New Standards of Practice
During the Fall session of the Legislature, the Government passed Bill 21, An Act to Protect Patients. While some of the amendments to the Health Professions Act, enacted by the Bill became effective on proclamation November 19, 2018 (such as the requirement for a criminal record check for new and returning OTs) the remaining requirements pertaining to sexual abuse and sexual misconduct come into effect April 1, 2019. It is important that Occupational Therapists make themselves aware of and comply with the amended Standards of Practice, specifically the new Standard 10 regarding Maintaining Boundaries. As well, a new resource has been posted on the website to provide details regarding Sexual Abuse and Sexual Misconduct Complaints to inform the public what to expect when filing a complaint of this nature and the supports available to them from the College. Note there will be mandatory training provided to all occupational therapists about the new Standard 10 – the training is currently under development and expected to be available in late 2019.
Reminder
Council nominations are due back to ACOT by April 1st, 2019. We look forward to receiving the nominations for this exciting role!