Professional ethics – your guide to getting started
As a Chartered Accountant (CA) you are bound by the ICAS Code of Ethics and have a requirement to take individual responsibility for the maintenance of the highest ethical standards. Here you’ll find links to information and resources that will get you started and help you to meet your ethical obligations.
A distinguishing mark of the accountancy profession is its acceptance of the responsibility to act in the public interest. Through their ethical behaviour, ICAS CAs act as a force for good in the organisations in which they work and form a key component of building public trust in business.
With its Public Trust and Ethics content, the ICAS CA syllabus helped prepare you for this integral aspect of your professional career.
As a qualified Chartered Accountant, you face additional obligations, including a requirement to undertake ethics Continuing Professional Development (CPD). Below you’ll find all the additional information and resources you need to help you get started.
The ICAS Code of Ethics
As a CA you are obligated to take individual responsibility throughout your career for the maintenance of the highest ethical standards. To do this you must adhere to the five fundamental principles enshrined in the ICAS Code of Ethics:
- Integrity
- Objectivity
- Professional competence and due care
- Confidentiality
- Professional behaviour.
The Power of One
Our business ethics initiative The Power of One calls on all CAs to place ethical leadership at the heart of their professional responsibilities, to shape the culture and values of their organisations, to help re-establish ethics at the core of business practices and build public trust to the benefit of broader society.
Mandatory Ethics CPD
All ICAS Members have a requirement to undertake ethics Continuing Professional Development (CPD).
This doesn’t involve compulsory attendance at courses or the purchase of material, and there’s no requirement to achieve a certain number of hours or points. It could simply involve taking time to read some of the ethics-related material that’s available at icas.com or a range of other websites.
ICAS Ethics Helpline Service
If at any point during your career you have a query about ethics, then you can contact our Ethics Helpline Service.
The Protect helpline
ICAS is partnered with Protect to provide you with access to their free and independent helpline which offers advice on whistleblowing and speaking up.
ICAS ethics resources
Take some time to browse the range of publications we’ve produced in conjunction with our The Power of One business ethics initiative:
- Ethics - The Power of One
- The Power of One – Personal responsibility and ethical leadership
- The Power of One – Moral Courage
- The Power of One – Personal Reputation
- The Power of One – Organisational culture and values
- The Power of One – The CA and the organisation
- The Ethical Journey – The Right, the Good and the Virtuous
And in the dedicated Ethics section of icas.com you’ll always find a range of resources, support, publications, guidance and news articles, including:
- guidance on conflict of interest
- an ethical decision-making framework
- ethics videos
- case studies (including CAs’ real-life ethical dilemmas featured within the ICAS research publication Speak up? Listen Up? Whistleblow?)
- ethics research
Everything you need to get started
At icas.com/newly-qualified you’ll find links to everything you need to get started, including ways to make new connections, a guide to our professional resources, plus information about your CPD requirements.