VOLUME 1, NUMBER 1

IN THIS ISSUE

What Employers Need to Know About the College’s Complaints & Reports Processes 2Q&A: What Happens after the College Receives a Complaint? 4Employer Outreach Campaign Sneak Peek 5 Employer Resources 6

A MESSAGE FROM THE REGISTRAR

Welcome to the Ontario College of Social Workers and Social Service Workers’ inaugural Employer Communiqué! Employers are important stakeholders of the College and we are pleased to be reaching out to you.

As an employer of registered social workers and registered social service workers, you have taken an important step in ensuring that your employees have met specific entry-to-practice requirements, are bound by a code of ethics and standards of practice, engage in ongoing learning through the College’s Continuing Competence Program (CCP), and are accountable through the College’s complaints and discipline processes. Employing College members demonstrates that you are committed to delivering professional, ethical, qualified, and accountable care and services to the clients your organization serves.

The Employer Communiqué has been developed in order to provide employers with relevant information about:

§ The role of the College and its mandate.

§ The value of hiring a registered social worker and/or registered social service worker.

§ Resources available to you as an employer.

§ Employer responsibilities.

§ Information about the College’s complaints and discipline processes.

§ And much more!

We hope you find this communiqué timely and relevant. I also encourage you to visit the Employers section on the College’s website to read important and topical information that may be useful to you as an employer of social workers and social service workers.

If you have any questions regarding the Employer Communiqué, or if you have suggestions for topics you would like us to address in a future edition, please contact communications@ocswssw.org.

Lise Betteridge, MSW, RSWRegistrar

The College’s complaints and reports processes are an important regulatory tool the College uses to protect the public from unqualified, unfit, and incompetent social workers and social service workers.

Employers of social workers and social service workers may not be familiar with the College’s complaints and reports processes or aware that all members are held accountable to rigorous investigations and discipline processes. This is one of the ways the College protects the public and provides confidence to employers that members are committed to professional and ethical practice.

Through this introductory Employer Communiqué, we hope to shed some light on this essential regulatory function.

HOW THE COMPLAINTS PROCESS WORKSAs part of its public protection mandate, the College considers and investigates complaints about alleged misconduct by College members in relation to the care they provide or other aspects of the professional relationship. In accordance with the Social Work and Social Service Work Act, 1998 (the Act), the College is required to have a formal complaints process, which enables members of the public who receive social work or social service work services to submit a complaint against a member of the College.

FILING A COMPLAINTFor a complaint to be considered and assessed, a completed complaint form must be submitted to the College. Information on how to file a complaint can be found here.

INVESTIGATIONSThe College’s Complaints Committee will consider certain preliminary matters to determine its jurisdiction over the complaint. Provided that the Complaints Committee determines to proceed, an investigation will be carried out.

COMPLAINTS COMMITTEE The Complaints Committee reviews the results of every investigation to determine what the appropriate regulatory response should be. In all cases, due process is followed to ensure fairness and transparency.

For more information on the complaints process, including what kinds of decisions the Complaints Committee can make, download the College’s complaints process brochure.

WHAT EMPLOYERS NEED TO KNOW ABOUT THE COLLEGE’S COMPLAINTS & REPORTS PROCESSES

“NO MATTER THE VOLUME, THE COLLEGE WORKS DILIGENTLY TO ENSURE EVERY COMPLAINT IS PROCESSED IN A TIMELY AND RESPECTFUL MANNER” – RICHELLE SAMUEL, DIRECTOR OF COMPLAINTS AND DISCIPLINE

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REPORTSThe College may receive reports concerning social workers or social service workers from a wide variety of sources, including law enforcement agencies and the media. These reports may form the basis of a College investigation if the College’s Registrar has reasonable and probable grounds to believe that a College member has committed an act of professional misconduct or is incompetent or incapacitated.

MANDATORY REPORTSUnder the Act, there are specific circumstances in which members and employers must provide a report to the College. The mandatory reporting obligations are not to be confused with the College’s complaints process, which is intended to be used by members of the public who receive social work or social service work services. For more information on the College’s mandatory reports process, please visit our website.

Stay tuned for the College’s next Employer Communiqué for more information on mandatory reports.

ENSURING FAIRNESS AND DUE PROCESSThe College’s investigations process can be a time-intensive and resource-heavy endeavour. In 2016, for example, the College’s Complaints Committee received and considered 61 complaints from members of the public concerning the conduct of registered social workers and registered social service workers. During this same period, the Complaints Committee issued 114 decisions and reasons and made nine referrals to the Discipline Committee.

“No matter the volume, the College works diligently to ensure every complaint is processed in a timely and respectful manner,” said Richelle Samuel, the College’s Director of Complaints and Discipline. “The College takes its public protection mandate very seriously and is committed to ensuring a fair and transparent process for all affected parties.”

FOR MORE INFORMATIONIf you would like more information on the College’s complaints process, visit our website.

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COLLEGE JURISDICTION: Complaints can only be made against registered members of the College. A complaint cannot be made against an institution that employs social workers and/or social service workers.

The Ontario College of Social Workers and Social Service Workers (the College) regulates the practice of social work and social service work under the provincial Social Work and Social Service Work Act, 1998. As part of its ongoing mandate to serve and protect the public interest, the College is required to have a formal complaints process, which gives anyone the ability to have their complaint about a College member’s alleged conduct or actions submitted to the College’s Complaints Committee.

Generally, once a written complaint is received,

1. The individual who made the complaint (the complainant) can expect to receive a letter from the College acknowledging receipt of the complaint and advising of the process that will follow.

2. The member complained against is notified in writing that the College has received a complaint. A copy of the complaint or a written summary of it is provided to the member and the member is given at least 35 days to provide the College with a written response to the complaint.

3. The complainant is then provided with a copy of the member’s response or a written summary of it.

4. If the College requires further information, it will attempt to obtain it.

Employers can access the College’s Online Register should they seek information regarding a member’s registration status and discipline history, if any.

For more information on the College’s complaints process, visit our website or contact communications@ocswssw.org.

Q&A4

WHAT HAPPENS AFTER THE COLLEGE RECEIVES A COMPLAINT?

We’re pleased to announce that the Ontario College of Social Workers and Social Service Workers has launched an exciting new program to inform employers of the many benefits of hiring registered employees. Employers are important stakeholders of the College and we don’t want you to miss out on any of the value that registered social workers and registered social service workers can bring to your organization.

“Don’t miss out” is the theme of our campaign, and our message is simple: a quick check on our website before you hire will tell you whether your candidate is registered. If their name is missing from our Register, you are missing out. Registered social workers and registered social service workers have met specific entry-to-practice requirements, are bound by a code of ethics and standards of practice, engage in ongoing learning through the College’s Continuing Competence Program, and are accountable through the College’s complaints and discipline processes. Employing College members demonstrates that you are committed to delivering professional, ethical, qualified, and accountable care and services to the clients your organization serves.

Keep an eye out for useful information coming your way, including:

§ Employer Communiqué, right to your inbox

§ Direct mail items (coming soon)

§ Online advertising

§ The new Employers section of our website

§ Our interactive “Take the College Knowledge” online quiz (coming soon)

We hope you find it helpful.

Here’s a sneak peek into the College’s campaign!

DON’T MISS OUT!EMPLOYER OUTREACH CAMPAIGN

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Employers play an important role in helping the College fulfill its mandate of public protection. Educational tools and resources are available to employers on the College website at ocswssw.org. Click the links below to learn more.

EMPLOYER RESOURCES6

CODE OF ETHICS AND STANDARDS OF PRACTICE

Employers may refer to the Code of Ethics and Standards of Practice Handbook, Second Edition, 2008 to understand their employees’ professional obligations and to inform agency policies and practices.

PRACTICE GUIDELINES

The College develops Practice Guidelines to assist members and employers in interpreting and applying the College’s Standards of Practice in specific areas.

PRACTICE NOTES

Covering a range of topics, Practice Notes are designed as an educational tool to assist members and employers in gaining a better understanding of how the Standards of Practice may apply to recurring issues in everyday practice.

PHIPA TOOLKIT

The Personal Health Information Protection Act Toolkit was developed to assist social workers and social service workers in understanding this complex legislation and their responsibilities under this Act.

MANDATORY REPORTS

Under the Social Work and Social Service Work Act, 1998, employers of social workers and social service workers have mandatory reporting obligations.

HIRING REGISTERED SOCIAL WORKERS AND REGISTERED SOCIAL SERVICE WORKERS

Watch this video to find out the value of hiring registered social workers and registered social service workers.

THE ONLINE REGISTER

Verify a member’s registration status using the College’s accessible, easy-to-use Online Register.

CONTINUING COMPETENCE PROGRAM (CCP)

Support your employees in completing their annual CCP.

PERSPECTIVE NEWSLETTER

The official member publication of the Ontario College of Social Workers and Social Service Workers.

For a full list of College resources and publications, click here.