Ethics and Standards of Practice
Confidentiality
BEST Postpartum Doulas respect a client’s right to privacy and confidentiality. Information shared between client and doula must not be shared elsewhere. Postpartum Doulas are not bound by HIPAA, but must honor the client’s right to privacy. This includes any and all details and information about pregnancy, birth, postpartum, life, and health. BEST doulas do not provide identifying information about clients and/or discuss client health history, family life, birth plans, and/or birth experiences. BEST Postpartum Doulas do not announce pregnancies, genders, births, developmental milestones, or other private information by any means of communication, including social media, without client permission.
All training information, stories and experiences shared at BEST Postpartum Doula training, BEST Doula events, and the BEST Doula facebook group are confidential to BEST Doula and are not to be shared outside of the BEST Doula community.
Professionalism and Integrity
BEST Postpartum Doulas honor all postpartum experiences and maintain professional conduct in all situations. BEST doulas are not client advocates and do not speak on behalf of their clients. BEST Postpartum Doulas work to create environments and relationships for collaborative care with the client’s other health care providers, and make referrals freely.
BEST Postpartum Doulas communicate with other birth professionals online and otherwise respectfully, always with the goal of creating relationships and fostering growth. BEST Postpartum Doulas choose professional distance over conflict when necessary.
BEST Postpartum Doulas dress professionally for all interviews, client appointments, and when promoting one’s business or BEST Doula. Professional doula dress is business casual, unless at a postpartum shift. Professional dress at a postpartum shift includes clean, comfortable clothing that is non-offensive to one’s client.
When scheduling clients, BEST Postpartum Doulas communicate any dates that they may have conflict or are unavailable during a client’s on-call period. This should be conveyed in writing, preferably on your contract.
BEST Postpartum Doulas strive to keep appointments and be on time as a point of professionalism. Should you need to reschedule an appointment, provide your client as much notice as possible and suggest an alternative time/date.
BEST Doulas Support BEST Postpartum Plans
A client’s postpartum plan is individual to their needs and BEST Postpartum Doulas practice by providing actively non-judgemental, relational support.
BEST Postpartum Doulas do not provide transportation for clients or client families to or from appointments, place of birth or otherwise. BEST Postpartum doulas must communicate about their own sleep during overnight shifts so that the doula and client agree to a plan. BEST Postpartum Doulas are to terminate a client contract if they feel unsafe or that risk is involved. BEST Postpartum Doulas advise families about safe infant sleep practices and healthy infant feeding.
Referrals
BEST Postpartum Doulas aim to have a comprehensive referral list and make referrals to appropriate community resources as needed. This may include, but is not limited to acupuncturists, chiropractors, health care providers, massage therapists, naturopaths, mental health care professionals, lactation consultants, and community groups.
BEST Doulas Are Not Medical Professionals: BEST Postpartum Doulas do not provide medical assessment, treatment, or diagnosis.
Alternative Therapies and Additional Teaching
BEST Postpartum Doulas may use alternative therapies that have been consented to by the client and that they are otherwise trained to use. This may include, but is not limited to TENS, acupressure, acupuncture massage therapy, herbology, essential oils, homeopathy, etc. BEST Doula does not provide training or certification in alternative therapies. BEST Postpartum Doulas understand that alternative therapies may be powerful, and ‘natural’ does not equate to benign. All BEST Postpartum Doulas not certified or holding professional training in alternative therapies, refer to those who are when needed.
BEST Doula Training Materials
BEST Certified Postpartum Doulas may use all materials provided to them by BEST Doula Training in so much as they hold BEST Postpartum Certification. If a BEST Certified Postpartum Doula choose not to recertify, then the individual no longer holds BEST Postpartum Certification and is no longer authorized to use any materials, resources, videos, downloads, ebooks, files, or any other physical or digital items provided to them for themselves or clients by BEST Doula Training.
Best Doula Training Terms & Conditions
Best Doula Training, LLC (“Best Doula”) is a Texas limited liability company providing doula certifications to trainees enrolled in the Best Postpartum Doula Training Program (“Program”). By purchasing and participating in the Program, You (or “Trainee”) agree to the following terms and conditions:
1. Services. Best Doula will provide postpartum doula training services to Trainee through the Program. Upon successful completion of the doula course requirements in Section 2, Trainee shall receive certification by Best Doula as a postpartum doula (“Postpartum Doula Certification”). At all times, trainees and Best Certified Postpartum Doulas shall abide by the standard practices and policies of Best Doula, attached hereto as Exhibit A.
2. Program Requirements. Eligibility for Postpartum Doula Certification requires successful completion of the following program requirements:
a) Payment of the required fees;
b) Completion of the required course reading and videos;
c) Completion of the Prepared Feeding Course;
d) Completion of Food Handler’s Course;
e) Completion of provided Study Guide “Think Log”; and
f) Attendance and completion of the in-person or live online training workshop.
3. Term. Your Postpartum Doula Certification is valid for two years from the date of issuance. Upon expiration of the Postpartum Doula Certification, You may no longer represent that you hold a certification from Best Doula Training. Recertification courses are offered to permit recertification after expiration of the two-year initial term. 4. Intellectual Property Rights. Best Doula is the owner of certain intellectual property, including, but not limited to, its copyrighted course booklets, course materials, and training materials. Throughout Your Postpartum Doula Certification term, You may, at the election of Best Doula, be offered a limited, revocable license to use certain intellectual property belonging to Best Doula. Upon expiration of your Postpartum Doula Certification, any such license is immediately revoked and You must immediately return or discontinue, including removal from commerce, any usage of Best Doula’s intellectual property.
5. Confidentiality. During the term of your training and Postpartum Doula Certification and for two (2) years thereafter, neither party shall make use of the other's Confidential Information (as hereinafter defined) for purposes other than the performance of its obligations under these Terms. "Confidential Information" shall mean all information of either party not generally available to the public which is provided to the receiving party by the disclosing party or which the receiving party has access to or discovers, including but without limitation, all information relating to a Party’s products, business and operations including, but not limited to, business plans, financial records, customers, suppliers, vendors, products, costs, strategies, inventions, procedures, sales materials and data, technical advice or knowledge, contractual agreements, pricing, product specifications, trade secrets, marketing strategies, designs, drawings, work sheets, computer programs and systems and know-how or other intellectual property of a Party and its affiliates that may be at any time furnished, communicated or delivered by a Party to the other Party, whether in oral, tangible, electronic or other form. All Confidential Information shall remain the property of the disclosing Party. Confidential Information shall not include any information that: (a) was rightfully known to a party prior to disclosure by the other party; (b) is rightfully obtained by a party from a third party; (c) is made available by the disclosing party to the public without restrictions; (d) is disclosed by a party with prior written permission of the other party; (e) is independently developed or learned by the recipient party through legitimate means; (f) is disclosed by the disclosing party to a third party without a duty of confidentiality on the third party; or (g) is disclosed pursuant to any applicable laws, regulations, or order of a court of competent jurisdiction, or by the recipient in defense of a claim against the recipient. Each party will provide reasonable prior notice to the other, unless prohibited by applicable law, if it is required to disclose any of the other party's Confidential Information under operation of law, and such disclosure shall not constitute a breach of these Terms.
6. Relationship of the Parties. The parties are independent contractors and as such, at no time shall either party be considered an employee or employer of the other.
7. Governing Law and Venue. These Terms and the accompanying Exhibits and all matters arising out of or relating hereto, are governed by and construed in accordance with, the laws of the State of Texas. Each Party irrevocably and unconditionally agrees that it will not commence any action, litigation, or proceeding of any kind whatsoever in any forum other than Northern District of Texas, Dallas, Division, or, if such court does not have subject matter jurisdiction, the courts of the State of Texas sitting in Dallas County. Each Party agrees that a final judgment in any such action, litigation or proceeding is conclusive and may be enforced in other jurisdictions by suit on the judgment or in any other manner provided by law.
8. Attorney’s Fees. If either Party incurs any legal fees associated with the enforcement of these Terms or any rights hereunder, the prevailing Party shall be entitled to recover its reasonable attorney’s fees and any court, arbitration, mediation, or other litigation costs and expenses from the other Party.
9. Modification. No change, modification, amendment, or addition of or to these Terms or any part thereof shall be valid unless in writing and signed by an authorized representative of the Parties.