A College member may have their certificate of registration suspended for administrative, disciplinary reasons or reasons of incapacity. Such a member cannot engage in the practice of social work or social service work for as long as their certificate is suspended.
The College Registrar may suspend the certificate of registration of a social worker or social service worker for what may be considered an administrative reason, including:
- failure to pay a fee or penalty prescribed by the College’s bylaws;
- failure to provide information required by the bylaws; or
- failure to comply with the College’s Continuing Competence Program (CCP).
A social worker or social service worker’s certificate of registration may also be suspended for disciplinary reasons; that is, if the College’s Discipline Committee, after a hearing, finds a member guilty of professional misconduct or to be incompetent. If this is the case, the finding and results of the hearing of the Discipline Committee will typically appear on the College’s Online Register, in accordance with the Committee’s direction, as will the notation of the suspension.
A College member may also have their certificate of registration suspended for reasons of incapacity. The College’s Fitness to Practise Committee may, after a hearing, find a member of the College to be incapacitated if, in its opinion, the member is suffering from a physical or mental condition or disorder such that:
- the member is unfit to continue to carry out their professional responsibilities
- or a certificate of registration held by the member under the Social Work and Social Service Work Act should be made subject to terms, conditions or limitations.
The College’s Online Register provides information on all registered social workers and registered social service workers in Ontario. The College encourages stakeholders, including employers, to visit the Online Register to access information regarding a social worker or social service worker’s registration status, discipline history, if any, and their current employer contact information.
For more information about the Online Register, please contact communications@ocswssw.org.