Ethics are of the utmost importance in the childcare profession. As a home child care provider, you work alone with children, one of the most vulnerable groups of society, to meet their basic needs, nurture their development and spend the majority of their waking hours with them.
Being professional and making good ethical decisions is about finding the right balance between relying on your beliefs and values and being informed by the code of ethics principles, which we will outline in this module. To make well-thought-out ethical decisions, be aware of the principles that guide you in your everyday personal and professional life. These principles are the foundation on which to build your decision-making practices.
All people, children and adults alike, are entitled to human rights. These allow us to live in dignity as human beings. Children must depend on adults to protect their human rights, as they cannot do it for themselves. Canada signed the United Nations’ Convention on the Rights of the Child (UNCRC) in 1991 promising to protect and promote the rights of children. As a home child care provider, you have an essential role in modelling, promoting, protecting and teaching children about their rights under the UNCRC.
Learning Objectives
After completing this module, you will be able to:
- Understand the Code of Ethics
- Apply the principles of the code to solve ethical dilemmas
- Apply and uphold the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Children