The College of Occupational Therapists of Ontario is pleased to announce the new Standards of Practice were approved by the Board of Directors at the January 26, 2023 meeting.
The College protects the public by setting and promoting the Standards of Practice for occupational therapists in Ontario. Standards play a key role in ensuring registrants provide quality, safe, effective, and competent occupational therapy services.
What to expect in the new Standards of Practice?
The new Standards of Practice are:
- Streamlined into one shorter document, enhancing consistency of information, removing redundancy, and promoting ease of use for the public and occupational therapists
- Principle-based and less prescriptive, to allow for evolving practice and to help occupational therapists and their clients understand what to expect
- Applicable to occupational therapists in all areas of practice and settings regardless of their role, job description or area of practice
- Updated to clarify the expectations when practising psychotherapy
- Updated to incorporate the Competencies for Occupational Therapists in Canada (2021)
What’s Next?
The new Standards of Practice will come into effect on June 1, 2023. Until then, registrants should follow the expectations outlined in the current Standards, which are available under Standards & Resources. In the coming months, the College will be providing opportunities to learn more about the new Standards of Practice and supporting practice resources.
For more information about the Standards, please reach out to our Practice Resource service at [email protected].
The College would like to take this opportunity to thank everyone who contributed to this project.