C2 Professional Standards and Ethics 2 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: A C2-level professional discovers a colleague has been falsifying client progress reports. What is the most ethical course of action?
- Ignore it to avoid workplace conflict
- Report the misconduct to a supervisor or ethics board (Correct answer)
- Confront the colleague publicly
- Help cover it up to protect the team
Correct answer: Report the misconduct to a supervisor or ethics board
Reporting misconduct to the appropriate authority upholds professional integrity and protects clients and the organization.
Question 2: Which principle most directly governs a professional's duty to maintain competence in their field?
- Confidentiality
- Continuing professional development (Correct answer)
- Non-maleficence
- Fidelity
Correct answer: Continuing professional development
Continuing professional development ensures practitioners remain current with evolving standards, techniques, and knowledge.
Question 3: When a professional faces a conflict of interest, the FIRST step is to:
- Proceed normally since bias can be managed internally
- Disclose the conflict to the relevant parties (Correct answer)
- Withdraw from the situation without explanation
- Delegate the work to a subordinate
Correct answer: Disclose the conflict to the relevant parties
Disclosure is the first and most critical step in managing a conflict of interest transparently and ethically.
Question 4: A client shares sensitive personal information during a professional engagement. Under professional ethics, this information:
- May be shared with colleagues if it could help the client
- Must be kept strictly confidential unless there is a legal obligation to disclose (Correct answer)
- Can be used in anonymized case studies without consent
- Belongs to the organization, not the individual
Correct answer: Must be kept strictly confidential unless there is a legal obligation to disclose
Client confidentiality is a cornerstone of professional ethics and may only be breached under specific legal or safety obligations.
Question 5: Which scenario represents a breach of professional boundaries?
- Referring a client to another specialist when your expertise is insufficient
- Accepting a significant personal gift from a client you serve (Correct answer)
- Documenting all client interactions in a secure system
- Setting clear expectations about the scope of services
Correct answer: Accepting a significant personal gift from a client you serve
Accepting significant personal gifts from clients creates a power imbalance and compromises professional objectivity.
Question 6: What does the principle of 'non-maleficence' require of a professional?
- Always act in the client's best financial interest
- Avoid causing harm to clients through actions or negligence (Correct answer)
- Maintain neutrality in all disputes
- Disclose all fees upfront
Correct answer: Avoid causing harm to clients through actions or negligence
Non-maleficence is the ethical obligation to avoid actions that could harm clients, colleagues, or the public.
Question 7: A professional is asked to endorse a product by a vendor who is also their client. This situation primarily raises concerns about:
- Scope of practice
- Conflict of interest (Correct answer)
- Informed consent
- Record keeping
Correct answer: Conflict of interest
Endorsing a client's product creates a conflict of interest that can compromise the professional's objectivity and credibility.
C2 Professional Standards and Ethics 2
A C2-level professional discovers a colleague has been falsifying client progress reports.
What is the most ethical course of action?