Virginia Community Health Worker Association

Ethics in Governance is a five-hour, regulatory ethics training for Virginia State-Certified Doulas. Where Course 1 builds the personal ethical foundation, Course 2 applies that foundation to the professional regulatory layer: the VCB Code of Ethics, Virginia law, accountability systems, documentation standards, and peer reporting obligations. This course corrects widespread misunderstandings, takes the Code seriously as a justice document rather than a bureaucratic checklist, and equips doulas to make defensible ethical decisions under real pressure.

By the end of this course, participants will be able to:

1. Apply all three sections of the VCB State-Certified Doula Code of Ethics to real practice scenarios with specificity
2. Accurately describe SCD mandatory reporter status under Virginia Code §63.2-1509 and distinguish training requirements from legal designations
3. Navigate dual relationships and community-based boundary challenges with integrity and professional clarity
4. Apply cultural humility as a professional regulatory obligation, not merely a value
5. Apply the VCB nine-step ethical decision-making framework to complex, multi-factor scenarios
6. Write client documentation that centers dignity, withstands ethical scrutiny, and does not create harm through language
7. Fulfill peer accountability obligations under the VCB Code within the required 90-day reporting window