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Profession-specific course

Ethics and Professionalism for Occupational Therapists: Applying the Board's Code in Real Practice

Applying the Occupational Therapy Board's Code and Competency Standards

  • 3 CPD hoursEstimated learning time
  • 20-question assessmentPass mark 80%
  • Online, self-pacedStart any time
  • CertificateFor your CPD records

Written for

About this course

Occupational therapists make decisions every day that shape what people receive and how they live: a functional capacity assessment that informs an NDIS plan, a home modification recommendation, a return-to-work report, a driving assessment, a piece of equipment that keeps someone safe or limits their movement. Those decisions sit inside a crowded web of obligations: the Occupational Therapy Board's Code of conduct, the 2018 competency standards, the NDIS Code of Conduct, restrictive practices rules, funders' requirements and, increasingly, commercial pressures from employers and suppliers.

The Board's own data shows where things go wrong. In 2024/25, clinical care, documentation and communication were the most common complaint types about occupational therapists, with documentation making up almost one in five. This course is written specifically for occupational therapy practice. It works through dignity of risk and duty of care, consent and supported decision-making, honest reporting for funders, insurers and courts, conflicts of interest under Ahpra's 2026 interim guidance, fair pricing, boundaries in home-based care, restrictive practices hidden in everyday equipment, safeguarding, telehealth and supervision.

You finish with a quick-reference guide for the decisions that most often lead to complaints, a personal ethics plan for your CPD learning plan and a reflective account for your CPD record.

Who this course is for

  • Registered occupational therapists in hospital, community health, mental health and aged care settings
  • Occupational therapists in private and NDIS practice, including sole traders and practice owners
  • Therapists who write functional capacity, insurance, workers' compensation or medicolegal reports
  • Occupational therapy driver assessors
  • Senior occupational therapists who supervise graduates, internationally qualified practitioners or therapy assistants
  • Occupational therapists returning to practice or moving into a new area of practice
  • Occupational therapists who want to strengthen their practice after a complaint or notification

What you’ll learn

  • Reason through dilemmas with confidence

    Use a structured ethical reasoning process grounded in occupational therapy values and the Board's Code, and document your reasoning.

  • Write reports that stand up

    Produce accurate, balanced, evidence-based reports for the NDIS, insurers, courts and driver licensing that clearly separate observation from opinion.

  • Manage conflicts and pricing

    Recognise and disclose supplier, employer and referral conflicts, offer genuine alternatives and price services fairly.

  • Protect clients in the community

    Keep boundaries in long-term home relationships, identify restrictive practices and act on safeguarding concerns.

Learning objectives

  • Explain how the National Law, the Code of conduct, the competency standards and the registration standards apply to occupational therapists.
  • Apply a structured ethical reasoning process that honours dignity of risk alongside duty of care.
  • Obtain valid consent for assessments, home visits, information sharing and reports, and support people to make their own decisions.
  • Write honest, balanced and evidence-based reports for the NDIS, insurers, courts and driver licensing purposes.
  • Recognise, disclose and manage conflicts of interest and price services fairly.
  • Maintain professional boundaries in home and long-term community relationships.
  • Identify when equipment or environmental recommendations may be restrictive practices.
  • Respond to safeguarding concerns and meet reporting obligations.
  • Keep records, communicate, use telehealth and supervise others in ways that reduce complaints and support safe care.

Scenarios covered

Practice situations you reason through, step by step, in the course.

  • The shower chair he will not use

    An older man with capacity declines a key falls-prevention recommendation. You will balance dignity of risk with duty of care and document a capable choice you disagree with.

  • Three sessions a week

    A parent wants a higher NDIS recommendation than your assessment supports. You will write an honest report that still advocates for the child's needs.

  • The catalogue target

    Your employer measures therapists by the value of its own equipment they recommend. You will apply Ahpra's interim guidance on commercial conflicts of interest.

  • A lap belt for behaviour

    Support staff ask for a lap belt to stop a participant standing during behaviours of concern. You will recognise a possible restrictive practice and the authorisation it needs.

  • Still driving

    A client who failed an on-road assessment keeps driving. You will work through communication, alternatives and your jurisdiction's reporting rules.

  • Bruises on a home visit

    An NDIS participant discloses rough handling by a support worker. You will respond safely and report through the right channels.

Course contents

8 sections, 32 lessons, then the final assessment.

  1. Section 1: Regulation of Occupational Therapy in Australia4 lessons
    • 1.1 The Occupational Therapy Board and the National Law
    • 1.2 The Code of Conduct and the Competency Standards
    • 1.3 Registration Standards: CPD, Recency and Insurance
    • 1.4 Scope of Practice and Protected Title
  2. Section 2: Ethical Reasoning in Occupational Therapy4 lessons
    • 2.1 Core Values: Occupation, Autonomy and Justice
    • 2.2 Dignity of Risk and Duty of Care
    • 2.3 Competing Loyalties: Clients, Families, Funders and Employers
    • 2.4 Reasoning Through a Dilemma
  3. Section 3: Consent, Capacity and Supported Decision-Making4 lessons
    • 3.1 Informed Consent in Occupational Therapy
    • 3.2 Capacity and Supported Decision-Making
    • 3.3 Children, Young People and Families
    • 3.4 Documenting Consent
  4. Section 4: Assessments, Reports and Funders4 lessons
    • 4.1 Writing Reports That Are Honest and Useful
    • 4.2 NDIS Assessments and Recommendations
    • 4.3 Insurance, Workers' Compensation and Medicolegal Work
    • 4.4 Driving Assessments and Reporting
  5. Section 5: Conflicts of Interest, Pricing and Advertising4 lessons
    • 5.1 Recognising Conflicts of Interest in Occupational Therapy
    • 5.2 Ahpra's Interim Guidance on Commercial Conflicts
    • 5.3 Fair Pricing and Financial Arrangements
    • 5.4 Advertising Occupational Therapy Services
  6. Section 6: Boundaries, Home Visits, Restrictive Practices and Safeguarding4 lessons
    • 6.1 Working in People's Homes and Communities
    • 6.2 Personal Safety and Lone Working
    • 6.3 Restrictive Practices in Equipment and Environments
    • 6.4 Safeguarding and Responding to Abuse or Neglect
  7. Section 7: Records, Communication, Telehealth and Supervision4 lessons
    • 7.1 Occupational Therapy Records That Stand Up
    • 7.2 Communication and Avoiding Complaints
    • 7.3 Telehealth in Occupational Therapy
    • 7.4 Supervision and Delegation
  8. Section 8: Culture, Wellbeing and Accountability4 lessons
    • 8.1 Culturally Safe Occupational Therapy
    • 8.2 Your Health, Your Practice and Mandatory Notifications
    • 8.3 If a Concern Is Raised About You
    • 8.4 Planning Your Ethical Development
  9. Final assessment and written reflection20 questions

Assessment and certificate

  1. Work through the course

    Study each section at your own pace, including the case illustrations and apply-it questions.

  2. Pass the assessment

    20 scenario-based questions. You need 16 correct (80%) to pass.

  3. Write your reflection

    A short written reflection on how the learning applies to your own practice.

  4. Download your certificate

    Shows your name, the course, the date and 3 CPD hours. Anyone can check it on our verification page.

What you keep for your CPD records

  • A certificate of completion recording approximately 3 CPD hours of learning
  • A written reflective account focused on your own occupational therapy practice
  • A quick-reference guide to the decisions that most often lead to complaints
  • A personal ethics plan you can add to your CPD learning plan

How certificates and CPD records workVerify a certificate

Primary sources

The course is built on these official documents. Check them for the current version.

Questions about this course

Does Ahpra or the Occupational Therapy Board accredit this course?

No. This is independent education. It is not accredited by Ahpra, it is not approved by the Occupational Therapy Board of Australia and it is not endorsed by Occupational Therapy Australia or any other professional body. You decide whether it fits your CPD plan and record the actual time you spend.

How does this course fit the Occupational Therapy Board's CPD requirements?

The Board's CPD registration standard asks you to complete CPD relevant to your scope of practice, include interactive activities and reflect on how your learning affects your practice. This course is self-directed learning designed for about 3 hours, and its reflective account and personal ethics plan can support your records. Check the Board's website for the current standard, as the National Boards consulted on revised CPD standards in 2026.

Is the course specific to occupational therapy?

Yes. It is built around the Occupational Therapy Board's Code and competency standards, the Board's own notification data, and situations occupational therapists face: NDIS functional capacity assessments, home modifications, assistive technology, driving assessments, medicolegal reports, restrictive practices and long-term home visiting.

Does it cover NDIS obligations?

Yes. It explains how the NDIS Code of Conduct applies alongside your Board obligations, including honest reporting of reasonable and necessary supports, unfair pricing, safeguarding and reportable incidents, and how restrictive practices rules apply to equipment and environmental recommendations.

Will this course satisfy a condition or undertaking on my registration?

Not automatically. If you have a condition or undertaking, confirm with Ahpra or the Board, and your lawyer or indemnity insurer, whether this course is acceptable before relying on it.

I am a new graduate. Is this course suitable?

Yes. It is particularly useful in the early years of practice and when moving into private or NDIS work, where supervision is often lighter and commercial pressures stronger.

How is the course assessed?

There are 20 scenario-based multiple-choice questions with a pass mark of 16 out of 20 (80%). The questions are based on the course content, so you will need to work through the sections to pass.