A code of ethics is a set of principles that describe the behavior expected of a professional in a given field. While it may ultimately aim to protect the rights and welfare of those who are dependent or vulnerable, a code of conduct also aims to protect the rights of professionals by ensuring they avoid making unsuitable decisions. In some situation that occur in the child care setting, ethical behavior can be clearly indentified. For instance, it is not ethical to share confidential information, to misrepresent one’s credentials, to put extra hours on a timesheet, to talk to one parent about problems with another parent, or to withhold information on an accident report that may be incriminating. In other situations, the ethical course is harder to determine. Should we report a parent for abusing a child when we are pretty sure (but not positive) that the abuse occurred? Should you tell a nervous parent that her child fell down on the playground when the child wasn’t even hurt?