The College of Occupational Therapists of Ontario would like to hear your feedback on the
revised Standards for the Prevention of Sexual Abuse.
Changes to the Standards were prompted by significant amendments to the
Regulated Health Professions Act, 1991 (RHPA) that came into effect May 1, 2018. This consultation is an opportunity for OTs, the public and other interested stakeholders to provide feedback on the revised Standards.
The Standards for the Prevention of Sexual Abuse describe expectations of conduct for occupational therapists in managing the client-therapist relationship, specifically related to the prevention of sexual abuse. Sexual relations between an occupational therapist (OT) and client are always unethical and abusive, are considered a serious breach of trust, and involve a fundamental abuse of power. The College of Occupational Therapists of Ontario has a position of zero tolerance toward all forms of sexual abuse within the client-therapist relationship. Accordingly, the College holds all OTs accountable for their behaviour with clients at all times. Any form of sexual abuse of the client under any circumstances is unacceptable and will not be tolerated.
The consultation closes at 4:00 p.m. on Monday June 4, 2018.
Changes to watch for in the revised Standards for the Prevention of Sexual Abuse:
1. New legislative references to the definition of patient and criteria for determining when an individual is a patient
2. Revision to the minimum time requirement for when an OT may consider a personal relationship with a former client from “generally two years” to one year from when the individual ceased to the be the OT’s patient, in alignment with amendments to the RHPA
3. Addition of a standard for the mandatory reporting of sexual abuse
4. Addition of a standard regarding the treatment of spouses
5. Removal of content related to the College’s responsibilities for the management of sexual abuse reports as this information is available elsewhere and does not pertain to the expectations for OTs.
Click here to view the revised Standards for the Prevention of Sexual Abuse.
Feedback
There are various ways you can provide your feedback to the College.
By email:
[email protected]
By fax: 416-214-1173
By survey:
https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/6TTQXC5
By mail to:
Kara Ronald, Deputy Registrar
College of Occupational Therapists of Ontario
20 Bay Street, Suite 900, P.O Box 78
Toronto, ON M5J 2N8