Ethical Principles and Rules

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ETHICAL PRICIPLES AND RULES OF CONDUCT IN
INTERCOUNTRY ADOPTION MEDIATION

(approved at the ANIDO Association Board of Directors meeting on 7th November 2014)

SUBJECT:
The Ethical principles and rules of conduct in intercountry adoption mediation outline the standards of ethical conduct of the employees of ANIDO Association – an accredited intercountry mediation agency.

GOALS:
1. To outline the core values and principles that the employees of ANIDO Association have to be aware of and adhere to in their activity;
2. To endorse the will and aspiration of the employees of ANIDO Association for ethical practice;
3. To support the employees of ANIDO Association in resolving ethical dilemmas they face in their practice;
4. To outline the ethical responsibilities of the employees of ANIDO Association towards: the children, the clients of ANIDO, the public and governmental bodies and institutions as well as towards Bulgarian and foreign partners.

CORE PRICIPLES:
In performing their duties the employees of ANIDO Association are led by the following core values and principles:
Art.1. Childhood is an extremely important period in the life of every human being;
Art.2. The family is the most natural environment for a child's development;
Art.3. Every child is unique and valuable;
Art.4. Every child is entitled to the right of:
- freedom to express her/his opinion;
- freedom of thought, conscience and religion;
- having their own views and the freedom to express them.
Art.5. Every child has the right to protection against methods of upbringing that infringe on her/his dignity; physical; mental or other forms of abuse or influence;
Art.6. Every child has the right to protection promoting her/his normal physical, mental, moral and social development;
Art.7. Every child and every family deserve to receive support so as to develop their full potential;
Art.8. The best interest of the child shall be protected ьt all times;
Art.9. Every child at risk needs special protection in precarious situations;
Art.10. Special protection shall be provided to gifted children;
Art.11. The employees of ANIDO Association have to possess the necessary personal, moral and social qualities.

ETHICAL RESPONSIBILITIES TO THE CHILDREN
Art.12. To take up as a basis for our practice the contemporary science about the development of the child and the knowledge of the individual peculiarities of every child;
Art.13. To understand and respect the uniqueness of every child;
Art.14. To take into consideration the specific vulnerability of every child;
Art.15. To create a safe and healthy environment able to stimulate the social, emotional and physical development of the child;
Art.16. To uphold the right of every child to freedom of expression of her/his opinion on all issues related with the child's best interest;
Art.17. To work for the best interest of the child;
Art.18. To ensure that the children with disabilities have equal opportunities for access to adequate care and education;
Art.19. To avoid practices that do not respect the child's dignity or are dangerous or detrimental to the physical and emotional health of the child or her/his development. To prevent all kinds of (direct or indirect) payments or other types of compensations directed towards the child or other person or organization related with the child that might be considered as inadmissible payment for unallowable or prohibited activity.;
Art.20. To avoid practices that are discriminative to children on the basis of their race, ethnic origin, religion, gender, nationality, language, abilities or on the basis of their parents' status, behavior or beliefs;
Art.21. To be aware of the symptoms of child abuse – physical, sexual, verbal, emotional abuse or child neglect. To be aware of and to observe the child protection laws and procedures;
Art.22. In case of suspicion that a child has been abused to inform the child protection services and to ensure that the necessary measures be taken;
Art.23. In case a third party expresses suspicion that a child has been abused, to provide full cooperation so that the right child protection measures be taken;
Art.24. In case we become aware of actions or situations that put a child's health or safety at risk, we do undertake the ethical and legal responsibility to inform the child protections services.

ETHICAL RESPONSIBILITIES TO THE CLIENTS OF THE ASSOCIATION
Art..25. It is our paramount responsibility to support the clients of ANIDO Association in their first contact with the child/children referred to them for adoption;
Art.26. To respect the dignity of every client of ANIDO Association, their culture, customs, language and beliefs;
Art.27. To respect the values cherished by every client of ANIDO Association in terms of raising and bringing up their adopted children and the client's right to take decisions in this respect;
Art.28. To inform every client of ANIDO Association about the health status and development of the child throughout the entire process and until the end of the adoption procedure;
Art. 29. To respect the right of every client of ANIDO Association to be informed about our manner of working;
Art.30. The ANIDO Association employees shall not take advantage of the relationships with the clients with the purpose of personal gain. We shall not develop relationships with the clients of ANIDO Association that could influence negatively the effectiveness of our work;
Art.31. To ensure confidentiality of the information and to respect the right of every client of ANIDO Association to private life with the exception of cases of child abuse or neglect. This rule does not apply in cases when there is good reason to suspect that the child's wellbeing is at risk;
Art.32. In cases of conflict in the adoptive applicants' family, we shall take open actions in order to assist all parties involved in taking an informed decision while at the same time shall strictly abstain from taking a side in the conflict.

ETHICAL RESPONSIBILITIES TO THE BULGARIAN AND FOREIGN PARTNERS OF THE ASSOCIATION
Art.33. To develop and maintain relations based on respect, trust, cooperation and solidarity;
Art.34. To exchange information and share resources in relation with the wellbeing and protection of the children at risk;
Art.35. To work for the strengthening of the prestige of our Association and of our partners and to abstain from actions that could lower the reputation of the accredited adoption mediation agencies as well as to be intollerant to such actions.

ETHICAL RESPONSIBILITIES TO THE PUBLIC AND GOVERNMENTAL BODIES AND INSITUTIONS
Art.36. To provide high-quality programs and services. We shall not offer services for the provision of which we do not possess the necessary expertise, qualification or resources and legal capacity;
Art.37. To work for the development of a safe social environment in which the child can receive adequate health care, nutrition, shelter, upbringing and to live a life free of abuse;
Art.38. To work for the improvement of the collaboration with the public and governmental bodies and institutions that have a responsibility for the wellbeing of the children; for the protection of the rights of the children at risk and for the reintegration of disadvantaged children;
Art.39. To work for the awareness of the public with respect to the rights of the children at risk as well as for higher public sensitivity to cases when these rights are violated;
Art.40. To work in support of the laws and policies that are beneficial with respect to the wellbeing of the disadvantaged children and to oppose the ones that violate their rights.

WE COMMIT TO THE FOLLOWING:
1. The goal of our activity shall not be to make profit;
2. We shall work to achieve the best interest of the child while observing the child's rights;
3. We shall be managed by people that have the proper training and experience in the area of adoption and possess the necessary moral integrity;
4. To maintain high standard of professional conduct by enhancing our knowledge and skills on an ongoing basis;
5. To work in a multi-disciplinary team;
6. To adhere to the ethical principles outlined in this code of ethics.