Ethics Education Toolkits

This page features Toolkits that contain ready-made and customizable products for agency ethics officials to use for required briefings and trainings, as well as guidance for how to use the products most effectively. These Toolkits are designed to help give ethics officials either a place to start or fresh ideas with which to approach ethics education at their agency.

Please see the separate Toolkits below to successfully carry out your ethics education program’s Ethics Briefings and Initial and Annual Ethics Trainings.

Build confidence as a training instructor. To learn how to confidently and effectively deliver ethics training, watch this video.

Certain agency leaders, such as Senate-confirmed Presidential nominees and appointees (also known as those in Presidentially appointed, Senate-confirmed positions (PAS positions)), are required to have an additional Ethics Briefing to discuss their immediate ethics obligations. This is separate from the Initial Ethics Training. However, agencies may elect to combine the Ethics Briefing and the Initial Ethics Training, provided that the requirements of both are met.

Overview of Training Requirements

Ethics Briefing Participants

Senate-Confirmed Presidential Nominees and Appointees1

Requirement

5 C.F.R. § 2638.305

Format

Live2

Presenter

The presenter must have knowledge of government ethics laws and regulations and must be qualified, as the Designated Agency Ethics Official (DAEO) deems appropriate, to answer the types of basic and advanced questions that are likely to arise regarding the required content.

Content

The Ethics Briefing must provide counsel to the employee on the following:

  • the potential for conflicts arising from any new financial interests not previously disclosed;

  • the basic recusal obligation under 18 U.S.C. § 208(a);

  • the recusal obligations and other commitments addressed in ptheir ethics agreement, including ensuring their understanding of what is required to comply with each and establishing a process by which the recusals will be achieved; and

  • how and by when they must complete their Initial Ethics Training, unless they complete it either before or during the Ethics Briefing.

Duration

Sufficient to communicate the required content.

Deadline

After confirmation but not later than 15 days after appointment.3

Tracking

The DAEO must maintain a record of the Ethics Briefing date while the employee serves in the position.

Notes:

1 This requirement applies to Senate-confirmed Presidential nominees and appointees, except for those in positions identified in 5 C.F.R. § 2634.201(c)(2).

2 Regarding format, live ethics training is defined at 5 C.F.R. § 2638.302(a).

3 The DAEO may grant extensions. Also, for special government employees serving no more than 60 days a year on a board, commission, or committee, the Ethics Briefing must be provided before the first meeting of the board, commission, or committee. See 5 C.F.R. § 2638.305(b) for more information concerning the Ethics Briefing deadline.

The information in this chart was pulled from the Legal Advisory (LA) “New Job Aid: Overview of Education Requirements under the Revised 5 C.F.R. Part 2638, Subpart C,” LA-16-09 (PDF).

Preparing for Appointment/Arrival

Use this “Ethics Onboarding Checklist for PAS Positions (PDF)” to prepare for the appointment/arrival of those in PAS positions and to ensure all their ethics education requirements, as well as other ethics requirements (e.g., financial disclosure), are met.

If your agency does not have an established plan in place for delivering Initial Ethics Training, or you are considering updating your current plan, please refer to the contents of this Initial Ethics Training Toolkit to develop and deliver this training for your agency’s new employees, as required by 5 C.F.R. § 2638.304.

Overview of Training Requirements

Initial Ethics Training Participants

New Employees1

Requirement

5 C.F.R. § 2638.304

Format

Interactive2

Content

The presentation must focus on ethics laws and regulations that the Designated Agency Ethics Official (DAEO) deems appropriate for the audience. It must address concepts related to:

  • financial conflicts of interest,

  • impartiality,

  • misuse of position, and

  • gifts.

Duration

Sufficient to cover the basic ethical obligations of federal service and present the required content.

Written Materials

The following written materials are required:

  • a Summary of the Standards of Ethical Conduct,

  • relevant provisions of supplemental agency regulations (or summary),

  • other written materials the DAEO determines should be included, and

  • instructions for contacting the agency’s ethics office.

Written instructions for accessing these materials can be provided in lieu of the materials themselves.

Deadline

Within 3 months of the new employee’s appointment.3

Tracking

Each agency must establish written procedures for Initial Ethics Training, which the DAEO must review each year. For agencies with 1,000 or more employees, any office not under the DAEO’s supervision that performs this duty must annually provide the DAEO a written summary of procedures and confirmation with reasonable assurances that the procedures have been implemented. 

Notes:

1 Per 5 C.F.R. § 2638.304(a)(2), the DAEO may exclude a non-supervisory position at or below the GS-8 grade level, or the equivalent, from the requirement to complete interactive training, provided that certain conditions are met and that the required written materials are provided.

2 Regarding format, interactive ethics training is defined at 5 C.F.R. § 2638.302(b).

3 A Presidential nominee for a Senate-confirmed position may complete their Initial Ethics Training before or after appointment, but not later than 3 months after appointment. For special government employees serving no more than 60 days a year on a board, commission, or committee, it must be provided before, or at the beginning of, the first meeting of the board, commission, or committee. See 5 C.F.R. § 2638.304(b) for more information concerning the Initial Ethics Training deadline.

The information in this chart was pulled from the Legal Advisory (LA) “New Job Aid: Overview of Education Requirements under the Revised 5 C.F.R. Part 2638, Subpart C,” LA-16-09 (PDF).

Written Materials

These materials should be shared in advance of the training to meet certain regulatory requirements and so that employees may review them and have them handy to reference during the presentation and discussions of scenarios. Note: These materials can also be found on the Written Materials for Ethics Education page.

Preparing for the Presentation

To get started using the tools in this Toolkit and preparing for your presentation, review the document and watch the training provided below.

Creating a Presentation

Utilize these tools to create effective and accessible presentations for your employees.

  • Customizable Initial Ethics Training Slide Deck (PPT) – This is a presentation for your agency to customize and use for the delivery of Initial Ethics Training. It should be used and customized in accordance with its accompanying instructor guide – Ethical Service: A Guide for Employee Orientation (PDF) . Note: The presentation includes instructive language in brackets for how to customize it. When customizing, OGE encourages you to select those scenarios that will be most beneficial to your agency’s employees and to remove any you may not need to cover. The objective of these scenarios is to encourage employees to test their ethical awareness, build their knowledge, become comfortable discussing “ethics,” and practice ethical decision-making. Should you elect to also introduce new employees to the Criminal Conflict of Interest Laws, you can use the placeholder slide, slide eight, to do so. Remember, just as you should do when introducing the General Principles and Standards of Ethical Conduct, focus on building awareness of the circumstances in which an employee might face an ethics issue involving them.
  • Individual Initial Ethics Training Scenario Slides – These are PowerPoint slides that present scenarios focused on specific topics that can be used for your agency’s Initial Ethics Training presentation, or any other ethics training your agency may need or request. Note: These are also included in the “Customizable Initial Ethics Training Slide Deck (PPT) ” if you would prefer to customize that presentation.

  • Reminder to Consider Your Audience – The slide deck shared in this Toolkit has undergone accessibility reviews. However, OGE cannot ensure that it is fully compliant with Section 508 of the Rehabilitation Act, especially as it is designed to be customizable. Prior to conducting your Initial Ethics Training, OGE recommends working with others in your agency to review the accessibility of your training materials, as well as the relevance of their content, to enhance audience engagement.

    • When creating your own presentations, here are some tips to enhance audience engagement: