Duty to report child abuse or neglect

Last fall, an expert report from the Office of the Chief Coroner recommended that the College take steps to remind teachers of their duty to report actual or suspected child abuse or neglect. The report was issued following an investigation into the death of a young child and makes recommendations to a number of regulators and government agencies to help prevent further deaths.

To support these efforts, the College is renewing its commitment to promote its Duty to Report Professional Advisory, which sets out a teacher’s obligations under the Child, Youth and Family Services Act, 2017 to report child abuse or neglect to the appropriate authorities. This duty to report applies to all of the College’s approximately 230,000 Ontario Certified Teachers (OCTs) and all new applicants admitted to membership.

Please take some time to review the Duty to Report Professional Advisory. If you have any further questions about your legal and professional obligations to report a child in need of protection to a local Children’s Aid Society, please contact your employer or local federation/affiliate representative for more information.

Now accepting 2023 scholarship applications

Do you know an outstanding teacher candidate in Ontario?

Every year, the College acknowledges four teacher candidates for their outstanding academic achievement, high levels of preparedness for teacher education and resilience.

The scholarship program is open only to individuals enrolled in an Ontario accredited teacher education program.

Applications are accepted until August 31, 2023.

Council meeting summary

College Council met via videoconference on March 21, 2023, and welcomed the Hon. Stephen Lecce, Minister of Education.

Investigation case study

Our investigation case studies series is a popular educational resource for Ontario Certified Teachers. The cases could help to avoid potential risks on the job. The latest is as follows:

The College Registrar initiated a complaint against Luke. The allegations comprised a variety of behaviours and comments that should have known to be unwelcome and inappropriate.

OCTs and applicants: new self-serve options available online

The College is continually introducing new self-serve options as part of our overall efforts to enhance your service experience. These new services, available via your member account on oct.ca, enable you to:

• reset your College account via SMS text message or email. You can do this on the sign-in page:
  • members
  • applicants
• upload documents directly into our system
• print or download your membership fee tax receipt (members only), and more.

Our new self-serve options are easy to use and accessible 24/7.

Library services

Check out the New at the Library book list featuring some of the latest additions to the Margaret Wilson Library collection.

Place holds on books, and we’ll ship them to you – free of charge. You can also borrow and download eBooks for offline reading.

How?

1. Log into your member account on oct.ca under Members.
2. On the right-side navigation channel, click Library.
3. On the right navigation channel of the library page, click on New at the Library.

Don’t forget to pay your 2023 annual membership fee

If your annual membership fee isn’t deducted through payroll, please pay your $200 fee directly to the College. You can pay by credit card or debit through your bank, via E-Services on oct.ca, or by cheque. The payment portal will be open until April 19, 2023.