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Complaints
A member of the public, a colleague or an employer can bring concerns about the practice of an occupational therapist (also known as OT or registrant) to the College's attention for review.
Concerns about an occupational therapist's practice usually fall into one of three categories:
- Misconduct - concerns that an occupational therapist has ignored the basic rules of practice; such misconduct can also include sexual abuse of a client
- Incompetence - concerns that the occupational therapist has failed to maintain the standards of practice and/or the care provided was inappropriate
- Incapacity - concerns that the occupational therapist is suffering from a physical, mental condition or disorder which interferes with their ability to practice.
In addition, the College of Occupational Therapists of Ontario has adopted the position of zero tolerance toward all forms of sexual abuse within the client-therapist relationship. This means that any form of sexual abuse of a client under any circumstance is unacceptable and will not be tolerated. The College is committed to the prevention of sexual abuse through the education of its registrants and the public. Sexual Abuse is defined as sexual intercourse or other forms of physical sexual relations between the therapist and the client, touching, of a sexual nature, of the client by the therapist, or behaviour or remarks of a sexual nature by the therapist towards the client.
Once a complaint is filed with the College related to a therapist's practice, the therapist is notified of the complaint and provided with the opportunity to respond. The complainant is provided with a copy of the therapist's response prior to the matter being reviewed by the Inquiries, Complaints and Reports (ICRC) Committee. The ICRC Committee is a screening committee which is comprised of two members of the public who are appointed to the College Council by the Lieutenant Governor of Ontario and three occupational therapists. The Committee may consider a variety of information prior to making their decision. As per the requirements in the legislation, the panel reviewing the case makes every attempt to resolve the matter within 50 days.
At the conclusion of their deliberations, the panel may:
- take no further action
- issue a caution (guidance) in person or in writing
- refer the case to the Discipline Committee if the concerns are very serious and cannot reasonably be addressed through one of the other options
- take action that it considers to be appropriate and not inconsistent with the legislation
The ICRC Committee cannot, by law, award compensation of any kind nor can it require a therapist to change their professional opinion or report.
At the end of the review process, the parties receive a written decision which may be appealed to the Health Professions Appeal and Review Board unless the matter has been referred to the Discipline Committee for a hearing. The appeal/review process is open to members of the public.
College staff members are not members of the Committee nor are they involved in the decision making process.
Members of the public
Submit a complaint online - Coming soon!
This feature is currently under construction.
For registrants
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