According to the Code of Ethics, what must individuals ensure about their professional staff?

The correct choice emphasizes the importance of adhering to the established guidelines of professional competency as mandated by the Code of Ethics. Individuals, particularly those in supervisory or managerial roles, are responsible for ensuring that their staff operates within the boundaries of their certification status. This means that staff should only provide services for which they have been adequately trained and certified, safeguarding client welfare and maintaining professional integrity.

When practitioners provide services outside their scope of practice or certification, it can lead to inadequate care, ethical violations, and potentially harm to clients. Therefore, it's crucial for management to enforce policies that ensure staff members are working within their qualified limits. This approach not only protects clients but also upholds the standards of the profession itself.

In contrast, the other options do not align with these ethical considerations. Allowing staff to exceed their competence, conducting unsupervised research, or requiring independent work without adequate support undermines both professional standards and client safety. Maintaining a clear line of competency based on certification is essential for ethical practice in speech-language pathology.