User Guide

1 - Introduction / Welcome
Welcome to the User Guide for the Office of the Fairness Commissioner (OFC) Fair Registration Practices Reporting Website. The purpose of this document is to help you use the website to enter information and submit your report, and to answer some of the questions you may have.
2 - Registration / Account Management

User registration (including the assigning of your username and initial password) is managed by the OFC. If you have not received your username and initial password yet, please contact the OFC.

Updating your profile

You can change your organization's information at any time by clicking Update Your Profile on the Main Menu, changing the information on the Update Your Profile page, and clicking the Save button at the bottom of the page. However, please note that changing your profile will change only your organization's current profile; it will not change the profile attached to a previously submitted report. If you need to change the profile information that is attached to a previously submitted report, please contact the OFC about reopening that report so that you can resubmit it with your organization's new information.

For your records, every time you update your profile, the website will send a copy of your updated profile to the email address in your profile.

Logging out

If you are using a publicly available computer, please make sure that you click the Logout link in the Main Menu so that your account cannot be tampered with by the next user of that computer.

Changing or retrieving your password

Passwords are initially set by the OFC. If you would like to change your password, go to the Main Menu and click on Update Your Profile. This takes you to the Update Your Profile page, where you can change your password.

If you have forgotten your password, contact the OFC for help.

3 - Completing the Fair Registration Practices Report
Entering information for your report

To enter information for your report, click Fill Out Report for your profession, on the Main Menu. This takes you to the Completing Your Report page for your profession. This page lists all of the sections of the report. You can click on any section to go directly to that section in the Fair Registration Practices Report page for your profession. Then, to begin entering information, click the Change/Edit My Responses for this Section button for that section. (This puts you in Edit mode.)

At the end of each section you will find a box to enter your changes from the previous reporting year. In this box, identify and explain the changes in your registration practices that relate to this section and that occurred between last year's report and this year's report.

You may submit as much information as you require. However, due to possible technical limits imposed by web browsers, servers, and other Internet technology, you should not insert more than 25,650 characters (about 5000 words or 20 pages) in any text field.

At the end of your report you will be asked to give feedback on the use of this reporting website in a box called "Feedback to OFC". You should not insert more than 2,565 characters (about 500 words or 2 pages). Your feedback should focus on the ease of use of the website. The feedback will not be part of your completed report, and it will not be included in your report when you download it from the reporting website.

Undoing your previous action

To undo the last action you performed, press Ctrl-z or click the undo button at the top of the text box. For example, if you just deleted some text, pressing Ctrl-z or the undo button will restore the text.

Copying formatted text from another source

If you copy text from a Word or Excel document or a website, the formatting will be lost when you paste the text into a reporting field. However, you can use the formatting functions at the top of the reporting field to format your text. Note: The formatting functions appear at the top of each reporting field (except in sections 12 and 13) after you press the Change/Edit My Responses for this Section button and enter the Edit mode.

Navigating

On the Completing Your Report page, click the report section you wish to work on. You will be taken to section you have chosen, in the Fair Registration Practices Report page for your specific profession. You will see all of the questions in the section, and any responses you entered and saved in previous sessions.

Working in Edit mode

To enter new information, or to edit any responses you have already entered, you must be in Edit mode. To enter Edit mode, click the Change/Edit My Responses for this Section button above or below the section of the report you wish to edit.

While completing your report, do not use your browser's Back and Forward navigation buttons. Your work may be lost if you use your web browser's Back and Forward buttons without saving your work first.

To go to the next or previous section of the report, click the Next Section or Previous Section button at the bottom of the page. To go from one report section to another without having to click sequentially through pages, click one of the Go to section buttons at the top of the page.

You can also navigate to any section at any point in your report by clicking the Save and Review button. You are then taken to an in-progress summary of your report. From there you can re-enter Edit mode and edit any part of the report by clicking the Change/Edit My Responses for this Section button for the section of the report you wish to change.

Use the scroll bar to navigate to the top or bottom of a page. "Page Down" and "Page Up" buttons on your keyboard may not work.

User Guide link

At any time, you can get help by clicking the User Guide link that appears at the top of every page in the reporting site. This User Guide then opens in a new window, and does not affect the information you have entered in any way, even if it has not been saved.

Main Menu link

At any time, in the Completing Your Report page or the Fair Registration Practices Report page, you can click the Main Menu link at the top of the page to return to the Main Menu. Note: If you click this link while in Edit mode on the Fair Registration Practices Report page, you will lose any unsaved data you have entered.

Saving and returning

You can save your responses at any time while filling out a report by clicking on the Save and Continue Editing button at the top or bottom of any page. When you do this, all of the responses that you have entered will be saved.

To save your responses and review an in-progress summary of your report, click the Save and Review button at the bottom of the page.

Save often! Save your work often to avoid loss of data due to timeouts, electrical surges, computer crashes, etc. Note: You will also lose unsaved data if you click on the Main Menu link at the top of the page, or if you use your browser’s Back or Forward button.

If you want to return to a previously saved report and change some of your responses or answer more questions, you can click the Fill Out Report link in the Main Menu. You will be taken to the Completing Your Report page. From there, click on any section title in the Index to go to a specific section in your report. Or, click continue from where you were last time at the bottom of the page. Then, click the Change/Edit My Responses for this Section button to change or add to the existing information.

Copying responses from one report to another

Note: This section applies only to the Law Society of Upper Canada and the Ontario College of Social Workers and Social Service Workers.

If your regulatory body has different processes for two groups (lawyers and paralegals; social workers and social service workers), you must complete two different Fair Registration Practices Reports. You may choose to enter responses for one group (source), and then copy those responses into the report of another group (destination) as a starting point.

To do this, use the Copy Responses From One Report to Another function located at the bottom of the Main Menu page. From the Copy all responses drop-down menu, simply select one of the copy options, and then click the Copy button. A message will warn you that copying responses from one report to another will overwrite any existing responses in the report you are copying to. After the copy procedure, you can modify any parts of each report that are unique to each profession.

You cannot copy responses into a report that has already been submitted to the OFC.

The Copy Responses From One Report to Another function only appears on the Main Menu page for the Law Society of Upper Canada and the Ontario College of Social Workers and Social Service Workers.

Submitting your report

The OFC will not receive any of your responses until you click the Submit Report link. Once you click that link and confirm that you want to submit the report, you can no longer change your responses for that report. The menu options that are available to you for that report will change and you will now be able to view the report that you submitted or download the report as a PDF or HTML file for your records.

You cannot submit a report to the OFC without entering at least one response. Attempting to do so will bring you back to the Main Menu.

Changing a submitted report

If you find that it is absolutely necessary to make changes to the responses that you have made for a submitted report, please contact the OFC for help.

4 - Downloading reports (HTML/PDF) for posting online

At any point you can download your report in HTML or PDF format. These files are entirely self-contained and do not contain any links to external websites. This makes these files suitable for viewing offline, for printing, and for posting to your own website.

5 - Definitions

Throughout the report, you will find underlined terms. When you place your cursor on these terms, a pop-up definition will appear. All the terms with a pop-up definition in the report are listed below.

Acceptable alternatives
Documentation that is acceptable to the regulatory body in lieu of the usual or official documentation required of applicants in most cases. Alternatives may be accepted in cases where an applicant cannot obtain the usual or official documentation due to a number of reasons, such as conflict in the applicant's home country. These options may include acceptance of signed undertakings; notarized declarations or sworn affidavits detailing the applicant's education and experience; references from former instructors, colleagues or supervisors; challenge exams; prior learning assessments; or registration committee interviews.
Assessment
The evaluation process that determines whether a person seeking registration has the required qualifications (i.e., necessary knowledge, skills, and abilities) to practise the profession.
Documentation of qualifications
The proof that must be submitted by applicants in order to demonstrate that they have the required qualifications to practise the profession. Often this is done by submitting documentation from academic institutions, examiners, workplace or clinical experience, etc.
Measures
Steps that a regulatory body takes to ensure that a third-party organization fulfils its obligations. Measures may include, for example: a formal contractual agreement between the regulatory body and the third party on the scope of the services provided and the obligations of each party; regularly scheduled meetings with a representative of the third party; and the participation of the regulatory body in the third party's board meetings.
Members
Persons who are currently able to use the protected title or professional designation of the profession.
Requirements
Requirements for registration. These include the qualifications applicants must have, the proof they must provide to verify their qualifications, the fees they must pay, and any other criteria they must meet in order to be registered. Qualifications typically include academic credentials, language proficiency, workplace or clinical experience, successful completion of registration exams, and good character. Some requirements appear in the profession's governing statute and regulations. Other requirements are set by the regulator in its bylaws and in its formal and informal policies.
Tools
The communication vehicles a regulatory body uses to inform applicants about its registration process. Tools may include, for example, posts on the regulatory body's website, individual or group emails, phone calls, mailed packages, information sessions, in-person appointments, and walk-in customer service.
Training (in assessment or decision-making)
Instruction given by a regulatory body to individuals who assess qualifications or who make decisions about registration or internal reviews or appeals. Training can include ongoing guidance on assessment and decision-making procedures, including hearings and guidance on any special considerations that may apply in the assessment of applications and the process for applying those considerations.
6 - Contacting the OFC

To contact the OFC regarding your report, send an email message to FRPreports@ontario.ca.

7 - FAQ
What should I do if I have lost or forgotten my username and/or password?

If you have lost or forgotten your username and/or password, please contact the OFC for help.

Can I share my username and/or password with other people in my organization?

Yes. However, please keep in mind that these people will have full access to your report and user profile. This means that they will be able to change your user profile, and fill out and submit your report. Each user can overwrite information entered by previous users. Therefore, you should share your username/password only with people who are authorized to make changes to your report(s) and user profile.

What is the difference between "n/a" and "0" in section 12?

In section 12, "n/a" and "0" are different values. Enter "n/a" when the process does not exist in your registration practices. For example, if your organization does not have any alternative classes of licences, you should enter "n/a" for the number of applicants who were issued an alternative class of licence.

Enter "0" when the process exists in your registration practices but the correct value is zero. For example, if your organization has alternative classes of licences but none were issued in the reporting year, enter "0".

There is a mistake in my user profile. What should I do?

Most fields on the user profile page are updatable. If you notice a mistake in your user profile, edit the applicable field(s) and click the Save button.

If I change my profile information, will this be reflected in my report?

It depends on the submission status of your report:

  • No, if your report has already been submitted to the OFC.
  • Yes, if your report has not been submitted to the OFC yet. The changes you make in your user profile will be submitted to the OFC when you submit your report.
Is there a limit on how long my responses can be?

The OFC has not imposed any limits on the length of your responses throughout the report. So, feel free to provide as much detail as necessary.

However, due to possible technical limits imposed by web browsers, servers, and other Internet technology, you should not insert more than 25,650 characters (about 5000 words or 20 pages) in each text field.

Note also that there is a character limit of 2,565 characters (about 500 words or 2 pages) for the box entitled "Feedback to OFC", which appears at the end of section 13 (Certification). Information you provide in that box should focus on the ease of use of the website. The feedback will not form part of your completed report, and will not be included in your report when you download it from the reporting website.

I don't understand certain questions. What should I do?

Please contact the OFC if you need clarification about specific questions.

Do I have to complete my report in one sitting, or can I save it and finish it later?

You don't need to complete the entire report in a single session. You can always save your current responses, log out, and log in at a later time in order to complete the report. However, once you have completed the report, please make sure you click the Submit Report link to ensure that the OFC receives it.

Can I copy some responses from one of my reports to another one?

Note: This applies only to the Law Society of Upper Canada and the Ontario College of Social Workers and Social Service Workers.

You can only copy all responses from a report for one group (source) to a report for another group (destination). It is not possible to copy certain responses only. When the copy procedure is complete, you should further edit the responses in the destination report that should be different from the responses in the source report.

Can I copy and paste from a document or web page into the report?

Yes, but formatting and certain special characters may be lost.

Can I submit my report in some other way/format (e.g., MS Word)?

No, the template does not allow for alternative formats.

Can I attach a document to my report?

No, the template does not allow for attachments. Enter all necessary information in the reporting fields.

Can I embed a link to a website or document?

No, links will not be preserved in the reporting template. Enter all necessary information in the reporting fields.

I submitted a report but later found a mistake. What should I do?

Submitting a report to the OFC will close the report and you will no longer be able to change your responses. Therefore, please use the Submit Report function only after you have verified that all the information in your responses is accurate. However, if you find an error in an already submitted report, please contact the OFC for help.

How do I post the PDF or HTML version of my report to my own website?

Use the Download Report - HTML and Download Report - PDF links on the Main Menu to download your submitted report in HTML or PDF format. Both formats are suitable for viewing offline, printing, and posting to your own website. In most cases, posting a report to your website is simply a matter of copying the HTML or PDF file to your web server. Your webmaster should be able to help you post this file to your own website.

What do I do if some of my answers are cut off on the screen or when I print the report?

If you lose information, either because it is cut off on the screen or when you print your report, please contact the OFC at (416) 325-9380