The CRPO has responded to questions and concerns from OSRP members.

Thank you to all members who shared their questions and concerns with the Board. We were active in amplifying and relaying your voices. The CRPO has responded. 

WHO TAKES THE CBA? AND WHEN? AND HOW DOES THIS FIT INTO MY REGULAR QA SCHEDULE?

The CRPO indicates that each year, 20% of all registrants will be randomly selected to do the CBA. (Half in spring; half in fall.)

This will replace the previous random selection of registrants for a “Peer and Practice Review.”

“2023 CBA dates are as follows:
Spring CBA: Friday, May 26 to Sunday, June 4, 2023

Fall CBA: Friday October 27, 2023 to Sunday, November 5, 2023

Registrants who have been randomly selected for the May 2023 CBA will be notified the week of February 27, 2023.”

CRPO February 2022 Communiqué

So, after five years, it seems that all Registrants will have taken the CBA.

WHY THE CBA? 

“The CBA is intended to assist RPs in identifying opportunities to improve their practice with the goal of supporting safe, ethical and effective care.”

CRPO clarified that it is not meant to be punitive. Nor was it created because of a large number of complaints from the public. (See chart below.)

HOW DOES THE CBA COMPARE WITH OTHER COLLEGES?

“Each health college is obliged to have a QA program that satisfies section 80.1 of the RHPA (Minimum requirements for quality assurance program). In introducing the College Performance Measurement Framework, or CMPF, the Ministry of Health established the expectation that all colleges would ‘effectively administer the assessment component(s) of its QA Program in a manner that is aligned with right touch regulation.’

Not all colleges have updated their programs since this requirement was introduced. As the Ministry is beginning to enforce the standards set by the CPMF, it is reasonable to assume that the other health regulators will be…revising their approach to how they deliver QA program elements in order to comply with the expectation that they align with the right-touch approach.”

COTO uses a competency assessment process and a risk-based selection process: https://www.coto.org/registrants/quality-assurance/competency-assessment”

We requested further information re: how our College’s registrants compare to others in terms of complaints. CRPO shared the following table: 

COLLEGE	FORMAL COMPLAINTS* in 2021	REGISTRANTS as of 2021
College of Psychologists of Ontario (CPO)	132	4,620
College of Occupational Therapists of Ontario (COTO)	16	6,452
College of Nurses of Ontario (CNO)	420	193,405
College of Physicians and Surgeons of Ontario (CPSO)	1751	45,183
College of Registered Psychotherapists of Ontario (CRPO)	69	9,220

*Note that these numbers are for complaints received about all registrants of each college, not just those practising psychotherapy.

IS THE CBA ACCESSIBLE? 

CRPO indicates they are “committed to an ongoing evaluation and will be reviewing every offering of the CBA. This evaluation will include accessibility. RPs will be consulted at each step of the program delivery…those RPs who would benefit from any form of accommodation are encouraged to participate by providing specific, constructive feedback.  Additionally, accessibility was considered in designing the process and in the selection of the assessment platform.”

The CRPO is “in the process of engaging with a consultant to review accessibility across all core regulatory processes, including the QA Program.”

“CRPO will be working with an expert in competence assessment and quality assurance for ongoing competency requirements to evaluate the results of each CBA sitting. Part of this evaluation will be an equity impact assessment of the program that will be undertaken to identify any differential rates of success among BIPOC RPs, registrants who are Neuro-Diverse or disabled as well as RPs from other equity-deserving communities that may have faced barriers to entry to the profession. CRPO now has an active Diversity Equity and Inclusion Working Group that will be able to provide guidance around applying an equity and intersectional lens to evaluation of the program.”

OSRP Members please note:

“Registrants will be asked to provide self-identification data that will assist CRPO in carrying out an equity impact assessment of the QA Program.”  All OSRP members are encouraged to confidentially self-identify in the CBA process if they are comfortable doing so.

CRPO indicates that: “CBA development has been informed by the perspectives of a diverse group of 50 professionals representing a variety of psychotherapy modalities, communities of practice, and lived experiences. As the program continues to be developed, CRPO will be recruiting more RPs and will actively seek out the involvement of registrants who may face barriers.”

CRPO indicates they are committed to continually improving the CBA. “Results will be assessed after each offering.”

OSRP members taking the CAB are encouraged to fill out the survey afterwards.

WHERE DO I FIND SUPPORT AND INFO re: CBA?

The OSRP is offering guidance re: the CRPO Standards, and support with the CBA in our first PS: protect yourself Protect Seminar on April 6. REGISTRATION LINK

Please contact us at mail@psychotherapyontario.org if you require additional support or resources. 

CRPO adds that “the changes to the QA Program will result in a program that is more risk-focused; does not create unnecessary burden for clinicians who are already knowledgeable about the Standards; and assists registrants who demonstrate gaps in their knowledge of the Standards to avoid breaches that could lead to complaints about their conduct or care and – most importantly – harm to clients. This approach ensures that CRPO and registrant resources are used in a way that is most likely to mitigate any risk of harm to the public without creating undue burden on the profession.”

The CRPO has suggested that members “review the College’s Quality Assurance Enhancement Project webpage, which is updated regularly and provides accurate, up-to-date information about the project and links to the other QAP resources. We would also encourage you to review the January 11th message (Addressing misinformation about CRPO's QAP enhancement project) that was sent to all registrants…

Finally, the full set of Quality Assurance Program Policies are available online; they provide a complete overview of the requirements, process and approach that CRPO will be using to administer the QAP in accordance with right-touch and risk-based principles.

I’d also note that a brief update on the project will be provided at the March 29 Council meeting.” 

COUNCIL AGENDA - please note QA item scheduled for 2:25–2:40 PM ET 

To register using the Council Meeting Observer Registration Form will allow you to receive the link to watch the live stream.