PDS Conflict of Interest Policy

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Because of some of the unique differences between the roles of the previous Council Representative and the current PD Specialist, the Council needed to revise our Conflict of Interest policy to create a solution that both supports the validity of the credentialing process and provides flexibility to the many, varied training scenarios that are enacted across the country. With these two goals in mind, the Council places the following restrictions on who
may serve as a CDA Professional Development Specialist:

Relationships with Candidates that are unacceptable for serving in the PD Specialist role:

 

  • Immediate relative (mother, father, sibling, spouse, son, daughter)
  • Current direct supervisor
  • Co-worker in same group/classroom

Any PD Specialist in any of the three relationships listed above may not, under any circumstances, serve as a PD Specialist for that Candidate. However, there are many other types of relationships which will require both the Candidate and prospective PD Specialist to carefully consider any potential conflict of interest. Some examples of these relationships are listed below.

Relationships that bear ethical consideration by both Candidate and PD Specialist:

 

  • Indirect supervisory role
  • Trainer, either indirect or direct
  • Any person or representative of an organization that has financial/contractual considerations related to the Candidate or may benefit in any way from a credentialing outcome
  • Employer
  • Co-employee in the same facility, not in the same group/classroom
  • Peer/friend
  • Any person who may have a personal or professional bias toward or against a specific Candidate or group of Candidates
  • Licensing agent

The Council will not exclude any person with a relationship that may fall in one or more of the categories in the “ethical considerations” list, above, from applying, but reserves the right to enact further inquiries and end the service of a PD Specialist and/or application of a Candidate at any time should a question of conflict arise. Please note that every PD Specialist and Candidate will be asked to sign a Statement of Ethics.