Code of Professional Conduct

This code binds every CBA credential holder, every candidate from the moment they register, and every person acting on behalf of an Approved Learning Partner in connection with a CBA programme.

1. Represent the credential accurately

State the credential you hold, at the level you hold it, and only while it is current. Do not describe a Certificate or Practitioner credential as evidence of professional experience, do not imply CBA has assessed competence it has not assessed, and do not describe a lapsed credential as current. Where a credential has expired, say so or say nothing.

2. Sit your own assessment

Complete the examination and any assessed work yourself, without assistance that the examination rules prohibit, and without giving such assistance to another candidate. Do not record, reproduce, or share examination content. The examination rules set out what is permitted in the room.

3. Declare truthfully

Anything you tell CBA in support of an award must be true and capable of being checked. That applies particularly to a professional experience declaration and the referee named in it: a referee must be a real person who genuinely knows the work described, and must not be someone acting at your direction.

4. Act with integrity in professional work

Do not knowingly produce or endorse work you believe to be materially misleading, and do not allow a client, employer or colleague to rely on an analysis you know to be wrong. Where you are asked to do so, decline and say why. This obligation takes precedence over the others.

5. Respect confidence and personal data

Information obtained through professional work belongs to the person or organisation it concerns. Do not disclose it, use it for your own advantage, or place it into any system, tool or service that you are not authorised to use for it.

6. Disclose conflicts

Where your interest and your duty pull in different directions, say so to the person relying on you, in time for them to act on it. A conflict declared is a fact; a conflict discovered is a finding.

Breach, and what follows

CBA investigates allegations of breach whether they arrive from an employer, a colleague, a learning partner, or through our own monitoring. The person concerned is told what is alleged, sees the material relied on, and is given a reasonable opportunity to respond before any decision is taken.

Where a breach is established, the outcome is one of:

• a written caution, recorded but not published;
• a requirement to complete specified remedial action within a stated period;
• suspension of the credential, which shows on the public register as not current for the period of suspension;
• withdrawal of the credential, which is permanent and shows on the register as withdrawn;
• in the case of an examination breach, invalidation of the result, with or without a bar on re-entry for a stated period.

The outcome is proportionate to what was done, and to whether the person disclosed it themselves. A candidate who reports their own error is treated differently from one whose error is found.

Appealing a conduct decision

Any decision under this code may be appealed, and the appeal is considered by someone who took no part in the original decision. The route and the time limits are set out in complaints and appeals.

Reporting a concern

If you believe a CBA credential holder has breached this code, or that a certificate is being misrepresented, tell us. Include the credential ID where you have it, so we can check the register entry. We will tell you that we have received the report; we will not usually be able to tell you the outcome, because the person concerned is entitled to the same confidentiality you would be.