CRPO Communiqué
August 2017
August 16, 2017


Message from the Registrar 
Deborah Adams
Registrar

The Regulated Health Professions Act, 1991, mandates the College to have a Client* Relations Program and stipulates that this program must include "...measures for preventing or dealing with sexual abuse of patients." 

Given the inherent power imbalance between RPs and their clients , CRPO sees the work of the Client Relations Committee (CRC) as being a critical and core function of the College and is committed to taking a leadership role in preventing and addressing sexual abuse of clients by Members.

Over the coming year, the College will be devoting Council member and staff time to further develop the regulatory tools that contribute to the prevention of sexual abuse and to improve the client journey through an effective process for responding to sexual abuse allegations. 
 Quick Links

Communiqué de l'OPAO - Août 2017 - Version française
In This Issue
These tools will be developed to:
  • Educate the public about the role of CRPO in providing them with protection from sexual abuse.
  • Foster Members' comprehension of the zero-tolerance policy and their obligations (including around mandatory reporting) as regulated health professionals.
  • Ensure that each committee and panel of the College operates from the same clear understanding of  the impact that sexual abuse by Members has on individual clients and on the public trust in Registered Psychotherapists.
  • Allow for vital consistency of approach and increase the transparency of College processes in dealing with allegations of sexual abuse. 
We will be reporting back on this work and sharing the results over the coming months. Please watch the communiqués and the website for a list of relevant foundational definitions, revised versions of the forms needed to access funding to therapy for clients who have been victims of sexual abuse by Members, educational resources for professionals and the public, and a number of other tools and resources. 

* The Regulated Health Professions Act, 1991, uses the term "patient" whereas CRPO uses the term "client" to identify those under the care of Registered Psychotherapists.
New QA Due Dates for Self-Assessment, Learning Plan and Learning Record

The deadlines related to the Quality Assurance (QA) Program requirements will soon change. These changes will apply to ALL Members .

Note: Revised deadlines do not shorten any Member's QA submission period. 

Why are you making these changes? How does this benefit me as a Member?
CRPO's goal is to have staff available to Members to provide guidance regarding QA requirements and technical support regarding submission of PD tools through the QA Portal throughout the QA process. QA deadlines currently coincide with renewal and year end, which are busy times at the College, making it difficult to manage staff time with other tasks. In the interest of efficiency and best use of Member fees (i.e., not having to hire extra staff to deal with these time-sensitive deadlines), CRPO has made the decision to revise the QA deadlines as outlined in more detail below.
 
We believe that this change will support Members in meaningful engagement with QA by separating it from their renewal obligations and having dedicated staff available for any assistance as required. Future communications will continue to reinforce this new schedule, but Members should check in with QA staff as needed at [email protected] . 
 
What exactly is changing?
CRPO's QA Program includes three components:
  1. Professional Development, which requires the ongoing participation of every Member;
  2. Peer & Practice Review, which involves a review of a Member's practice by a trained peer assessor; and
  3. Professional Improvement, which includes a Member's participation in a remediation program, as deemed necessary by the QA Committee.
The deadlines associated with the Professional Development (PD) component are changing. The changes are as follows:
  • Starting Sept. 1, 2018, new Members will complete specific PD requirements within three months of their date of initial registration. Thereafter, new Members will complete their ongoing participation requirements every second year, as described below.
  • A Member's ongoing participation is based on their year of initial registration, and effective Dec. 1, 2017, the new deadline to complete the PD component is November 30. This means:
    • Members whose date of initial registration falls in an odd-numbered year are required to complete their PD tools by November 30 in odd-numbered years.
    • Members whose date of initial registration falls in even-numbered years will be required to complete their PD tools by November 30 in even-numbered years.
How will these changes impact me?
The impact these changes will have on your participation deadlines depends on your date of initial registration. Click the timeframe below that corresponds with your date of initial registration for details:
Your date of initial registration is the date on which you first became registered with the College. Not sure when you became a Member? Check your Certificate of Registration, which can be found in the "Certificate" tab of your CRPO user account , or you can find yourself on the Public Register where your "Date of Initial Registration" is listed.
 
How can I learn more?
CRPO will host online information sessions on October 3 and 4, 2017 where the changes will be discussed. Sessions typically last 1.5 hours and will include a question and answer period with staff in the QA department. The September Communiqué will include session registration details.

CRPO Members: Check Your Public Register Profile

CRPO's Public Register can be found on our website under " Find an RP. " The Public Register contains information about all CRPO Members and allows anyone to confirm whether a person is a Member of the College, and to learn the person's registration status, discipline history (if any) and their employment information.

It is important for Members to check their information on the Public Register to ensure that all the information listed is up-to-date, and to alert CRPO as soon as possible of any changes. If you notice any changes that need to be made, or have questions about the Public Register or your record, please contact us at  [email protected] .
Practice Advisory FAQs

CRPO offers a practice advisory service to respond to enquiries related to professional practice, ethics and practice standards. This service provides information and resources to Members to assist with challenging practice situations.
 
The Practice Advisory service will also continue to provide answers to frequently asked questions on various topics. This month's topic is Record-Keeping. We hope Members find it to be helpful.
 
Note: T he Practice Advisor's phone number has changed to 416-525-8229. The e-mail address remains the same, [email protected] .
CRPO is Moving

As a new College, CRPO has been using office space that was provided by the Ministry of Health and Long-Term Care during the Council's transitional phase. This arrangement was time-limited and so we are now in the process of planning a move to a new office space. The move is scheduled to begin in September 2017 and we expect to be operational in our new office by the end of that month. As the date approaches, we will continue to provide updates regarding the move and how to access CRPO staff to ensure as seamless a transition as possible. Please watch upcoming communiqués, as well as CRPO's website, for further information over the coming months.

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