Governance

To provide a professional, caring and positive focus to further the growth and wellbeing of Chiron Healing® and in so doing provide support and guidance for students, practitioners and teachers within the Chiron Healing® community.

IACHI has undertaken the task of providing a Code of Ethics for Chiron Healing® Professional Practitioners and Students. All IACHI members must agree to comply with the Code. The Code lays down principles of ethical behavior, applicable to all members including those who may not be engaged directly in practice. It also includes recommendations for ethical practice.

The Code of Ethics was revised and approved in June 2018

All Chiron Healing® practitioners and students, including those who may not be engaged directly in clinical practice, will acknowledge and accept the following Principles of Ethical Behaviour:

1. Consider the health and wellbeing of the patient to be your first priority.
2. Respect the rights, autonomy and freedom of choice of the patient.
3. Avoid exploiting the patient in any manner.
4. Practise the art of Chiron Healing® to the best of your ability with moral integrity, compassion and respect for human dignity.
5. Protect the patient’s private information throughout his/her lifetime, and following death, unless there are overriding considerations in terms of patient safety or according to law.
6. Strive to improve your knowledge and skills so that the best possible Chiron treatment can be offered to the patient.
7. Honour Chiron Healing®, adhering to its values and its principles in the ways that best serve the interests of patients.
8. Recognise your own limitations and acknowledge the special skills of others in the diagnosis, prevention and treatment of disease.
9. Accept a responsibility to assist in the protection and improvement of the health of the community.
10. Accept a responsibility for maintaining and improving the standards of Chiron Healing®.

1. A member must conduct her/himself in his professional role in accordance with this code as approved by the Committee.
2. All services and functions practised by a member must be provided in accordance with this code.
3. It should be the aim of every member to establish and maintain high standards of behaviour and responsibility in both professional and public life and to endeavour in every way to render satisfactory service to their clients.
4. A member must maintain his/her knowledge and practice at an acceptable level of competence. Every member should consider it his/her duty to increase his/her knowledge and efficiency by keeping up to date with the latest information and developments in Chiron Healing® and adopting current techniques and methods of proven worth.
5. A member must only perform those techniques and procedures that are within his/her competency and for which the appropriate qualification is held, and refer those clients whose needs or requests are outside his/her competency.
6. A member’s ordinary place of practice must provide privacy and confidentiality for his/her clients and their records.
7. A member must not exploit his/her relationship with a client in any way. In particular there must not be a sexual relationship with a client during the professional relationship.
8. The integrity of the practice of Chiron Healing® must be preserved at all times. A member is expected to behave in a manner which enhances the status of Chiron Healing® and promotes public confidence. A member must refrain from criticising a colleague in public or in a clinical setting in a manner which casts doubt on the colleague’s competence.
9. A member must not, unless required by law, divulge information about a client unless the client specifically authorises the release in writing.
10. A member must adequately inform his/her clients of any possible reactions regarding a particular procedure, and the client’s informed consent should be obtained.
11. A member must respect the ethical, religious and political beliefs of his/her clients and provide his/her skill and knowledge to serve his/her fellow man and to alleviate human suffering irrespective of colour, race, or creed.
12. A member must not provide his/her professional services to a client whilst his/her ability to do so is impaired by the influence of alcohol or drugs.
13. A member must not refuse his/her services to any person, after adequate enquiry, solely because of immediate inability to pay the fee.
14. A member must not give any specific guarantee regarding results from Chiron Healing®, but an indication of benefit where some can be confidently expected is acceptable.
15. A member must use Chiron Healing® skills in the most altruistic manner, never using his/her abilities to manipulate clients, or place undue pressure or influence upon a client’s course of action. Such activity is regarded as a misuse of energy, and contrary to this code.
16. When there is evidence of a problem or condition with which the member is not competent or confident to deal, or if the client requests a second opinion, the member should refer the patient to another appropriate practitioner. The attending practitioner should make available any relevant information and clearly indicate whether the consulting practitioner should assume continuing care of the patient. If continuing care of the patient has not been clearly indicated, the consulting practitioner should carry out the appropriate procedures, and as soon as possible, refer the patient back to the attending practitioner for any further Chiron Healing®.
17. A member must be of good character and have good standing within the community. Any person who has committed a criminal offence, or who has a criminal record anywhere in the world is ineligible for professional membership of this Association. Any incident of this nature must be disclosed at the time of membership application.
18. A member must observe and comply with all laws and regulations of the State, Territory, Province or Country in which they provide Chiron Healing® services, and should co-operate with the pertinent activities and policies of the authorities legally empowered to regulate the practice of Chiron Healing® provided such regulation is not contrary to natural justice, public interest or the equitable principles of law.

1. A member shall not teach Chiron Healing® principles, philosophies or techniques to any   person nor conduct a course of instruction pertaining to Chiron Healing® without first having obtained Teacher status as set out in the current Teacher’s Handbook, or without prior approval by the Association as an acting temporary Teacher. The member shall confine him/herself to teaching only those principles, philosophies and techniques for which he/she has obtained the relevant qualification from the Association.
2. A member must respect the rights of privacy of individuals participating as subjects in classroom or training sessions, and must inform students witnessing case demonstrations that they must preserve the anonymity and privacy of the client.
3. Members must not approve the use by inadequately trained persons of techniques requiring higher levels of competence except when they are under the direct supervision of an appropriately qualified Chiron Healing® Practitioner.

Records

• All members who are Chiron Healing® Practitioners should maintain high standards in recording new cases and the progress of patients while in their care. Techniques and progress should be recorded, including the following:
  • Date of each visit
  • Techniques used
  • Beneficial changes or any apparent adverse changes
  • Any advice given
  • On conclusion of case, results and comments
• All records should be retained for a minimum of seven (7) years following the last visit of the client, except in the case of a child (i.e. under 18 years of age) where records must be kept for seven (7) years after the child turns 21 years of age.

Informed Consent

Informed consent must be obtained in writing before accepting a client and proceeding with any Chiron Healing® treatment.  For any client under the age of 18 years, a parent or guardian’s permission must be obtained in writing before beginning any treatment.

Advertising

1. Any advertising (in relation to the practice of Chiron Healing®) must not be false, misleading, deceptive, designed to mislead or deceive, or likely to bring Chiron Healing® into disrepute.
2. A member must not claim either directly or indirectly, in any advertisement that he/she is a specialist, or an expert, or a leader, or a consultant, without the written endorsement of the Committee.
3. An advertisement may be considered false or misleading if it contains any claim that Chiron Healing® or the member treats, or can cure, any disease.
4. An advertisement can be considered to bring Chiron Healing® into disrepute if it is disparaging of any other professional or profession, offers any prize, reward or inducement, contains material of a sexual, obscene or irreligious nature, is undignified, in bad taste or otherwise offensive or likely to harm the standing of Chiron Healing®.
5. Canvassing or soliciting or any activity that hinders or prevents any citizen from going about their business in a public place may be deemed unprofessional and, therefore, should not be carried out without the prior approval of the Committee.
6. The Association does not support any literature or pamphlets that have not been endorsed by the Committee.
7. Advertising on electronic media: television, radio, video, cinema, internet, should comply with the above Regulations.

Publishing

1. A member shall not publish as his/her own work that which is not essentially his/her own or take credit for work that is not his/her own.
2. A member must not try to prevent the publication of a critical review of his/her work.
3. A member must not endorse favorably for personal or financial gain a work that he/she knows to be inadequate or harmful.
4. Confidential material about clients or subjects, which might lead to their identification, must not be published without their permission.

INTERNATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF CHIRON HEALERS INC. (IACHI)
WORKING WITH CHILDREN POLICY

INTRODUCTION
1. IACHI provides an open, welcoming and safe environment for everyone participating in its activities, including activities involving children.

2. All IACHI professional members (i.e. qualified Teachers and Practitioners) operate as independent business entities.

3. The onus is on each IACHI professional members (i.e. qualified Teachers and
Practitioners) to develop their own “Working with Children” (WWC) policy which should include a code of conduct and documented procedures. This is not an IACHI responsibility. Guidelines to assist Practitioners to write their own WWC policy appear in the IACHI Student Logbook. Guidelines to assist Teachers to write their own WWC policy appear in the IACHI Teacher’s Handbook. Guidelines are also available on the IACHI website – www.iachi.com > IACHI tab > About IACHI.

4. Activities which may involve children and young people are:
a) "Chiron for Kids" courses - conducted from time to time by IACHI accredited
Teachers, where children between the ages of 5 and 12 may attend to learn
basic techniques of Chiron Healing®. Courses usually run over a 3 hour period
and the parent or guardian of the child is welcome to remain at the venue and
observe.
b) IACHI accredited Teachers also welcome those aged between 12 and 18 to
attend regular Chiron Healing® courses usually conducted over a two-day
weekend, providing they obtain written consent from their parent or legal
guardian.
c) IACHI accredited Practitioners welcome children and young people as clients
for Chiron Healing® appointments, providing they obtain written consent from their parent or legal guardian.

5. It is an IACHI requirement that all Professional members uphold the IACHI WWC policy.

6. IACHI highly recommends 'Working with Children Checks' for all those involved in child-related activities. The law removes the element of supervision from the definition of child-related work. WWC Checks are required whether contact with children is supervised or not.

POSITION STATEMENT
7. IACHI provides a safe and friendly environment for all who participate in our
activities, including children and young people, so they may enjoy a positive
experience. It supports and respects children, young people, staff, volunteers and students in their respective roles. IACHI will not tolerate any form of child abuse or inappropriate behaviour involving children under any circumstances, and will take IACHI Working With Children Policy & Procedures disciplinary action against anyone who breaches this policy. In addition, any behaviour which may be construed as abuse – sexual or otherwise - will be immediately reported to the relevant law enforcement agency.

POLICY
8. IACHI has adopted this policy to reflect its commitment to treat all children with respect and honesty, and to ensure a child-safe and child-friendly environment in any activity involving children. It provides guidelines on how to behave with children involved in Association members’ activities and focuses on how to make it safer for them.

9. This policy applies to all IACHI members, as well as any staff, students, contractors, service providers, volunteers and helpers involved with any IACHI event or course. It applies at all locations, whether in Australia or overseas, where children and young people are involved.

10. Guidelines for appropriate behaviour when working with children are set out in the “Code of Conduct for Working with Children”, which forms part of this Policy.

11. The Association recommends a consistent screening and selection process for Teachers instructing any minor under 18 years of age, and for Practitioners accepting any patient under 18 years of age, through the following:
 interviews;
 references;
 statutory declarations; and
 Working with Children Checks

12. All Practitioners and Teachers may view a copy of this “IACHI Working with Children” policy including the “Code of Conduct for Working with Children” on the official IACHI website at www.iachi.com > IACHI tab > About IACHI.
13. Only appropriately qualified and accredited IACHI Chiron Healing® Teachers are permitted to conduct "Chiron for Kids" courses. All IACHI Teachers operate as independent business entities and the onus is on the individual Teacher to ensure children are safe and secure during attendance at their courses. Teachers should have adequate Professional Indemnity insurance cover which indemnifies IACHI for any incident.

14. IACHI Teachers are responsible for the conduct of volunteers and helpers at their courses. Teachers will ensure that volunteers and helpers receive a copy of the IACHI 'Working with Children policy and Code of Conduct for Working with Children' documents prior to commencement of the course.

15. Only appropriately qualified and accredited IACHI Chiron Healing® Practitioners are permitted to accept members of the public as patients, including minors under 18 years of age, providing parental or legal guardian permission is obtained in writing. All IACHI Practitioners operate as independent business entities and the onus is on the individual Practitioner to ensure children are safe and secure during visits to their premises. Practitioners should have adequate Professional Indemnity insurance cover
which indemnifies IACHI for any incident.

16. IACHI Practitioners are responsible for the conduct of staff, volunteers and helpers at their premises. Practitioners will ensure that staff, volunteers and helpers receive a copy of the IACHI Working with Children policy and Code of Conduct for Working with Children documents prior to commencement of their duties.

17. IACHI will ensure that regular communication and information sharing on this topic is available for Teachers, Practitioners and students. This may be achieved by face-to-face meetings, by e-mail, or via the official IACHI newsletter or website.

CODE OF CONDUCT
18. IACHI has adopted the Code of Conduct of the NSW Commission for Children and Young People. A copy is attached as Appendix 2 of this policy.

KINSHIP CARE
19. Under Australian law, a kinship carer is a person who is engaged in child-related work, and may be a family member or other person of significance to a child, or the child is or has been placed in the out-of-home care of that person under the “Children, Youth and Families Act 2005".
(i) All kinship carers are required to obtain a WWC Check.
(ii) All new kinship carers will be required to obtain a WWC Check within 21 days of becoming a carer.
(iii) Existing kinship carers will have three months from May 1, 2017, to apply for a WWC check.
(iv) All applications for new and existing kinship carers is free of charge.

DEALING WITH COMPLAINTS
20. Complaints
(i) Inappropriate behaviour around children and young people should be
reported immediately to the IACHI Secretary, as should any concerns about
the safety or welfare of a child or young person.
(ii) If a complaint arises it will be dealt with honestly and fairly.

21. All complaints should be reported whether contact has been face to face; or contact by post or other written communication; or contact by telephone or other oral communication; or contact by email or electronic communication.

Complaints may include:
(i) Disclosure of abuse
(ii) Inappropriate behaviour around children and young people
(iii) Suspicion of abuse or harm to a child or young person

22. A “Child Safety Contact Person” may be appointed by the IACHI Committee to manage complaints. By default, the IACHI Secretary is the Child Safety Contact Person unless another committee member is specifically appointed. Duties of the Child Safety Contact Person may be found attached as Appendix 3 of this policy.
(i) All complaints must be reported to the Child Safety Contact Person:
The IACHI Secretary by email: secretary@iachi.com

(ii) Any child or young person, or any member, student, volunteer or helper can make a complaint, or raise a concern, directly with the Child Safety Contact
Person.
(iii) The Child Safety Contact Person will take the following action:
a) Listen to the person making the complaint and make a record of the
complaint using the "Complaint Record Form", attached as Appendix 1
of this document.
b) Make a report to the appropriate authority in the case of an allegation
of child abuse. Inform all parties involved in the complaint that it is a
legal requirement to report any allegation of child abuse to the
relevant authorities.
c) If the complaint involves inappropriate behaviour and a breach of the
Code of Conduct, the IACHI Committee will take action in accordance
with its internal discipline procedure (Clause 27).

23. Reporting Obligations
(i) Any person who has reasonable grounds to believe that a child or young
person is at risk of harm may report to the following authorities in each state
of Australia:
 Australian Capital Territory
Centralised Intake Service
Mandated Reporters: 1300 556 728
General Public: 1300 556 729
Crisis Service: 1300 556 729

 New South Wales
24 hours: 132 111

 Northern Territory
24 hours: 1800 700 250

 Queensland
Departmental Head Office: (07) 3224 8045
Crisis Care: (07) 3235 9999
Rural areas: 1800 177 135

 South Australia
After hours: 131 611
Business hours: 131 478

 Tasmania
24 hours: 1800 688 009

 Victoria
Child Protection Crisis Service: 131 278 (24 hours)

 Western Australia
Departmental Head Office: (08) 9222 2555
After hours: (08) 9223 1111

In overseas countries, any incident should be reported to the relevant local
authority.

(ii) Mandatory Reporting
In Australia, some people must report if they have reasonable grounds to
suspect a child is at risk of harm. They are legally 'mandatory reporters', and
must report concerns about risk of harm to children and young people to the
appropriate authority in their state. A person who is paid to provide the
following services, and a person who is in a management position (paid or
unpaid) in these services are mandatory reporters:
 Health care (e.g. doctors, nurses, etc.)
 Education (e.g. teachers)
 Children's services (e.g. child care centres)
 Residential services (e.g. refuges)
 Law enforcement (e.g. police).
Under this policy, IACHI Practitioners and Teachers are considered
mandatory reporters.

24. Children and complaints
Children are vulnerable and any complaints they make must be listened to carefully. They may not use adult "complaint" language, so people who work with children must be alert to their way of communicating.

25. Confidentiality
Confidentiality is essential to a fair and effective reporting process. All complaints are to be handled according to the procedures set out in this policy, and information will only be given to relevant people and authorities involved in the complaints procedures. The IACHI Privacy Policy, and the IACHI Guidelines for Management of Personal Information must be adhered to at all times.

26. Record keeping
(i) A "Complaints Record Form" must be completed in every case of alleged
inappropriate behaviour involving a child or young person. In addition, a brief
record in the Complaints File noting the incident and the action taken is an
adequate record if informal measures have been used to successfully resolve a
situation.
(ii) If formal investigation is necessary, information collected will be highly
sensitive and will necessarily involve allegations against a particular individual.
Documentation is likely to be substantial and will include statements provided
by the parties, records of interview with the Child Safety Contact Person,
personal notes and reports. Records of interview should contain as much
relevant, factual information as possible - times, dates, details of specific
incidents and frequency of occurrences.
(iii) All documentation relating to an investigation must be kept in a sealed
confidential file which can be accessed only with the authority of the IACHI
President. Under Privacy legislation, the "primary purpose" for which the
information was collected, in this case to deal with a complaint, will continue
to limit the use of that information.
(iv) Once a case is finalised, records will be retained for a period of seven (7)
years. If a complaint is subsequently lodged with an External Agency it will
request records as part of its investigation into the allegations. Records
relating to the complaint will demonstrate that steps were taken to deal with
the matter. Evidence of any internal action that was taken may assist in
reducing liability.
(v) If a complaint against a member is found to be substantiated, a summary of
the complaint, the finding and the action taken is recorded in their personnel
file. IACHI will keep this information ion file indefinitely.
(vi) It is inappropriate to keep potentially damaging records containing
unsubstantiated claims against an individual.

27. Internal discipline procedures
(i) It is expected that most complaints can be resolved through informal
discussions/mediation and/or conciliation. The welfare of the child must be
paramount in any resolution.
(ii) If a complaint is found to be substantiated, it is the responsibility of the IACHI Committee to determine what disciplinary action should be taken.
(iii) Possible action can include (but is not restricted to) any, or a combination of any, of the following:
 counselling;
 official warnings noted on the respondent’s personal file;
 formal apology by the respondent;
 any mutually acceptable resolution arising out of the informal resolution
process;
 removal from the IACHI Member's Register;
 expulsion from the Association;
 report to an appropriate Child Protection Authority;
 report to a Law Enforcement agency.
 report to the appropriate regulatory body in your region/ state.

28. Closure of complaint
(i) The IACHI Committee will ensure adequate support is provided for any child or young person, and/or their parent or guardian, who is the subject of alleged
inappropriate behaviour. Advice on appropriate support for the specific incident will be sought from the relevant Child Protection Authority.
(ii) Once a substantiated complaint has been resolved to the satisfaction of all
parties, the person who has committed the inappropriate behaviour will be
monitored for a period of time, to be decided upon by the Committee, to
ensure there is no recurrence of the behaviour with the same or another child
or young person.
(iii) The situation will be followed up with the child or young person (and their
parent or guardian) after a period of time, to be determined by the
Committee, to ensure there has been no long-term ill-effects following the
incident, and that there has been no repeat of the inappropriate behaviour.
Advice will be sought from the relevant Child Protection Authority as to the
frequency and duration of follow up checks.

REVIEW
29. A review of this policy will be undertaken every two years, or at another time interval, to be decided by the IACHI Committee, incorporating comments and suggestions from children and young people, parents, teachers, students, volunteers and helpers.

APPENDIX 1

COMPLAINT RECORD FORM
This form should be used to record a suspicion, allegation or disclosure of child abuse or a complaint of inappropriate behaviour.

1. Your name and position: __________________________________________________
2. Name of child or young person involved: ________________________________
3. Name of person making the complaint: __________________________________
4. Name of person who the complaint is made against: ____________________
5. Nature of the complaint - include times, date, location and what happened (this can include
observations of the child's behaviour)
_____________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________
6. Details of any injuries and if the child received medical attention:
_____________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________
7. Accurately record what the child said when describing what happened:
_____________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________
8. Details of anyone who saw what happened:
_____________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________
9. Does this complaint indicate the possibility of child abuse, i.e. physical abuse, sexual abuse, or neglect?
YES □ NO □
____________________________________________________________________________
10. If yes, provide details of your report to the appropriate Child Protection authority in your state:
Person spoken to: ______________________________________ Date: ___________
11. If complaint of inappropriate behaviour, details of internal discipline process followed:
(Make note of any/all support/counselling that was offered to the person against whom the complaint was
made.)
___________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________
12. Any follow up required? YES □ NO □
___________________________________________________________________________
13. If yes, provide details:
___________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________
Date: ____________________________________________
Signed: __________________________________________
Print name: ______________________________________

APPENDIX 2

CODE OF CONDUCT for WORKING WITH CHILDREN
Do:
 Treat everyone with respect and honesty
 Remember to be a positive role model to children in all your conduct with them
 Set clear boundaries about appropriate behaviour between yourself and the children in your course or activity - boundaries help everyone to carry out their roles well
 Follow the Association's policy and guidelines for the safety of children as outlined in the IACHI Working with Children Policy.
 Record and act on serious complaints of abuse.
Do not:
 Develop any "special" relationships with children that could be seen as favoritism such as the offering of gifts or special treatment
 Assist with things of a personal nature that a child can do for themselves, such as going to the toilet or changing clothes.

APPENDIX 3
IACHI Working With Children Policy & Procedures
1. Be Fair:
Show support to the person raising the concern or complaint but avoid 'taking
sides'. Listen and record the complaint for action through the complaints process.

2. Support Children:
Children will be frightened in this situation. Make sure you listen carefully to the child, treat them with respect, take them seriously and provide them with support and comfort.

3. Keep Confidences:
Only people involved in the complaints procedures should know about the
complaint. You cannot promise to keep complaints/disclosures secret, but you can promise that only those who need to take action will be informed. To a child, you can explain that sometimes a secret cannot be kept if it means someone like them will be hurt.

4. Questions:
Where serious allegations have been made avoid asking too many questions.
Listen to the complainant's story and take notes. It's not your role to investigate the complaint - leave that to the professionals! (There have been times where cases have been weakened due to inappropriate questioning.)

5. Explain the Process:
You should explain what will happen next. Let the complainant know exactly who will be told about the matter (e.g. a Review Panel, the relevant government authority if appropriate, parents, etc.).

6. Investigate:
Matters that don't require reporting to the authorities will still need to be
investigated by the Association. You need to ask both parties what happened and then determine what action should be taken. Appropriate action could include changes in work arrangements, explanations, apologies and improved systems for the whole Association.

7. Keeping Children Connected:
Ask the child or young person what suggestions they may have that the
Association could implement to keep them feeling safe and welcome.