Professional Predicaments

Answer:

From ACSLPA’s perspective, support personnel working with clients in the absence of supervision by a regulated SLP is a definite risk to the public receiving those services. The specialized training that SLPs receive and the regulatory requirements that they must adhere to in their practice are very different from the non-compulsory training that aides and assistants receive, coupled with the absence of any regulatory requirements. Unfortunately, however, when resources are tight, some agencies may be tempted to rely on a less specialized and more readily available workforce.

A strategy that ACSLPA encourages regulated members to use in situations where you become aware that an assistant may be working independently is to provide education to the administration involved in the hiring and management of that individual. ACSLPA’s 2022 Working with Support Personnel-Supplemental Article outlines a number of sound rationale for why supervision is necessary. It can be shared with administrators, support personnel, and families as necessary. It’s also important to remember that any support personnel who are involved in performing restricted activities must be supervised in accordance with section 1.6 (1)(a)(v) of the Health Professions Act (HPA) and with ACSLPA’s Standard of Practice 6.2 Supervision of Others by Regulated Members . The HPA also outlines potential penalties for any person who contravenes section 1.6. If you would like to discuss a specific situation, please reach out to the College.

Occasionally, situations may arise where a speech-language assistant has advertised their services to families in a way that suggests they are offering SLP services. In these cases, individuals can be asked to revise their messaging to more clearly and transparently advertise the nature and extent of their services.  ACSLPA does not regulate speech-language or audiology assistants, however if you feel that a support person may be representing or implying that they are a regulated speech-language pathologist or audiologist, part 7 of the Health Professions Act related to Title Protection may allow the College to follow up and provide guidance as necessary.

The issue of assistants running their own businesses and advertising services dovetails nicely into the second question regarding assistants hiring SLPs to provide supervision.

According to ACSLPA Standard of Practice 4.4 Clinical Supervision, “the regulated member will refrain from entering into an employment agreement whereby they clinically supervise the person who employs them (whether in a paid or volunteer capacity)”. While there is nothing to prevent a support person from hiring an SLP, our standard of practice does not allow for a regulated member to supervise the individual who has hired them as this is a potential conflict of interest. For example, having to provide developmental feedback to an employer regarding their clinical skills could be very difficult, particularly if there is a risk you could lose your job for doing so.  If, however, a support person runs a business whereby they have other assistants working for them, the SLP they have employed would be eligible to supervise the other assistants who are also employees.

If you are aware of a situation where an assistant is receiving supervision from an SLP they employ, you can contact our Complaints Director at complaintsdirector@acslpa.ca to discuss the matter further.

Regulated members are reminded that they may contact the College if they have questions or need further clarification. Please do not hesitate to reach out at any time using the Contact Us form.