The College of Occupational Therapists of Ontario |
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Enewsletter | January 2021 |
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In this issue…
- Survey: Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion
- QA Q&A: Continuing Quality Assurance in the Pandemic
- PREP Update
- QA Webinar Available
- Practice: Case of the Month
- Sexual Abuse & Mandatory Reporting Resource
- COVID-19 Update
- Practice: Q&As
- Poll: Updating Your Info
- Podcast: Importance of Updating Your Information
- Reminder: 2021 Council Nominations
- Bylaw Consultation Closed
- Council Meeting January 28
- CORECOM Update
- Reminder: Phishing and Scams
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Survey for Registrants: DEI
Survey on Diversity, Equity and Inclusion in Occupational Therapy Practice
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The College is developing a resource on diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) to support ethical, safe and competent occupational therapy practice in Ontario. We want to understand how DEI impacts occupational therapy practice and the public we serve.
If you have questions or additional feedback, please contact the Practice Team practice@coto.org. |
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Quality Assurance Q&A
Continuing Quality Assurance in the Pandemic
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Question: Why can’t you pause the Quality Assurance (QA) program during the pandemic? How are you working with registrants to adjust requirements during these challenging times?
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PREP Update
Thanks and Online Archive
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In 2020, the College saw a 98% compliance rate for the self-assessment and PREP. We thank everyone for taking the time to complete these important and required initiatives. The 2020 PREP: Managing Risks in Occupational Therapy Practice is now available in the PREP archive. |
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Conversations with the College
Webinar: Demystifying the Quality Assurance Program
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Case of the Month
Sexual Abuse and Mandatory Reporting
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An occupational therapist (OT) who practices psychotherapy with their own private practice has been treating a university student. After developing a trusting rapport and a safe therapeutic environment, the student tells the OT about a health provider who made sexual comments and actions towards her while she was in a vulnerable physical position in the past.
The OT understands the severity of the situation and acknowledges a greater professional responsibility as this situation is an alleged sexual abuse of a client by another regulated health care professional. The OT has not encountered this before but knows that there are mandatory reporting requirements.
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Mandatory Reporting Resource
New resource for reporting sexual abuse
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The College has developed a new resource addressing mandatory reporting of client sexual abuse by regulated health professionals. You can access this new visual resource on our website under the Mandatory Reports page. |
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On January 25, 2021, the Government of Ontario has announced the provincial emergency that was declared on January 12, 2021 have now been extended until February 9, 2021. All orders under the emergency including; Stay-at-Home Order, Enforcement of COVID-19 Measures and Residential Evictions were also extended. Orders under the Reopening Ontario (A Flexible Response to COVID-19) Act, 2020 continue to be in force. View the notice on our website.
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The College continues to monitor the Government of Ontario's rollout of its COVID-19 vaccination program and will provide updates as new information and resources become available.
Thank you for your ongoing commitment to safe practice. Please contact the Practice Team at practice@coto.org with any questions. |
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Practice Q&As
Questions about consent through email and accountability in media
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Question: Can I accept verbal consent from a client for email communication?
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Question: Can I be held accountable for posting or voicing controversial personal opinions in the media or online?
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Do you know you need to update your information with the College within 30 days of a change?
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Yes, I always log in to update my profile when there is a change.
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Oops! I update at renewal and I thought that was enough.
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No, I didn’t know I needed to update so thanks for the reminder!
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COTO on Topic Podcast
Listen: The Importance of Updating Your Information
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Life changes, and as a regulated health care professional, you need to keep the College informed of many of these changes.
This previously released podcast is about why it's important for occupational therapists to keep your information with the College up to date. We discuss the different types of changes that require an update to the College, your professional responsibilities for updating your information, and more.
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Reminder: 2021 Elections
Nominations close January 29, 2021
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The nominations for the College's upcoming elections are closing on January 29, 2021. We have one Council seat up for election in each of Districts 3 (London, Windsor, and Perth areas), 5 (Sudbury, Parry Sound, and Muskoka areas) and 6 (Kenora, Rainy River, and Thunder Bay areas).
If you were unable to attend our elections webinar with College Registrar Elinor Larney, it's now available on our YouTube channel.
Eligible members should have received an email with instructions on how to run or nominate a candidate for Council. If you have not received your email, contact us at elections@coto.org. |
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Bylaw Consultation Closed
Thank you for your feedback
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The consultation on the revised College bylaws closed on January 11, 2021. Thank you for your feedback! Findings and any additional revisions to the bylaws will be presented to Council at the meeting on January 28 for final approval. We will share any further updates on the website and in future newsletters. |
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College Council Meeting
Upcoming College Council Meeting on January 28
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Our next College Council meeting will be held online on Thursday, January 28, 2021 from 9:00 a.m.–3:30 p.m.
Council meetings are open to the public. To reserve a virtual spot, please contact, Andjelina Stanier, Executive Assistant at 1.800.890.6570/416.214.1177 ext. 232 or email astanier@coto.org.
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CORECOM Update
Latest project updates on the national collaborative initiative
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The CORECOM project is developing a single competency document that will outline entry to practice competencies and describe competencies used throughout occupational therapy practice in Canada.
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Reminder: Phishing and Spam |
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As phishing emails and cyber scams continue to rise involving other organizations, we want to take a moment to remind you of our protocols for interacting with registrants. |
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The College will:
- Contact you by phone, email or mail to provide you with required information, using your current contact information on file with the College.
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Email you from our @coto.org address.
- Send mail in a COTO envelope. Some mail may require a signature.
- Ask you to confirm your identity if you contact us and are seeking private information. Questions may include:
- Home address and postal code
- Date of birth
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The College WILL NOT:
- Communicate by text.
- Send emails from a personal email address.
- Ask you to confirm your identity if we have contacted you, unless we need to discuss private or confidential matters. Identifying questions will never include:
- SIN number
- Credit card or banking/financial
- Tax information
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Any changes to your profile information in the last 30 days? Make sure you update your profile. |
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DO NOT UNSUBSCRIBE IF YOU ARE A REGISTRANT OF THE COLLEGE.
If registrants unsubscribe, they will be contacted to re-subscribe. The College communicates to occupational therapists by email regarding changes to standards, mandatory registration requirements, public consultations and more. We strive to keep communication relevant and to a minimum.
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