Professional Practice Support

The Professional Practice Department offers a number of free services to registrants, employers, the public and other stakeholders across the province. This includes:

• Consultations: Registrants can consult with Professional Practice staff about an ethical or practice dilemma they are facing. Employers and the public can consult with Professional Practice staff regarding our registrants’ practice.

• Presentations: Professional Practice staff delivers free in-person and remote presentations across Ontario on topics including the role of the College, practice issues, the application of the Standards of Practice and ethical decision-making.

Some registrants call the Professional Practice Department for practice consultations with the expectation that they are going to be told exactly how to manage their practice dilemma. In the course of a practice call, Professional Practice staff cannot become completely familiar with the full context and details of a specific practice scenario. Using your professional judgment and knowledge base is part of being a regulated professional, and key in managing the many challenging situations which you face in your practice. The Professional Practice Department can help guide you with useful information and resources to aid in your decision-making process.

The Professional Practice Department is not in a position to provide crisis consultations to registrants. Urgent inquiries may be better addressed by consulting with colleagues, your supervisor or manager, or by seeking a legal opinion. At times, Professional Practice staff is able to respond quickly to practice inquiries; however, due to the volume of inquiries received, there are times when they cannot. You may wish to review the various practice resources, which can be found in the online Resource Room. These resources have been developed to assist registrants in understanding and applying the Standards of Practice to particular practice dilemmas.

Yes. One advantage of having professional liability insurance is that it provides access to free legal advice, over the phone. The Social Work and Social Service Work Act, 1998 does not require registrants to obtain professional liability insurance, and the College does not offer it. The College nevertheless strongly advises registrants to discuss professional liability insurance provisions with their employer, and to obtain further coverage if necessary. The College does not recommend or require a specific amount of coverage.

Professional practice consultations are treated with discretion. Any information shared in professional practice consultations is subject to the College’s public protection mandate and should not be regarded as confidential.

Registrants and other stakeholders should be aware that Professional Practice inquiries/consultations will be documented by Professional Practice staff. Documentation from these contacts will be stored securely in the College database.