Consultations
Consultation with midwives, midwifery and regulatory organizations, clients, and the public is an essential part of the College’s policy development process and is in keeping with our guiding principles of accountability and transparency.
We list all open and closed consultations on our website for members of the public, stakeholders, and midwives to understand our rationale for making changes, and our response to feedback received, where needed.
Taking time to provide feedback when consultations are open is an important opportunity for midwives to get involved in the process of self-regulation and have a chance to help shape the policies and decisions that impact midwifery. The public and other stakeholders bring important perspectives with their feedback as well, giving the College a diverse range of factors to consider.
If no open consultations are listed, please return at a later date or submit your email at the bottom of the page to receive updates and news from the College.
We are committed to developing regulatory policy in a clear, accountable, and transparent manner, that follows best regulatory practices. Open and effective consultation is a critical part of policy development.
Our approach may include early consultation through informal discussion as well as formal written consultation. Our work impacts a number of individuals and organizations, including midwifery clients, midwives, government, and regulatory and midwifery organizations. We prioritize meaningful consultation with all of our stakeholders.
Formal written consultation is a central element of our approach in many areas, including the development of or revisions to our standards of practice.
To ensure effective engagement, we sometimes undertake more targeted forms of consultation alongside or ahead of a written consultation with certain groups or organizations that may be most directly affected by the proposed change. This kind of consultation is particularly valuable at the earlier stages of policy development, or as we refine the final details in discussion with those directly affected.
When deciding on the format of consultation, we consider a range of factors, including our obligation to consult, the nature and scale of the proposed change, the stakeholders we are consulting with, the timing of the consultation, and results from any previous consultation(s).
We have used the following methods to accept feedback:
- Comments on our website
- Emails
- Letters
- Phone calls
- Surveys
- In-person forums
All public consultations are posted on our website, and we formally circulate a notice to relevant stakeholders. All comments made on our website during a written consultation are published on the College’s website and can be viewed even if the consultation has closed, provided they adhere to our Posting Guidelines. In all situations, you can also provide feedback by email or by mail.