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November 2013

Dear occupational therapist

This communique is to update you on the new arrangements for accreditation of entry-level occupational therapy education programs.

Background

As you are probably aware, the Occupational Therapy Council (Australia & New Zealand) Ltd (OTC) is the accreditation authority appointed by the Occupational Therapy Board of Australia pursuant to the Health Practitioner Regulation National Law Act (National Law).

An agreement had been established in 2012 whereby the OTC and Occupational Therapy Australia Ltd (OTAL) worked together so OTAL’s program accreditation review informed the OTC. However because of the requirements for independence under the National Law, this arrangement will cease from 1 January 2014.

Both OTAL and the OTC wish to avoid potential duplication of having two accreditation systems for universities: one run by the OTC and the other by OTAL. A joint working party between the two organisations was formed to develop a process for the two bodies to continue to work together in a way that is acceptable under the National Law, to achieve their respective accreditation responsibilities in a mutually beneficial way. The working party has developed the process outlined below.

The new process

  • From 1 January 2014 the OTC will assume full responsibility for all aspects of program accreditation under the National Law, including receiving accreditation applications from education providers and the appointment and training of assessors who undertake accreditation reviews.
  • OTAL will establish a streamlined process of program accreditation whereby it determines, via a committee ‘desktop’ review of the accreditation reports provided by the OTC, if a program meets the World Federation of Occupational Therapists (WFOT) education standards.
  • To enable the above, the OTC will provide finalised accreditation reports to OTAL to enable its decision-making and communication with the WFOT.
  • OTAL will sponsor a person to join the OTC’s Program Accreditation Committee as a full member of that committee. This person will have a sound understanding of the WFOT requirements and will be able to inform the OTC’s Program Accreditation Committee of any changes to the WFOT standards and/or its processes to enable these to continue to be addressed in the accreditation process.
  • The chief executive officers of OTAL and the OTC have agreed to review the operations between the two parties every six months for the first three years, or as often as required.

The transition process

  • The Program Accreditation Committees of both OTAL and the OTC are in close communication to ensure there is smooth transition of functions and tasks.
  • Existing members of the OTAL assessor panel have been invited to continue to undertake accreditation reviews for the OTC, to ensure their established expertise contributes to the accreditation process.

The Accreditation Standards

  • The Australian Minimum Competency Standards for New Graduate Occupational Therapists (Occupational Therapy Australia, 2010) and the World Federation of Occupational Therapists Minimum Standards for the Education of Occupational Therapists (WFOT, 2002) provide the basis of the accreditation standards used by both the OTC and OTAL for the accreditation of occupational therapy entry-level education programs in Australia.
  • The OTC accreditation standards can be accessed at:
  • Under National Law, the accreditation standards used to review occupational therapy education programs in Australia must be approved by the Occupational Therapy Board of Australia following a period of public consultation, affording all occupational therapists as well as members of the public the opportunity to provide input into the standards used to evaluate education providers in Australia.

We are confident the OTC and OTAL will continue to collaborate to ensure the high standards already in place for the accreditation of occupational therapy education programs in Australia will continue.

Yours sincerely

Rachel Norris Kim Bradbury

CEO – OTALCEO - OTC