Through this program, support workers are available to you help you understand and navigate the complaint process, if your complaint to the college alleges that a licensed health professional has committed an act of sexual misconduct, sexual abuse, or discrimination.
These support workers are
not available for other types of complaints against a licensed health professional, such as about the care you received.
Support Workers may:
- Help you understand procedural steps and timelines
- Prepare you for meetings, interviews, or hearings
- Attend meetings with you (in person or virtually) for support
- Help organize documents or communications.
A support worker is also able to provide recommendations to those involved in the process about how to minimize trauma, remove barriers, and advance meaningful participation.
The use of a support worker is optional.
To ensure you have the information you need, your support worker can request information or documents from a registrar, a health occupation director, the director of discipline and the chair of the Health Professions Review Board.
Information or documents
- a copy of any notice, information or record that you must be given as a complainant
- information related to an investigation, a disciplinary proceeding, and/or a proceeding before the Health Professions Review Board
- information about your rights and obligations with respect to an investigation or proceeding
The person who receives the request can deny such requests from your support worker if:
- you have requested that the information or records not be disclosed
- disclosure is prohibited under the HPOA
- they believe disclosing the information or record is not reasonably practicable in the circumstances.
The HPOA outlines several responsibilities for support workers. They must
It's important to note that support workers do not investigate complaints or influence outcomes, nor can they act as advocates or legal representatives for you. Although funded by the college, support workers operate independently to protect complainants' trust and psychological safety. This independence allows them to observe and address any issues arising from the complaint process and report concerns to administrators as needed.
How a support worker is assigned to you
If you choose to have a support worker assist you in understanding and navigating the complaints process, the college will provide you with a list of names and outlining their qualifications from our list of approved support workers. You may choose one that best meets your needs. This means someone who will help you given your particular circumstances and needs and the nature, scope and gravity of the allegations described in your complaint.
Support Workers are approved to provide Support Worker services based on:
- the education, training, experience, and other qualifications needed to assist you, taking into account
- the expertise needed to assist you in a manner that mitigates any potential trauma that may arise from an adversarial process
- the extent of assistance required and who is available to provide that amount of assistance.