If you are concerned that a BACB certificant may have violated one or more of the BACB’s ethics requirements, you can report your concern to the BACB’s Ethics Department using the Notice of Alleged Violation form below. Before proceeding though, we highly recommend you use the accordions below to learn more about reporting against a specific type of BACB certificant, and what you may need to consider before submitting a notice.
Before submitting a Notice of Alleged Violation against an RBT, review the information in the Considerations for Reporting an Alleged Violation and the RBT Ethics Code (2.0). RBTs have different ethics requirements than BCBAs and BCaBAs. Additionally, because RBTs have a limited area of practice and must be closely supervised, there are unique considerations to be made before filing an alleged violation against an RBT.
Because RBTs receive frequent and direct supervision, all alleged violations should be brought to the RBT's Requirements Coordinator and/or RBT Supervisor. The Requirements Coordinator and/or RBT Supervisor must take steps to investigate and document the alleged violation. If the Requirements Coordinator and/or RBT Supervisor determines that a violation did occur, they should determine if the matter should be addressed internally or by submitting a Notice of Alleged Violation to the BACB. To find an RBT’s Supervisor and/or Requirements Coordinator, please refer to the RBT’s BACB Certificant Registry Record.
When completing the Notice of Alleged Violation, you will be required to enter information about the Subject, your relationship to the subject or incident, the alleged violation, and supporting documentation. If the notice is accepted, the BACB gives the Subject due process by providing the Subject a copy of the notice and supporting documentation. The Subject is also given an opportunity to respond and submit their own supporting documentation. In the sole discretion of the BACB, the BACB may ask the Notifier to verify or refute information provided in the Subject’s response; otherwise, the Notifier is not provided with the response or a rebuttal process.
For information about what happens once a notice is submitted, and possible outcomes, see the Code-Enforcement Procedures document.
Submit a Notice of Alleged Violation against the RBT if the alleged violation:
- involves abuse or neglect of a client
- resulted in the RBT being charged with, or convicted of, a violation of the law
- is a violation of 1.03, 1.05, 3.01, 3.02, 3.03, 3.04, or 3.05 obligations to the BACB outlined in the RBT Ethics Code (2.0) or
- has occurred repeatedly despite reasonable attempts to address the problem with the RBT
If none of the above situations apply, the Requirements Coordinator and/or RBT Supervisor should develop and implement an written, individualized corrective action plan for the RBT and document the outcome. The BACB reserves the right to audit the Requirements Coordinator or RBT Supervisor for documentation of the complaint, investigation, and resolution.
Note: The BACB reserves the right to generate a Notice of Alleged Violation against an RBT if they are suspected of noncompliance with any BACB standard, rule, ethics requirement, or procedure.
Before submitting a Notice of Alleged Violation against a BCaBA, BCBA, or BCBA-D applicant or certificant, review the information in the Considerations for Reporting an Alleged Violation and the Ethics Code for Behavior Analysts.
When completing the Notice of Alleged Violation, you will be required to enter information about the Subject, your relationship to the subject or incident, the alleged violation, and supporting documentation. If the notice is accepted, the BACB gives the Subject due process by providing the Subject a copy of the notice and supporting documentation. The Subject is also given an opportunity to respond and submit their own supporting documentation. In the sole discretion of the BACB, the BACB may ask the Notifier to verify or refute information provided in the Subject’s response; otherwise, the Notifier is not provided with the response or a rebuttal process.
For information about what happens once a notice is submitted, and possible outcomes, see the Code-Enforcement Procedures document.
The BACB cannot provide legal or ethics advice under any circumstances. There are a number of resources available for anyone seeking guidance related to ethics in the Ethics Resources section. U.S. residents of states that regulate the practice of behavior analysis may contact their state disciplinary boards. For more information about regulation in the U.S., the Association of Professional Behavior Analysts has a resource page on licensure and regulation. Whenever possible, we encourage, but do not require you to consult with a behavior analyst who specializes in the matter before filing a Notice of Alleged Violation. For legal advice, please consult with a licensed attorney in your jurisdiction. For additional guidance on ethics-related matters, please see the Ethics Codes section.