ABSTRACT
This chapter presents a proven method of communicating with clients and stakeholders, the responsibilities of the behavior analyst, and the responsibilities of the client. Known as a Declaration of Professional Practices and Procedures, this document can take the place of a contract for services, which is usually a one-sided agreement. The Declaration covers Areas of Expertise and Scope of Competence of the BCBA, describes the professional relationship with the client, and describes what behavior analysts do and how they work. It then goes on to describe client responsibilities in terms of how clients should accept the responsibility to cooperate with the behavior plan and the consequences of not doing so. Later, the document lays out the Ethics Code for Behavior Analysts. The document explains how this code dictates certain behaviors on the part of the BCBA, including keeping any information they should learn in the process of providing services confidential. Finally, the Declaration outlines the fees for service and informs the family what to do in case of an emergency or when sessions need to be canceled.
