I’ve been a practitioner for years already. What if the criminal record check shows a conviction?
If an applicant submits a criminal record check, which either states that there may be a conviction or provides the specific details of a conviction, the application must be referred for further review. As with any policy, which may potentially affect a practitioner’s livelihood, however, there must be consideration of the circumstances surrounding individual cases before registration is denied. The severity of the offence, the relevance of the offence to the practice of the discipline or to the applicant’s competence to practice the discipline, as well as whether the applicant has been successfully rehabilitated must be taken into account. Such an approach provides a mechanism for identifying circumstances where the public may be placed at risk yet allows an applicant who has been convicted of a serious offence an opportunity to demonstrate that he/she is competent and no longer a threat to the public. The College has developed guidelines to assist in the review of such applications.
