Purpose
The National End-of-Life Doula Alliance supports after-death care educators by offering this Code of Ethics as a working guide to standards for appropriate behavior and practices in business and research. Our goal is to encourage ADCE practices that exhibit compassion, integrity, consistency, and competency across all platforms and approaches by providing clear ethical expectations of practicing after-death care educators.
 
Definition
After-death care educator — trained individual who provides educational information and instruction about after-death care to the dying person and their family.
 
Code of Ethics
NEDA, as a membership organization, provides the highest ethical standards to guide our members’ conduct. NEDA members agree to:

• act honestly, truthfully and with integrity in all their transactions and dealings;
• avoid conflicts of interest;
• appropriately handle actual or apparent conflicts of interest in their relationships;
• treat every individual with dignity and respect;
• honor confidentiality;
• deal fairly and with total transparency with money matters;
• comply with both the spirit and the letter of the law;
• act responsibly toward the communities in which they work and for the benefit of the communities that they serve;
• be responsible, transparent and accountable for all their actions.

 
Confidentiality
After-death care educators:

• protect information received in confidence from individuals, families, caregivers, and involved professionals
• may disclose medical information regarding communicable disease to third parties as necessary (funeral directors, medical or hospice staff, clergy)
• share information only with written permission or, when all efforts to obtain permission have been exhausted and only in the event that the information may inform a situation that is life-threatening (as in the case of communicable disease)
• take all necessary precautions to safeguard electronic (including social media), written, and spoken communications with anyone involved, including extended family and professional colleagues
• continue to protect the privacy of individuals and involved parties after death occurs
• obtain written consent to disclose details of cases for the purpose of educating others and take care to disguise names and details
• are careful when sharing confidences with colleagues, respecting the privacy of all involved 

 
Conflict of interest
After-death care educators:

• do not accept gifts from suppliers, organizations or businesses that in any way set up a reciprocal expectation
• do not show favor to clients for personal benefit
• are aware of conflicts that may arise between their role as consultant, the families they serve, and other professionals
• are free to consult with other professionals provided that the consultation does not place the consultant in a position of conflict of interest and providing that all concerns of privacy, informed consent, and confidentiality are met appropriately
• avoid conflicts of interest that interfere with discretion and impartial judgment. If a real or potential conflict of interest arises, they take reasonable steps to resolve the issue in a manner that reflects the best interests of the person(s) served.

 
Completion of duties
After-death care educators:

• have a duty to complete services as contracted according to the terms of agreement
• unable to conclude the contract will give ample advanced notice, help the family find a replacement, and refund any fees for services that were incomplete.

• are strongly encouraged to provide contracts in the form of a detailed proposal, including aims, activities, costs, timescales and deliverables

 
Communication
After-death care educators:

• accurately describe training, expertise, and credentials when representing themselves to the media or other outside entity
• represent themselves in a responsible, ethical and professional manner at all times
• maintain high standards of scholarship and objectivity when presenting information regarding after-death issues and practices

 
Duty of care
After-death care educators:

• have a duty to care for others that first does no harm
• keep the highest standards of practice and conduct at the forefront of all service to others
• treat others with the same level of dignity and respect
• take great care in communicating when collaborating with other professionals

 
Education
After-death care educators:

• provide accurate and timely information to the public, including individuals, families, communities, support networks, and other professionals, as needed
• accurately represent their level of training and credentials, and attempt to provide educational material that is unbiased and consistent with universal ADCE tenets
• make every effort to participate in continuing education to stay informed and active in the community 

 
Equality and Discrimination

• ADCEs exercise fair and objective judgment when providing quality services to all, regardless of age, color, race, gender, sexual orientation, lifestyle, religion, national origin, marital status, political belief, or mental or physical disability

 
Legal Compliance
After-death care educators:

• comply with the spirit and letter of the law
• know the legal ramifications and consequences of acting beyond the scope of practice as defined by NEDA and all local, state and federal laws
• are responsible for knowing and abiding by the laws and regulations that directly and indirectly affect their services
• adhere to the highest standards when dealing with public officials and may not accept, offer, provide or solicit any special treatment or favor from those in law enforcement, political, or other regulating or enforcement office

 
Fees for Service
After-death care educators:

• may not charge for post-death care of the deceased’s body and must conform to FTC regulations regarding the practice of funeral directing
• must provide complete detailed cost information in writing prior to beginning service
• do not solicit funds from clients separate from the contract for services; once the agreed-upon financial transaction is concluded, the client is under no further financial commitment, obligation, or responsibility to the ADCE
• neither offer, seek, nor accept payment of any kind for referral services

 
Professionalism
After-death care educators:

• treat colleagues with respect, integrity, sensitivity, and collegiality
• provide transparent, detailed information to clients in writing about the services they offer/will offer
• cooperate with other professional groups

• are aware of the limits of their competency limits and do not misrepresent themselves as having training, experience, or qualifications beyond those they possess
• exhibit respect for colleagues and trainers of all affiliations and training programs

 
Research

• After-death care educators who engage in any sort of research with clients or other after death practitioners are bound by the fundamental principles of research ethics, outlined in the Belmont Report found here,  which include:

 1) Respect for persons – people will be treated as autonomous and be able to make decisions about whether or not they engage in research, and people with diminished autonomy will be protected;
2) Beneficence – research should do no harm and researchers will strive to maximize benefits while minimizing risk for research participants;
3) Justice – fairness (to access, recruitment, location) will be considered when designing any research study and participants should not be included merely because they are easy to access or are vulnerable and less likely to decline participating. Research conducted should have relevance to the population being studied. 

• Research Integrity Training: Researchers must have knowledge/training about how to conduct ethical research, such as that provided here .
• Conflict of Interest: Research should not be conducted with participants who are paying, or have paid, for services to the ADCE from whom the researcher is receiving funds (“dual role research conflict guidelines” - one cannot conduct research with someone who is also paying your wage and/or is vulnerable to care).
• Informed Consent and IRB approval: An informed consent process must be engaged for any persons participating in research that is intended for publication and/or wide dissemination (as opposed to internal quality control processes). Details of the specific informed consent process and a protocol of the study to be undertaken must be submitted to an Institutional Review Board (IRB) or a formally recognized ethics committee to determine that the basic principles of ethical research are maintained. No research should commence without specific approval by an IRB or ethics committee. IRBs are maintained by most universities, hospitals and healthcare systems, and can be accessed by the public at large. 
• Violations of these standards that are brought to the attention of the NEDA board are subject to NEDA Board review regarding consequences, including formal reporting to relevant IRB/ethics committee.

 
Volunteer services

• ADCEs who volunteer services are held to the same standards as those who charge a fee for service