Victims of crime or their lawful representatives, including the next of kin of homicide victims, witnesses and the criminal justice system expect every Victim Witness Service Provider, paid or volunteer, to act with integrity, to treat all victims and survivors of crime with dignity and compassion, and to uphold principles of justice for accused and accuser alike. To these ends, this Code will govern the conduct of Florida’s Victim Witness Service Providers:


A. In relationships with every client, the Victim Witness Service Provider shall:

1. Recognize the interests of the client as a primary responsibility.

2. Respect and protect the client’s civil and legal rights.

3. Respect the client’s rights to privacy and confidentiality, subject only to laws or regulations requiring disclosure of information to appropriate other sources.

4. Respond compassionately to each client with personalized services.

5. Accept the client’s statement of events as it is told, withholding opinion or judgment, whether or not a suspect offender has been identified, arrested, convicted, or acquitted.

6. Provide services to every client without attributing blame, no matter what the client’s conduct was at the time of the victimization or at another stage of the client’s life.

7. Foster maximum self-determination on the part of the client.

8. Serve as a victim or witness advocate when requested and, in that capacity, act on behalf of the client’s stated needs without regard to personal convictions and within the rules of the advocate’s host agency.

9. Should one client’s needs conflict with another’s, act with regard to one client only after promptly referring the other to another qualified Victim Witness Service Provider.

10. Observe the ethical imperative to have no sexual relations with clients, current or past, in recognition that to do so risks exploitation of the knowledge and trust derived from the professional relationship.

11. Make client referrals to other resources or services only in the client’s best interest, avoiding any conflict of interest
in the process.

12. Seek or provide appropriate supervision or emotional support when you or a colleague is challenged by a difficult client situation or traumatic event.


B. In relationships with colleagues, other professionals, and the public, the Victim Witness Service Provider shall:

1. Conduct relationships with colleagues in such a way as to promote mutual respect, public respect, and improvement of service.

2. Seek out constructive means to assist colleagues in improving their service delivery when you become aware of substandard services.

3. Conduct relationships with allied professionals in a manner that demonstrates respect for their professional standing in the victim witness service field.

4. Take steps to quell negative, unsubstantiated rumors about colleagues and allied professionals.

5. Share knowledge and encourage proficiency and excellence in victim witness service among colleagues and allied professionals.

6. Provide professional support, guidance, and assistance to Victim Witness Service Providers who are new to the field in order to promote consistent quality and professionalism in victim assistance.

7. Seek to ensure that volunteers in victim witness services have access to the training, supervision, resources, and support required to competently provide quality services.

8. Act to promote crime and violence prevention as a public service and an adjunct to victim witness service.

9. Follow and abide by applicable state and federal laws while working to improve or change those that may be unjust or discriminatory.


C. In her or his professional conduct, the Victim Witness Service Provider shall:

1. Maintain high personal and professional standards in the capacity of a service provider and advocate for clients.

2. Seek and maintain proficiency in the delivery of services to clients.
3. Not discriminate against any victim, employee, colleague, allied professional, or member of the public on the basis of age, gender, disability, ethnicity, race, national origin, religious belief, or sexual orientation.

4. Protect the privacy and identity of clients when dealing with the public unless given clear permission by the client or required by law to make such disclosures.

5. Clearly distinguish in public statements one’s personal views from positions adopted by organizations for which he or she works or is a member.

6. Not use her or his official position to secure gifts, monetary rewards, or special privileges or advantages.

7. Report to competent authorities the conduct of any colleague or allied professional that constitutes mistreatment of a client or that brings the profession into disrepute.

8. Report to competent authorities any conflict of interest that prevents oneself or a colleague from being able to provide competent services to a client, or to work cooperatively with colleagues or allied professionals, or to be impartial in the treatment of any client.


D. In his or her responsibility to any other profession, the Victim Witness Service Provider will be bound by the ethical standards of the allied profession of which she or he is a member.

The Network now represents hundreds of individuals and agencies statewide who serve victims and witnesses.