Under the Act the Board is required to monitor and ensure the ongoing and continued professional competence and fitness to practise of all registered practitioners to protect public safety. Section 14 of the Act requires that the Board prepare or endorse guidelines on continuing chiropractic or osteopathy education, therefore the new Ongoing Competency Model was adopted by the Board on 3 December 2008.

The main components of the Ongoing Competency Model are the Annual Return and the Professional Portfolio.

Annual Return


• Registrants must declare that they are competent in the practice of chiropractic and/or osteopathy.
  
  
• Registrants must declare that they comply with the Board's Ongoing Competency Model.
  
  Professional Portfolio
  
  
• Registrants must keep a Professional Portfolio which includes:
  -   Evidence of continuing professional development activities undertaken;
  -   One full copy of current case notes/records/history (names deleted);
  -   Blank sample clinical forms; and
  -   Additional information as detailed in the Model (optional).
  
  
• Up to 25% of practitioners will have their Professional Portfolio randomly audited each year.

The Ongoing Competency Model will be posted to all registrants in late January 2009 along with a Notice to the Profession and a copy of the new Code of Professional Conduct and Practice.
All chiropractors and osteopaths are encouraged to read their copy of the Model thoroughly to ensure they understand the requirements for maintaining registration.

The Ongoing Competency Model should be read in conjunction with the CCEA Competency Based Standards which detail the core areas of competence referred to in the Model.

The Ongoing Competency Committee will issue guidelines on the presentation of the Professional Portfolio later in the year, therefore registrants should not contact Board staff with queries relating to the Professional Portfolio at this stage.