Ethics inquiries and complaints
Confidence in the integrity and reputation of the Canadian Athletic Therapists Association is of utmost importance.
The Canadian Athletic Therapy Association (CATA) is the national governing body for Athletic Therapists practicing in Canada. As a not-for-profit, self-regulating professional association, the CATA must respond to complaints against members of its association by first assessing the individual’s complaint, and then taking the responsibility to mete out sanctions, if determined appropriate. The purpose of self-regulation is to ensure a minimum standard of conduct and performance among the profession’s members thereby ensuring the safety of the public and the association’s members. The practice of Athletic Therapy, of necessity, involves putting patients in vulnerable positions in terms of trust. As a result, the CATA is cognizant of the need to promote good practices to ensure safety for the public and the practitioners.
The means of achieving self-regulation is through the CATA’s:
- Code of Ethics
- Code of Professional Conduct
The Code of Ethics is intended to guide members in their actions and decisions. It ensures that we are all aware of the expected standards of behaviour both in and related to the workplace. The principles laid out in the Code of Ethics help to ensure the fair and equitable treatment of all. Its purpose is to ensure adherence to the highest standard of personal and professional behaviour that the public, members and clients have the right to expect.
The Code of Professional Conduct is the standard by which a Member’s behaviour is judged in the complaints and discipline process. It is through the Code of Professional Conduct that as an organization we ensure the protection of the public, members and clients.
CATA Members are obliged to adhere to both the Code of Ethics and the Code of Professional Conduct.
As a self-regulating profession we must ensure that our members, patients and the public are proud of the services we provide. In order to achieve this goal we must demonstrate:
- Transparency: Clarity of the standards by which our behaviour is judged.
- Respect: Respect the needs of all individuals as a priority.
- Consistency: Ensuring that practices (including the way in which we mitigate ethical issues) are uniform throughout the Association
