Professional Ethics Compliance Among School Counsellors in Secondary Schools in Kwara State

Adherence to professional ethical standards is a foundational requirement for effective and trustworthy guidance and counselling practice, yet compliance with ethical codes among Nigerian school counsellors has not been extensively investigated. This study assessed the level of professional ethics compliance among school counsellors in secondary schools in Kwara State, North Central Nigeria. A descriptive survey design was adopted, with 85 school counsellors from 30 secondary schools in Ilorin, Offa, and Lafiagi zones participating. The Professional Ethics Compliance Scale, anchored in the Counselling Association of Nigeria (CASSON) code of ethics, was administered. Data were analysed using means, standard deviations, and independent samples t-tests. Findings indicated that most counsellors demonstrated satisfactory compliance in areas of basic confidentiality and student welfare, but showed significant non-compliance in dual relationship avoidance, record-keeping standards, and referral ethics. Counsellors who were active CASSON members showed significantly higher ethics compliance scores. Years of experience were not a significant predictor of ethics compliance. The study concluded that ethics education requires sustained reinforcement beyond initial training, particularly in areas that intersect with cultural norms around interpersonal boundaries. Recommendations included mandatory CASSON ethics refresher workshops, integration of ethics case study analysis in school supervision visits, and institutional whistleblowing protections for ethical reporting in Kwara State schools. Keywords: professional ethics, counsellor compliance, school counselling, Kwara State, CASSON.