A key tenet underlying the work of the Maine Recovery Coach Certification Board is to ensure that individuals who hold the credentials we issue adhere to the highest ethical standards in accordance with our written Code of Ethical Conduct. Any individual registered or certified by the MRCCB agrees in writing to conform to this Code as a condition of obtaining and retaining any of our credentials. To view our Code of Ethical Conduct, please click on the link below:
MRCCB Code of Ethical Conduct (pdf)
Protocol for Resolving Ethical Complaints and Complaint Form
While most of Maine’s registered and certified coaches behave in a consistently ethical fashion, there are on rare occasions formal complaints levied against registered or certified individuals. When an allegation of an ethical breach is formally raised against anyone registered or certified by the Maine Recovery Coach Certification Board, the MRCCB has a protocol in place to investigate and deal with the complaint in a timely and professional manner. The investigative and complaint resolution process is a multi-layered process that ensures that the due process rights of both the accused and the accuser are protected. This process can best be summarized as follows:
- Anyone wishing to formally make an ethics complaint against someone currently registered or certified by the Maine Recovery Coach Certification Board must do so in writing using the Ethics Complaint Form developed by the MRCCB. Once a formal written Ethics Complaint Form is received by the MRCCB, the Board Chair or his/ her designee will verify that the subject of the complaint is in fact registered or certified by the MRCCB. If the subject of the complaint is not registered or certified by the MRCCB then that fact is communicated to the complainant and no further action is taken. If the subject of the complaint is in fact registered or certified by the MRCCB, then the complaint then moves to the next phase of the ethics complaint process.
- The next phase of the ethics review process is to determine if the action, error or omission being alleged constitutes a violation of the MRCCB Code of Ethical Conduct. If the allegation does not constitute a violation of the MRCCB Code of Ethical Conduct, then no further action is taken and that finding is communicated to the complainant. If the allegation is determined to be a violation of the MRCCB Code of Ethical Conduct, then the complaint then moves to the next phase of the ethics complaint process.
- At this stage of the process, the Ethics Subcommittee of the MRCCB Board of Directors conducts a formal investigation of the allegation which includes the collection of written and signed testimony from the complainant, the accused, and any witnesses that may have firsthand knowledge of the situation. Once this investigation is completed, then the complaint then moves to the next phase of the ethics complaint process.
- The written testimony, once collected, is reviewed by the Ethics Subcommittee of the MRCCB Board of Directors to determine if there is probable cause to act against the subject of the complaint. If no finding of guilt is determined, then no further action is taken and that finding is communicated to the complainant. If there is a finding of guilt, sanctions against the accused are determined and could include any action up to and including permanent revocation of the MRCCB issued credential and where appropriate referral of relevant information to other licensing, regulatory and law enforcement bodies.
- Once a finding of guilt and/ or sanctions has been established, the subject of the complaint has the right to a formal hearing to appeal the finding of guilt or the sanctions being proposed. Once that hearing occurs, the final disposition of the complaint will be determined and all involved parties will be formally notified of the final resolution.
If you wish to file a formal complaint or obtain a copy of our Ethics Complaint form, please click on the link below:
For details about the MRCCB Code of Ethical Conduct – Disciplinary Procedures, please click on the link below:
MRCCB Code of Ethical Conduct – Disciplinary Procedures (pdf)