Working within the statutory requirements established for all Health Regulatory Colleges in Ontario; the College views its Quality Assurance Programs as a means of supporting members in maintaining their knowledge and skills throughout their careers. While adhering to the rigorous legislative requirements, the College’s Quality Assurance Programs have been designed to be supportive rather than investigative. Whenever participation in Quality Assurance leads to the identification of the need for remediation; information about this remains confidential as member-specific information about Quality Assurance involvement is not publicly available.
Declarations Due Soon
The time to make one’s Quality Assurance Declarations is approaching. Members are required to complete the Self-Assessment Guide and Continuing Professional Development Plan, as well as the Continuing Professional Development Program on a schedule determined by their certificate type and registration number. The schedule outlining which programs you must complete can be found below.
While members do not routinely need to submit their Quality Assurance records for these programs, they must submit their Declarations of Completion as an attestation of their fulfillment of the program requirements. Please watch carefully for messages from the College about which Declarations you are required to make at the end of June 2023.
| To ensure you do not miss any notices, please add the Quality Assurance address (qualityassurance@cpo.on.ca) to your safe senders list. |
Declarations of Completion for the following groups are due no later than Friday, June 30, 2023.
| Certificate Type | Self-Assessment Guide (SAG) | Continuing Professional Development (CPD) Program |
| Autonomous Practice | Odd Certificate Number Only | Odd Certificate Number Only |
| Academic | Odd Certificate Number Only | Odd Certificate Number Only |
| Supervised Practice | ALL Certificate Numbers | Odd Certificate Number Only |
| Interim Autonomous Practice* | ALL Certificate Numbers | Odd Certificate Number Only |
| Retired | None | None |
* Members with a Certificate of Registration Authorizing Interim Autonomous Practice who are in compliance with the Self-Assessment and Continuing Professional Development requirements of their home jurisdictions may attest to the fulfillment of those requirements, in lieu of those of the College. If a member is not in compliance with the requirements of their home jurisdiction or if the jurisdiction does not have Self-Assessment or Continuing Professional Development requirements, the member must complete the College’s Self-Assessment Guide and Continuing Professional Development requirements and declare that they have done so.
| Online Declarations of Completion are now available. |
PEER ASSISTED REVIEWS (PAR)
The College continues to address a backlog of ongoing Peer Assisted Reviews created by restrictions associated with the COVID-19 pandemic. While the restrictions were in place, the Quality Assurance Committee made the decision to allow all members selected for participation in a PAR do so virtually through secure video-conferencing platforms. This transition to virtual reviews has increased accessibility and safety for the involved members, without compromising efficacy. As restrictions have eased, the College is currently permitting in-person reviews to resume, however all parties involved in the review must be comfortable with proceeding in this manner.
During the third quarter, December 1, 2022 – February 28, 2023, 13 Peer Assisted Reviews were completed and reviewed by the Committee. In 12 cases, panels of the Committee believed, based on Assessor reports, that the members’ professional practice adhered to the Standards of the profession. In one case, the member was issued remedial feedback, specifically to ensure the designation of a custodian of records in the event of incapacity or death.
There are 40 ongoing reviews which are either already scheduled for completion, or being arranged. Decisions concerning additional selections for review will be made after additional progress has been made in addressing the backlog.
SELF-ASSESSMENT
During the third quarter, the Committee considered three matters related to Self-Assessment (SAG) requirements, all resulting from members’ failure to make their Declarations of Completion by the due date. In one case, the Committee believed the member’s completion of the SAG requirements was adequate but provided a reminder to ensure their Declarations were submitted in a timely manner in the future. In another case, the Committee referred the member for an assessment under s.81 of the Health Professions Procedural Code, which is Schedule 2 of the Regulated Health Professions Act, 1991, in order to assist the Committee in determining the nature of the member’s difficulties in meeting the SAG requirements. The Committee referred the remaining member to the Inquires, Complaints and Reports Committee of the College due to lack of compliance with the requirements of the program.
New Items on the Self-Assessment Guide
The 2023 Self-Assessment Guide is available for completion. All members are asked to review the following additions and changes made since the last time members were required to undertake mandatory self-assessment:
- Fixing Long-Term Care Act, 2021 – replacing the Long-Term Care Homes Act, 2007, repealed April 11, 2022;
- Rowan’s Law (Concussion Safety), 2018;
- Tri-Council Policy Statement: Ethical Conduct for Research Involving Humans, 2022 – updated January 11, 2023.
Members should also note the addition of Equity, Diversity and Inclusion requirements added to the Self-Assessment Guide by the Committee in 2022. All members should be aware of the changes and review the cited resources in the Guide.
CONTINUING PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT
Changes to Continuing Professional Development (CPD) Requirements and CPD Tracking System
Based upon member feedback, the College has made some changes to the program. For members beginning a new two-year cycle in July 2023, the methods for classifying and counting credits will be simpler than they have been to date. There will also be an additional requirement for at least 5 of the required 50 CPD credits to contain content relevant to Equity, Diversity and Inclusion.
Revised CPD Requirements for all cycles beginning after July 1, 2022:
CONTINUING PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT REQUIREMENTS
| Members may earn a maximum of: |
|---|
| 10 Credits per Activity Type or Single Event, e.g., grand rounds, peer supervision, case conference, seminar, project, publication, independent study activity, Committee membership |
| 20 Credits per Activity Category, i.e., A1, A2…, B1, B2 |
| Members must earn a minimum of: |
|---|
| 50 Total CPD Credits |
| 50 Total Credits must include at least: |
|---|
| 10 Credits from Section A and 10 Credits from Section B activities |
| 10 Credits with content related to professional Ethics and/or Jurisprudence |
| 5 Credits with content related to Equity, Diversity and Inclusion |
Section A: Continuing Professional Development Achieved through Professional Activities (Minimum 10)
| A1. Professional Consultation/Interaction: (1 hour = 1 credit) |
| A2. (Preparation for) Teaching: (10 credits per semester course) |
| A3. (Preparation for) Delivering Workshops, Conferences and Presentations: (1 hour = 1 credit) |
| A4. Professional Writing, Reviewing, Editing: (1 hour = 1 credit) |
| A5. Formal Research: (1 hour = 1 credit) |
| A6. College / Professional Association Involvement: (1 hour = 1 credit) |
| A7. Practice Outcome Monitoring: (1 hour = 1 credit) |
| A8. General Attendance at Conferences, Workshops, Seminars and Conventions: (1/2 day = 1 credit) When participating in applicable live activities, credits may be counted under both A8 and B2 categories. |
Section B: Continuing Professional Development Achieved through Education (Minimum 10)
| B1. Programs/Courses/Workshops with content relevant to the practice of Psychology where CE credits are provided: (1 hour = 1 credit, or as provided by the accrediting organization) |
| B2. Programs/Courses/Workshops with content relevant to the practice of Psychology whether or not formal CE credits are provided: (1 hour = 1 credit) This category can be used to record credits which may also be counted under category B1 if the maximum has been reached |
| B3. Self Directed Learning: (1 hour = 1 credit) |
CPD Tracking Tools and Resources
A new online tracking system is in development and it is expected to be completed before the next cycle, which begins on July 1, 2023. Details will be sent to members at that time and will available on the College website
The College has provided simple tracking sheet options for member to use and retain within their own hard or digital copy records. The tracking sheets, and instructions for use, have been posted in the Quality Assurance section of the College website.
Completed samples have also be posted on the College website to demonstrate the necessary level of detail to be included on the forms.
Continuing Professional Development Program Audits
Each year the Quality Assurance Committee conducts audits of member participation in the mandatory CPD program. Members are selected at random to participate in the CPD audit. In addition, audits are also conducted on all members who did not meet the deadline for submitting their Declaration of Completion.
During the last quarter, 20 CPD audits were completed. In 15 cases, the Committee determined that the members had completed all requirements successfully, without any concerns.
In 5 cases, members received remedial messages, as follows:
- 3 members were reminded to utilize the SMART Framework to ensure that future professional development goals set out in the Continuing Professional Development Plan portion of the Self-Assessment Guide are sufficiently specific to support achievement and assist in progress monitoring;
- 1 member was advised to ensure the inclusion of sufficient detail in their CPD Tracking Sheet and supporting materials so that the content and eligibility of continuing education and professional development activities could be better determined and verified;
- 1 member was advised that all members, with the exception of members holding a Retired Certificate of Registration must participate fully in the components of the College’s Quality Assurance Program.
In addition, in two cases, based upon the information provided, the Committee could not determine whether all requirements had been met and referred the members for other College processes for resolution. This included one decision requiring a member to undergo an assessment under s.81 of the Health Professions Procedural Code, which is Schedule 2 of the Regulated Health Professions Act, 1991, in order to assist the Committee in determining the nature of the member’s difficulties in meeting the CPD requirements, and one decision to refer the member to the Inquires, Complaints and Reports Committee of the College to investigate lack of compliance with the requirements of the program.