Promoting Ethical Discussions and Decision Making in a Human Services Agency: Updates to LeBlanc et al.’s (2020) Ethics Network
An anonymous online ethics tip line gives BCBAs real-time data on supervision and dignity issues without extra meetings.
01Research in Context
What this study did
Valentino and coworkers refreshed an agency Ethics Network. They rewrote the hotline form to match the 2022 BACB code. Staff could now file anonymous ethics tips online. The team then tracked every submission for seven months. They listed the top complaint themes in a case-study report.
What they found
The new form made reporting easier. Staff sent in 18 separate issues. Most reports were about supervision quality and client dignity. No names were attached, so people felt safe speaking up. The agency could now spot repeat problems fast.
How this fits with other research
This update builds on LeBlanc et al. (2016). That paper urged agencies to build clear supervision paths. Valentino adds a live reporting tool to catch slips early.
Colombo et al. (2020) gave a crisis-era triage model. The new hotline folds that same decision logic into day-to-day work.
Marshall et al. (2023) found some BCBAs still pick non-ABA treatments. The anonymous tips echo that worry and give leaders a way to track it.
McComas et al. (2025) push anti-ableist practice. The hotline data can flag language or goals that hurt autistic clients, linking the two papers.
Why it matters
You now have a free recipe. Add an online ethics form to your website. Link it to the 2022 code. Check entries each month. You will see patterns before they grow. Share themes in staff meetings and fix them like any other behavior. It keeps your team honest, your clients safe, and your paperwork light.
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02At a glance
03Original abstract
Ethical behavior is operant behavior, evoked and maintained by environmental variables; as such, it can be taught. Behavior analysts have focused on effective ways to teach and establish ethical behavior in both individual practitioners and within organizations. Teaching people to notice ethical issues in their environment is an important first step in promoting ethical discussions and decision making. In 2022, the Behavior Analyst Certification Board (BACB) issued two revised ethics codes—one for behavior analysts and one for registered behavior technicians (RBTs). In the current article, we expand upon the work of LeBlanc et al. Behavior Analysis in Practice, 13(4), 905–913, (2020) by updating an Ethics Network and hotline submission form within a human service agency to reflect both new codes of ethics. We provide data for the first 7 months of the updated system and analyze the data for common themes. We detail the updates to our system for readers wishing to create similar infrastructure in other organizations. The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s40617-023-00785-1.
Behavior Analysis in Practice, 2025 · doi:10.1007/s40617-023-00785-1