Professional Boundaries & Conduct
Boundaries and conduct
Boundaries, sexual boundaries, chaperones and social media.
Program total A$1,185
Chiropractors · Chiropractic Board of Australia
Ethics and Professionalism Courses for Chiropractors in Australia
Few professions are watched as closely on marketing, treatment plans and the care of children as chiropractic is. The rules are clear, but they are easy to drift away from under business pressure. These courses help you practise and promote your work in a way that holds up to scrutiny, and they count towards your 20 hours.
- Grounded in the code the Chiropractic Board applies
- Certificate of completion stating the estimated learning time
- Covers advertising, consent, children and boundaries
Advertising
Section 133 and the chiropractic practice
Advertising is a recurring source of trouble for chiropractors, and the law is unambiguous. Under section 133 of the National Law, health advertising breaks the law if it misleads or deceives, dangles a gift, discount or inducement without spelling out the conditions, quotes testimonials about clinical care, raises unrealistic hopes of benefit, or nudges people towards services they do not need. The national Guidelines for advertising a regulated health service explain how those tests are applied.
Common problems include claims that chiropractic care treats conditions such as asthma or colic, patient stories on websites and social media, and 'first visit free' offers without their conditions. Long prepaid treatment plans raise a related question: whether the number of visits is driven by clinical need or by the business model.
Watch
Still seeing '25 hours' quoted?
Some websites still say chiropractors need 25 CPD hours. The figure dropped to 20 when the revised standard started in December 2019, and the Board also abolished the formal learning component at that point. Note that the 20 hours exclude the time you spend writing goals and reflections.
Chiropractic Board, 2024/25
What concerns about chiropractors involved
- of registered chiropractors had a notification made about them
- 2.2%
- Chiropractic Board annual summary 2024/25
- of finalised notifications led to suspension, cancellation or disqualification
- 7.5%
- Chiropractic Board annual summary 2024/25
Reading the chiropractic figures
The 2024/25 notification rate for chiropractic was higher than for physiotherapy, occupational therapy or optometry, and a bigger share of finalised matters ended with suspension, cancellation or disqualification. Clinical care leads, but boundary violations are a substantial second category in a profession built on touch and one-to-one treatment.
Children are the other area of close attention. The Board's statement on paediatric care advises caution with spinal manipulation of young children, and in December 2025 it consulted on a revised statement that brings its paediatric guidance into one document while keeping that advice, with submissions due by 4 February 2026. Anyone treating children should check the Board's site for the version currently in force.
Scenarios
Four chiropractic situations and what to learn
Composite examples invented for teaching.
A website that promised too much
A clinic's site lists bedwetting and ear infections under 'conditions we help', alongside patient stories with photos. A competitor reports it. Start with the advertising course.
A 30-visit plan on day one
After a single assessment, a new patient is offered a prepaid 30-visit plan with a discount if they sign that day. They later ask for a refund and complain they were pressured. Start with probity and financial integrity, then informed and financial consent.
A newborn in the clinic
Parents bring a three-week-old with unsettled sleep and ask for an adjustment they saw online. The chiropractor feels pressure to help. Start with the core ethics course and the Board's paediatric statement.
A patient who became a friend
A chiropractor's long-term patient starts suggesting drinks after appointments. The chiropractor enjoys the friendship and keeps treating her. Start with professional boundaries.
CPD registration standard
Chiropractic CPD requirements
| Requirement | What the Board expects |
|---|---|
| Annual CPD | 20 hours each registration year, under the standard in force since 1 December 2019 |
| Goals and plan | A portfolio recording your learning goals and the activities you plan |
| Reflection | For every activity, a written note on its effect on your practice, now or in future; the time spent writing it does not count |
| Workplace learning | Can make up all 20 hours, provided the standard's criteria are satisfied |
| First aid | Either the current CPR unit, refreshed annually, or the Provide First Aid unit, which lasts three years, or an equivalent or higher qualification |
| Records | Goals, plans, reflections and evidence kept for five years after the registration period ends |
| Audit | A random sample is audited every year, and a false declaration can result in Board action |
Source: Chiropractic Board CPD registration standard and FAQ.
Program
Practice Compliance program for chiropractors
Four courses on the compliance areas that most often catch chiropractic practices out: advertising, cosmetic and wellness claims, telehealth, and privacy.
Includes 4 courses
- Advertising a Regulated Health Service: Applying the Ahpra Advertising Guidelines About 3 hours · A$309
- Cosmetic Procedures: Ethical, Professional and Advertising Standards in Australia About 3 hours · A$309
- Telehealth and Online Prescribing: Standards for Australian Practitioners About 3 hours · A$309
- Privacy, Health Records and My Health Record in Australian Practice About 3 hours · A$309
- Advertising a regulated health service
- Ethical and advertising standards for cosmetic and aesthetic claims
- Telehealth standards
- Privacy, health records and My Health Record
A$1,236 is the total of four courses at A$309 each. No discount is applied.
Other programs chiropractors choose
Probity & Professional Integrity
Treatment plans, billing and records
Financial integrity, documentation and privacy.
Program total A$996
Ahpra Notification Response
A notification is open
From the process to rebuilding trust.
Program total A$1,323
Written for chiropractors
The two core chiropractic courses, then the profession course
Begin with the two courses written around the Chiropractic Board's expectations. The third is a three-hour course on ethics and professionalism in chiropractic practice.
Core · ethics
Ethics and Ethical Standards for Chiropractors
Ethical reasoning for chiropractors: evidence and claims, consent, children and fees.
Core · professionalism
Professionalism and Professional Standards for Chiropractors
Professional standards in chiropractic: treatment plans, records, referral and conduct.
Chiropractors · in depth
Ethics and Professionalism for Chiropractors in Australia
A longer course on ethics and professionalism across chiropractic practice and business.
Advertising a Regulated Health Service: Applying the Ahpra Advertising Guidelines
Section 133, testimonials, claims and offers.
Probity and Financial Integrity for Health Practitioners
Prepaid plans, incentives and honest billing.
Professionalism and Boundaries on Social Media
Patient stories, reviews and personal accounts online.
Professional Boundaries for Clinicians
Friendships, dual relationships and boundary drift.
Informed Consent and Financial Consent in Australian Practice
Consent to treatment and to its cost.
Rebuilding Trust After a Notification
Rebuilding patient and public trust after a notification.
Your code
The code and the chiropractic statements
The Code of conduct for chiropractors is common to twelve professions and dates from mid-2022. Its parts on evidence-based practice, informed consent, financial arrangements and advertising carry particular weight in chiropractic. The Board adds its own statements on specific issues, notably care of children, and you should read those alongside the code.
Unsure which course fits?
Tell the course advisor what you do and what has happened, and it lists suggested courses, with the chiropractic pair first.
Open the course advisorFurther reading
Course outlines for chiropractors
- Ethics and Ethical Standards for ChiropractorsCore course outline
- Professionalism and Professional Standards for ChiropractorsCore course outline
- Advertising a regulated health serviceSection 133 in practice
- Rebuilding trust after a notificationPatients, colleagues and the public
- Professional boundaries and conduct programFive courses together
NSW and Queensland
Practising in NSW or Queensland
NSW complaints about chiropractors go to the Chiropractic Council of New South Wales and the Health Care Complaints Commission. In Queensland the Office of the Health Ombudsman receives complaints first and decides whether the Board manages them. The Probity Courses editorial team writes these courses against the national code and standards, which apply everywhere.
The Chiropractic Board of Australia regulates chiropractors with the support of Ahpra.
Questions from chiropractors
How many CPD hours do chiropractors need now?
Twenty per registration year since 1 December 2019, plus a current first aid or CPR qualification. Planning and reflection time does not count towards the 20.
Can workplace learning count?
Yes, up to the full 20 hours, provided it meets the criteria in the standard.
Can I use patient testimonials on my website?
Not ones that talk about clinical care, which the National Law bans outright. The advertising guidelines explain where the line sits between a testimonial and other content.
Is a prepaid treatment plan unethical?
Not automatically. It becomes a problem when the number of visits is not justified by clinical need, when patients are pressured or when the terms are unclear. The probity course works through this.
Can I treat babies and young children?
Read the Board's current statement on paediatric care before you do. It advises caution about spinal manipulation of young children and sets out what the Board expects.
Will your courses count towards my CPD?
Yes, when they suit your practice and your portfolio links them to a goal and a reflection. Your certificate of completion states the estimated learning time; record the time you actually spend.
How long must I keep CPD records?
Keep them for five years, counted from the end of the registration period concerned.
Who handles complaints about chiropractors in NSW?
The Chiropractic Council of New South Wales with the Health Care Complaints Commission. Ahpra still manages your registration.
Can a clinic enrol several chiropractors?
Yes. Use the multi-course page or contact us.
Practise and promote with confidence
Start with the two core courses, or go straight to the compliance program.
Sources