Along with the introduction of Ethics Month, Public Relations and Communications Association (PRCA) has announced an update of its code of conduct. Aiming to review its internal policy, amendments to a number of sections are matched by a further push for overall ethical transparency within the industry.

Last updated in 2014, the change aims to provide more cohesive parameters to the PRCA's ethics focus. Changes to subsections of the code such as arbitration and disciplinary procedures, health public relations and communications, as well as public affairs and lobbying now allow for a more concise complaints system, anonymous whistleblowing, and revisions to the PRCA's ethical outlook.

Accompanying this, Ethics Month forms the axis to the recent modifications; the PRCA will be tweeting a different ethical problem each day, as well as publishing a number of blogs and producing a PRCA TV special edition. 

Francis Ingham, director general of PRCA, says, "PRCA Ethics Month is best launched with clear actions: alongside this new PRCA code of conduct, we will be fostering an industry-wide discussion on its practical applications day-to-day. The changes we are announcing today are fundamental. They reinforce the PRCA self-regulatory process as the toughest in the industry. By halving the time taken to investigate complaints and reach conclusions, and by introducing a mechanism for anonymous whistle-blowing, we have set a new gold standard." 

Representing over 20,000 people, the PRCA's imprint within the public relations and communications industry is continuously growing since its inception 47 years ago, and with employee relations bound by the code of conduct, the recent review is an embodiment of further developments in the industry.