Professional Conduct Standards for NRWC Reentry Specialists

Professional Conduct Standards for NRWC Reentry Specialists

Conduct toward Team Members

Conduct toward Program Participants

Expectations For Conduct

Expectations For Conduct

Conducts and Expectations

Conduct toward Program Partners

Conduct toward The Wider Field

Expectations For Conduct

Expectations For Conduct

Relevant Principles:

• Commitment to Continuous Learning
• Trust as the Foundation for Change
• Collaboration as a Change Multiplier

Conduct toward Team Members

The dynamics within our team shape the culture of our organization and influence the way participants, partners and the wider field experience our work. The NRWC Reentry Specialist ought to operate in a way that cultivates good relationships with colleagues and a healthy team culture.

• Treat colleagues with respect, openness, and fairness.
• Offer feedback constructively, focusing on behaviors and solutions.
• Receive feedback with openness, reflecting on how to improve practice.
• Share knowledge, resources, and credit for successes.
• Model accountability by honoring deadlines, commitments, and ethical standards.
• Promote a community-centered team culture by valuing diverse perspectives and local wisdom.

Expectations For Conduct

Relevant Principles:

• Collaboration as a Change Multiplier
• Trust as the Foundation for Change
• Evidence-Informed and Adaptive Practice
• Community Awareness

Conduct toward Program Partners

No one organization can deliver all the services needed in reentry programming. Therefore, NRWC Reentry Specialists work to forge trusted relationships with a variety of partners to develop an ecosystem of service providers that can meet the participants’ needs.

• Communicate promptly, honestly, and respectfully with partner organizations.
• Share information that supports coordinated, participant-centered services (within confidentiality guidelines).
• Honor partner expertise and roles; seek ways to complement, not compete.
• Approach disagreements with a solution-oriented mindset.
• Represent the NRWC network and your organization with professionalism in all partnership interactions.

Expectations For Conduct

Relevant Principles:

• Trust as the Foundation for Change

• Participant-Centered Practice

• Strengths-Based Approach

• Evidence-Informed and Adaptive Practice

• Community Awareness

Conduct toward Program Participants

At the center of our work are the people impacted by the justice system. What we do and how we go about doing it will have a real impact on their lives and the generations that will follow them. NRWC Reentry Specialists exercise a high degree of care in serving our participants with optimism that the potential they have within can change the trajectory of their lives and future generations.

• Invite participants into shared decision-making about their goals and pathways.
• Recognize and build on strengths, not just address challenges.
• Tailor support strategies to each individual, using evidence-based tools flexibly.
• Protect confidentiality and uphold professional boundaries at all times.
• Recognize the role of community and culture in reentry, building strategies that reflect shared values and realities.

Expectations For Conduct

Establish trust through respect, empathy, and follow-through on commitments.

Relevant Principles:

• Commitment to Continuous Learning
• Evidence-Informed and Adaptive Practice
• Collaboration as a Change Multiplier

Conduct toward The Wider Field

Together, we are advancing fair chances and building a future where every person returning from incarceration has a fair chance to contribute their skills, support their families, and strengthen our communities. NRWC Reentry Specialist understands that our collective work will advance through the collective contribution of all of us gathering, sharing, and learning from each other.

Expectations For Conduct

• Represent the reentry profession positively in all public and professional settings.
• Share promising practices and lessons learned to strengthen the field.
• Stay informed on emerging research, policy changes, and innovations.
• Advocate for fair opportunities and systemic changes that benefit justice-impacted individuals.
• Avoid public statements or actions that could undermine the credibility of the reentry field.