Code of Ethical Conduct

Code of Ethical Conduct - All Employees and Volunteers

It shall be the responsibility of UCP employees and volunteers to:

• Acknowledge and respect the value and uniqueness of all individuals.
• Support an atmosphere where the input of persons receiving services and their families is encouraged and respected, and where services are designed around their needs and responsive to their expectations, decisions, and choices.
• Assure their words and actions always demonstrate respect for persons receiving services, their families, fellow co-workers, the board of directors, and the community as a whole.
• Be a person of their word, practicing honesty in all situations and with all people they come in contact with as part of their employment or affiliation with UCP.
• Give no less than their best to assure that people receiving services and their families receive the best services possible within the resources available to UCP.
• Value and support the benefits of teamwork and do their best to be a good member of the team working to assure the success of people who receive services and their families.
• Participate in the opportunities presented to them to learn more about best practice in the area in which they work. Their performance on the job will demonstrate the implementation of those practices.
• Be a person of integrity refraining from doing anything that might bring harm to the reputation of UCP or have the appearance of professional misconduct.
• Maintain the confidentiality of information acquired in the course of their work except when authorized or otherwise legally obligated to disclose. Confidential information acquired in the course their will not be used for personal advantage.
• Be a responsible steward of UCP's resources.
• Recognize that UCP is supported by the community, and that they have an obligation to that community to never knowingly mislead or misinform the public or misrepresent UCP.
• Assure that all community education and marketing activities respect the dignity and privacy rights of those who receive services.
• Support the decisions of management, and that while they may state their position, as an employee of UCP, they will respect and follow the final decision of management.
• Act with honesty and integrity, reporting any actual or apparent conflicts of interest in personal and professional relationships.
• Conform to all applicable laws and legal regulations whose authority the organization operates its programs and conducts business.
• Report known or suspected violations of this Code in accordance with all applicable policies and procedures

Code of Ethical Conduct – Management

It shall be the responsibility of all management staff to:

• Ensure fair, unbiased hiring and promotion procedures
• Show respect for all employees and volunteers
• Honor the privacy of all employees
• Encourage employee development by providing a comprehensive agency orientation program and on-going, job specific training opportunities
• Regularly solicit and respect the opinions of all staff
• Evaluate employees on a fair and consistent basis in a timely manner
• Provide a working environment that is free from drugs, smoke, sexual harassment, and discrimination
• Set a high standard for professionalism for all staff.

Code of Ethical Conduct - Financial Practices

It shall be the responsibility its financial managers to:

• Assure all UCP financial practices and operations are handled in accordance with the applicable federal, state, and local laws, and are based on sound financial planning and prudent management.
• Assure all financial matters that fall within the parameters of the agency's bylaws and financial management policies comply with those bylaws and policies.
• Honor the terms of donations with restrictions or stipulations
• Spend donations wisely, efficiently and objectively
• Respect and fulfill the terms of financial contracts in which UCP enters with its funders.
• Strive to maintain a balanced budget and keep expenses within the boundaries of the board approved annual budget
• Account for UCP's financial status in monthly reports to staff, board of directors, and its funders as required or requested.
• Maintain internal fiscal controls that assure honesty
• Provide donors and funders with information that is accurate, complete, objective, entrusted to them

Code of Ethical Conduct - Board of Directors

UCP recognizes the importance of the board of director's role in providing effective leadership and stability for the organization so that it can achieve its stated mission and vision. Therefore it shall be the responsibility of UCP Board of Directors to:

• See that UCP is operated in a manner that upholds the agency's integrity, adheres to its bylaws, and merits the trust and support of the public.
• Familiarize them with the business of UCP and commit the time necessary to actively participate in regular and special meetings of the Board and Board Committees on which they agree to serve.
• Conform to all applicable laws and legal regulations whose authority the organization operates its programs and conducts business.
• Treat others with respect.
• Maintain the confidentiality of information acquired in the course of their work as board member except when authorized or otherwise legally obligated to disclose. Confidential information acquired in the course of their affiliation with UCP will not be used for personal advantage.
• Be a responsible steward of UCP's resources.
• Conform to all applicable laws and legal regulations whose authority the organization operates its programs and conducts business.
• Act with honesty and integrity, reporting any actual or apparent conflicts of interest in personal and professional relationships.
• Carefully consider the public perception of their personal and professional actions, and the effect their actions could have, positively or negatively, on UCP's reputation in their community and elsewhere.
• Strive for personal and professional growth to improve their effectiveness as a UCP Board member.
• Refrain from unwarranted intrusion into the responsibilities of UCP's operational management.

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