Dear NOMC, The NBPCB has been fervently working during the past several months to securely ensure that our Procedures and Code of Conduct transparently reflect the expectations and standards of behavior that the Board demands from all of its certificants. Because of this, we wanted to reach out and give you an update on all the changes we have made, and we invite any questions you may have for us. Our goal is for all of us, working together, to provide the most beneficial training and protection for our consumers in the safest and most engaging environment possible. Our Board has adopted a new Code of Conduct for all of our Structured Discovery (SD) professionals. The new code went into effect in April of this year, and everyone, even if they have not already signed, is obligated (by virtue of holding one of our SD certifications) to abide by this new code. Our 2021 code is based on many of the tenants of our previous code, that of CRC, and the American Counseling Association. We also sought feedback from both the professionals and centers we certify. In addition to the actual Code of Conduct, we have also revised our grievance process and reporting mechanisms. All of these documents have been thoroughly reviewed by legal counsel and can be found in their entirety on our website, http://www.nbpcb.org <http://www.nbpcb.org/> . We encourage each of you to familiarize yourself with these documents and to reach out to us if you have questions or just want a little more clarification. We would like to point out one very important change that we feel will help us ensure that we are in a much better position to obtain information regarding possible infractions to our code. SD professionals who hold certification from NBPCB must now allow us to speak to both present and former employers; colleagues; current or former consumers; schools, colleges, or institutions of higher education; vocational rehabilitation agencies; groups; programs; volunteer organizations; and membership organizations regarding relevant details necessary to investigate possible violations to our code. This will ensure that we can seek information without someone invoking privacy laws that prohibit them from sharing information. Moreover, those seeking Structured Discovery certification or recertification will now undergo background checks. Although this will be a new practice for us, we want to be sure that everyone understands that background checks will only indicate if someone has a criminal history and will not inform the board if someone has engaged in behavior that either has not been reported to authorities or that does not rise to a violation of the laws of a particular state. Our website will soon have the option to search the status of any SD professional we have currently or previously certified. Only the professional's name, state on file, certification status, and expiration date will be displayed. Therefore, the only information that will be publicly displayed about an individual's certification is that it is active, expired, or revoked. NBPCB has also entered into a Memorandum of Understanding with the National Federation of the Blind to share information regarding any persons being investigated for possible violations of the NFB or NBPCB codes of conduct to facilitate clear and consistent information sharing. This was necessary because NBPCB and NFB are two distinct organizations with no legal ties to one another. We will be entering into similar agreements with any center which we certify so that there will be no delays in reporting possible violations to our Code of Conduct and information can be shared with greater assurance that no privacy laws interfere with this necessary flow of communication. All NBPCB board members, NOMCT committee members, and certified center directors underwent training by RAINN-the nation's largest anti-sexual misconduct organization-and another organization, WEEVE, another organization working in the area of sexual misconduct prevention. Information regarding how to contact RAINN has been included on our website and in our grievance documents for anyone who may be a victim of sexual misconduct. We continue to encourage each of you to reach out either on this listserv or to us directly at our admin at nbpcb.org address with any questions or concerns. We want to be sure that you are informed as to what we have been doing and the rationale behind our efforts to protect the certification that each of you has worked so hard to obtain and maintain while also providing protections and remedies for those whom we serve. Respectfully, Members of the NBPCB Board NBPCB Office PO Box 2373 Ruston LA 71273 318 299-7340 <mailto:admin at nbpcb.org> admin at nbpcb.org <http://www.nbpcb.org> www.nbpcb.org <https://www.nbpcb.org/pages/lookup.php> Click here to verify the status of NBPCB certified professionals