Professional Conduct and Ethics
The Professional Conduct and Ethics domain tests integrity under pressure: whether you apply the same standard to everyone, protect information, declare conflicts, and refuse improper requests. The exam looks for reasoned refusal and escalation, not dramatic gestures.
Core duties
- Work within your competence and authority; refer out when a task exceeds either.
- Apply procedures consistently. Status, seniority, nationality, appearance, or personal relationship is not a lawful reason to vary a check.
- Declare conflicts of interest as soon as you recognise them, including financial interests and personal relationships.
- Protect confidentiality: collect only what is needed, share only with authorised people, and secure records and images.
- Use authority proportionately, with dignity and no unnecessary intrusion.
- Report misconduct through the proper channel and do not retaliate.
Worked example
A colleague asks you to skip a check for a VIP to avoid delay. The procedure applies regardless of status, and skipping creates a safety or security risk while concealing it. Refuse, offer any lawful expedited process that still includes the required check, and document the request and your response. If a supervisor directs the skip, escalate through the reporting line and record the direction.
Traps
- Accepting gifts or hospitality that could influence decisions.
- Sharing screening images or stories on social media.
- 'Just this once' exceptions that become practice.
- Using position for personal benefit.
- Failing to declare a conflict.
- Overriding procedure to please someone senior.
- Treating a complaint as disloyalty.