Background
As part of its mandate to protect the public interest the College of Massage Therapists of Ontario requires initial registrants to notify the College of any criminal convictions.
The Council of the College believes that, while the majority of Registered Massage Therapists would not intentionally harm their clients or commit any illegal activities, part of its legislated mandate is a duty to ensure the trustworthiness of members of the profession.
As part of its due diligence in protecting the public interest Council has determined that all applicants for registration must have a criminal record screen completed and a report must be sent to the College. The report will provide official confirmation of the information already self-reported and will enhance the accountability of the College and of the profession.
Council recognizes that a criminal record screening does not guarantee the good character of applicants and does not guarantee that there is no future risk of injury to clients or of unethical conduct. Council also recognizes that a criminal record screen does not necessarily predict the future conduct of individuals.
Policy
It is a requirement for registration as a Massage Therapist with the College that all applicants for registration must have a criminal record screen completed, including records of discharges which have not been removed from the CPIC system in accordance with the Criminal Records Act and records of outstanding criminal charges of which the OPP is aware, and a report of the results must be submitted to the College with the application for registration.
The cost of conducting the criminal record screen will be born by the applicant.
This screen must be done by running a criminal record check against the Canadian Police Information Centre (CPIC) computerized database which is operated by the RCMP. The CPIC report must have been conducted no more than six months before the date of application.
The full name listed on the application form must match the name appearing on the criminal record check report. The report must also indicate that a search was completed on all names the applicant is currently using or has used.
If the report indicates a criminal record, applicants should submit a detailed explanation of the circumstances that led to the criminal record with the Criminal Record Check Report.
Assessment of Positive Reports
Positive findings from a criminal record screen will be assessed by the Registrar to determine if they must be referred to the Registration Committee for review. If the report is referred to the Registration Committee applicants will be notified of the referral and the approximate date they should receive a decision.
Assessment of positive reports will be based on how long it has been since the conviction, the age of the individual at the time of the offence, the seriousness of the offence, mitigating circumstances, conduct in the intervening years, and the relevance of the offence to the practice of Massage Therapy.
Approved: August 25, 2008
Effective: March 1, 2009