his actions and possible professional opinions.
However, the coachees remain the only ones responsible for the decisions they will make during the coaching process and for what these decisions will imply on the orientation of the coaching work.
8) Practices and new communication technologies
AFCSE member coaches may use, at the request or with the agreement of their clients, any modern means of communication available to the coach and client during the course of a coaching session, preferably in conjunction with face-to-face sessions. The purpose of these means of communication is to facilitate relationships, to ensure a particular follow-up, to bring punctual support and to favour the quality and the reactivity of the coaching.
Coaches must regularly check with the client to ensure that this mode of communication does not interfere with the established relationship, the quality and the objectives of the coaching.
9) Contract and Respect of objectives
The coach commits himself to respect the contract and the objectives that he makes with the student during the first contact session. He must ensure that the tools or methods he puts in place to help the student correspond to the exact nature and the most effective and rapid resolution of his problem, in accordance with his personality and his desires. The coaching contract stipulates at least the duration of the coaching and the sessions, the amount of the fees, the objective, the frequency, the place and the nature of the coaching.
10) Confidentiality
The AFCSE coach is subject to the rule of professional secrecy. He must therefore not reveal any information acquired during his professional activity concerning his client, nor his identity, to anyone. He must take all necessary precautions to ensure that all documents, notes, records of any kind are stored in such a way that secrecy is safeguarded.
Only with the written and signed agreement of the client, specifying the nature of the information, will the coach be able to divulge this information concerning him.
In serious circumstances where the coach would be competent to judge whether the client represents a danger to himself or to others, this rule of confidentiality can be lifted, and the appropriate action with the competent authorities within the framework of the law can be taken.
III. DUTIES TO THE STUDENT
1) Approach
The coach must verify the nature of the student's commitment before undertaking the coaching process, in order to ensure that the student is in a voluntary process and not forced by an institution or his parents. The coach must review the situation with the student if he/she is forced to do so, to ensure that nothing will hinder the process, and that the objectives defined are his/her own, without which the coaching could not be effective.
2) Respect for the client's interests
The coach must ensure that he has the skills to accompany the student and that the accompaniment he proposes serves the interests of the student and allows the work of his problematic. The coach must ensure that he/she is able to frame the proposed coaching with a high level of integrity and professionalism in respect of this deontological charter and the student, in order to guarantee the achievement of the objectives set in the contract. He commits to developing the client's autonomy during the coaching process. Whenever possible, he/she will refer the student to another professional whom he/she deems competent, if he/she cannot guarantee the respect of the student's interests. If, during the coaching process, the coach deems that he/she can no longer respect the contract with the student, for whatever reason, it is his/her duty to terminate the coaching process and to clearly explain to the student the reasons for this decision.
3) Professionalism
The coach, member of AFCSE, does not use his position for personal purposes, proselytizing or alienation of others, does not influence, advise or take advantage of his status and the possible dependency that could be established between him and the student. He will refrain from any abuse or acting out of any kind. He/she will not respond to the request of a third party who seeks an illicit or immoral advantage or who uses excessive or abusive authority in the use of his/her services that would be contrary to the student's interest.
IV. PROFESSIONAL POSITION
1) Position towards the profession
The coach remains reserved, open-minded and respects the conceptions and practices of his colleagues as long as they do not contravene the main principles of the code of ethics of the AFCSE and other recognized professional coaching associations; this does not exclude justified criticism.
The coach does not compete abusively with his colleagues and makes sure that any commercial communication concerning him does not alter the image of coaching that the various codes of ethics establish.
2) Position with regard to the association
No member can claim to represent the association unless this right has been formally granted in writing. Each member acts in his own name. A coach who is a member of the association, regardless of status, may state that he/she belongs to the AFCSE and adheres to the code of ethics in all his/her professional and personal communications.
V. RESPECT FOR THE CODE OF ETHICS
AFCSE ensures that its members respect the code of ethics. In the event that a coachee feels or notices that a coach belonging to AFCSE is not consistent with this charter, he/she is invited to inform the president in charge of the deontology commission or the president of AFCSE, who will initiate an investigation, which will be followed by appropriate measures if necessary.
AFCSE ensures that its members respect the code of ethics. In the event that a coachee feels or notices that a coach belonging to AFCSE is not consistent with this charter, he/she is invited to inform the president in charge of the deontology commission or the president of AFCSE, who will initiate an investigation, which will be followed by appropriate measures if necessary.
