Communiqué

February 2023

The Quality Assurance Committee recently approved policies relating to the enhanced Quality Assurance (QA) Program, including the new case-based assessment (CBA). See below for highlights and read the new policies here: Quality Assurance Program Policies.

How do the new policies affect registrants?

The QA Program continues to include the following main components:

a) self-assessment and professional development (PD);

b) peer and practice review activities; and

c) remedial education as directed by the Quality Assurance Committee.

Professional development

Registrants are no longer required to develop or submit a learning plan as part of their professional development requirements.

All registrants are still required to complete at least one self-assessment and 40 hours of professional development (learning) activities during their reporting cycle and report every two years by completing an attestation. New registrants are expected to complete at least one self-assessment within 60 days of their initial date of registration.

Registrants are required to keep records of their professional development activities in a professional portfolio. The professional portfolio must include at minimum a learning record log and documentation to verify participation in the learning activities. Registrants are not required to submit their professional portfolios to CRPO unless requested.

To find out your PD reporting cycle, see Professional development requirements and FAQs.

Peer and practice review

All registrants will be selected to participate in a peer and practice review (PPR) approximately once every five years.

The first step in a PPR is to complete the case-based assessment (CBA). Registrants who complete the CBA will generally receive positive feedback and written guidance on where to focus their professional development efforts. Some registrants may be required to participate in a peer-assisted review of their practice.

See Peer and Practice Review for details, including selection criteria, outcomes, and FAQs.

The 2023 CBA dates are as follows:

Spring CBA: Friday, May 26 to Sunday, June 4, 2023

Fall CBA: Friday October 27, 2023 to Sunday, November 5, 2023

Registrants who have been randomly selected for the May 2023 CBA will be notified the week of February 27, 2023.

2022 QA reporting cycle update

As part of CRPO’s Quality Assurance Program, registrants are required to complete professional development (PD) activities every two years. These activities include completing a self-assessment and engaging in 40 hours of professional development (learning) activities.

The 2022 PD reporting cycle ended December 31, 2022. Registrants who were registered in an even year (i.e., 2016, 2018, 2020) were required to complete an attestation by January 15, 2023.

Here are the 2022 reporting cycle results*:

o 2859 registrants were required to complete an attestation by January 15, 2023

o 2309 registrants submitted an attestation by the deadline (approx. 81%)

o 346 registrants submitted a late attestation

o 204 registrants are non-compliant and have not submitted an attestation

*Numbers as of February 14, 2023

Unsure what year you registered with CRPO? Search for your name in CRPO’s Public Register.

Expert review concerning the death of a child

In October 2022, CRPO received a letter and expert review from Ontario’s Child and Youth Death Review and Analysis (CYDRA) unit at Office of the Chief Coroner (OCC). The CYDRA unit at the OCC “directly supports the development of effective recommendations for the prevention of further deaths of young persons in Ontario.”

Based on recommendations issued in the review, CRPO reminds all registrants of the enhanced duty to report child abuse and neglect.

Because of this duty, CRPO expects registrants to review training (e.g., self-directed reading or an appropriate training course/webinar identified by the registrant) on their duty to report once every two years. Beginning with the 2023 professional development reporting cycle, under CRPO’s Quality Assurance Program, registrants will be required to attest that they have completed this review. As with all professional development activities, registrants should keep relevant documentation about this training in their professional development portfolio.

The following resources may be useful in considering this issue:

Canadian Centre for Child Protection

Website and resources: protectchildren.ca

CRPO

Disclosing Information to Prevent Harm Professional Practice Guideline

Mandatory Reporting Obligations for Registered Psychotherapists

Government of Ontario

Child, Youth and Family Services Act, 2017, S.O. 2017, c. 14, Sched. 1 (see paragraphs 125 to 128 on Duty to Report)

Report child abuse and neglect (website)

Reporting Child Abuse and Neglect: It’s Your Duty Your responsibilities under the Child, Youth and Family Services Act, 2017 (brochure, August 2021)

Information and Privacy Commissioner of Ontario and the Ontario Provincial Advocate

Yes, You Can. Dispelling the Myths About Sharing Information with Children’s Aid Societies (brochure)

Ontario Association of Children’s Aid Societies

Duty to report (webpage)

Recruitment of non-Council member to serve on Exam Committee

The Examination Committee is seeking:

An internationally trained professional who has satisfied the entry to practice exam requirement
A graduate of a bridging program
Training & experience working with individuals with disabilities and accommodating those individuals
Experience in competency-based testing or high stakes exams
Knowledge & understanding of CRPO’s entry-to-practice competencies
Experience providing clinical supervision to recent grads

APPLY HERE

Use of Terms, Titles, and Designations

We have updated the content of our Practice Matters article regarding the use of terms, titles, and designations.

Discipline Process Updates

CRPO Council, at its December and January meetings, took steps to make changes to the discipline process. Beginning April 3, 2023, the Discipline Committee will participate in a 12-month pilot project: the Health Professions Discipline Tribunals Pilot. During the pilot project, the committee, case management conferences, and hearing panels will be chaired by experienced adjudicators who are also members of other health profession discipline tribunals. Independent legal counsel will no longer be part of pre-hearing or hearing processes. These changes are aimed at promoting the independence, fairness, and efficiency of the discipline process.

In preparing for the pilot project, the Discipline Committee is considering changes to its Rules of Procedure relating to discipline case management, measures to protect vulnerable witnesses, and limiting evidence of sexual history, as well as a Practice Direction on the pilot project. Any interested stakeholders are invited to provide feedback on the proposed rule changes and Practice Direction, or send any questions to hearings@crpo.ca.

Mental Wellness Supports for Health Care Workers

Ontario Health is sharing mental health resources for health care workers. Consult their email communication for more information.

Professional Liability Insurance Audit Results Summary

All CRPO registrants (other than those in the Inactive category of registration) are required to have and maintain professional liability insurance (PLI) coverage at all times, regardless of whether they are practising. CRPO regularly conducts PLI audits in which randomly selected registrants are required to provide documentary proof of their PLI coverage within 30 days. After 30 days, any registrant who has not successfully completed the audit is issued a notice of impending suspension and provided an additional 30 days to provide their proof of PLI.

College staff launched a PLI audit on November 9, 2022. As of the second deadline of January 8, 2023, 96% of participants provided adequate proof that their PLI coverage met requirements. 3% of registrants were granted an extension and provided adequate proof shortly after the deadline. 1% of registrants were suspended for not having PLI coverage as required.

Registration Renewal is Now Open

All registrants in the RP, RP (Qualifying), and RP (Inactive) categories are required to renew their registration by March 31, 2023, so don’t delay!

The renewal form is available on the “Renewal” page of your user account. The last step in the form will be payment of the annual registration fee and you will be prompted to pay by Visa or MasterCard directly through your account. The alternative for individuals without credit cards is a prepaid credit card.

If you are in the RP category and would like to transfer to RP (Inactive) and be invoiced the Inactive amount for 2023-2024, you must go to the “Category transfer request” page in your CRPO account and submit the request no later than March 14, 2023.

If you don’t intend to renew and would like to resign your registration with CRPO, please go to the “Category transfer request” page in your CRPO account and submit the resignation form.

Please see the Renewal page for more information and check out our renewal FAQ.

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