Yes! As a participant in the OASW/PROLINK insurance program, you are entitled to a complimentary 6-month listing on the therapist directory of “Psychology Today” (a $180 value). Exposure in this popular publication can be very beneficial to your growing practice. Upon purchasing your policy through us, you will receive details on how you can sign up.

Yes, all policies under PROLINK’s OASW program will expire on May 1. If you sign up mid-year, you will pay a pro-rated premium and your policy will expire with the rest of the group on May 1 at 12 AM.

Unfortunately, you can be sued for any injuries or property damages that occur while working with clients—even if you’re not at fault. This situation is so common that most venues, government parties, and corporations require that you have this type of coverage in place before you engage in any contract.

Additionally, if you run your business from home, you could be at risk. For example, if a delivery man slips and falls delivering a work-related package, your typical home owner’s policy may not cover it. Commercial General Liability Insurance will.

If you only provide virtual services, Commercial General Liability Insurance will protect you from claims arising from reputational damage, libel and slander, and false advertising.

For any mid-term policy requests, such as updates, address changes, limit increases, additional insured certificates, and more, please contact OASW@prolink.insure.

The policy provides coverage throughout Canada. However, please contact OASW or the provincial regulating body or your respective college to confirm if your OASW membership allows you to provide virtual services in Provinces outside of Ontario. We also advise you to check if Provinces outside of Ontario mandates separate insurance in those provinces.

If you supervise any Students who are enrolled in a Social Work program, you may purchase an extension of coverage under your Professional Liability Insurance for an additional premium. The program and the Institution must be accredited by the Canadian Association for Social Work Education.

Yes. Your Professional Liability Insurance Policy is a “claims-made” policy, which means that you must have coverage in place both when the incident occurs and is reported. Discounted Premiums are available for members going on Maternity for more than 6 months of the policy period.

The policy only provides coverage for services that fall within your scope of practice as a Social Worker including “Psychotherapy”, “Hypnotherapy”, and “Designated Capacity Assessment” services.

There is also an opportunity to secure coverage for the following additional services. However, please note that additional eligibility terms and fees may apply in some cases.

• Equine Assisted Therapy (Please note that providing Equine-Assisted Therapy to anyone under the age of 12 is NOT INCLUDED under this coverage.)
• Yoga-related Therapy
• Walk and Talk Therapy (in daylight only and on an easy, flat, existing, well-lit and marked walking trail in a public Park, e.g., an urban/municipal park)
• Mediation Services (policy will provide coverage for mediation services if you DO NOT HOLD separate designation/certificate such as Lawyer, Paralegal, or Arbitration.)
• Canine-assisted Therapy
• Teaching workshops/courses to clients/patients or the public 

The below services are excluded under the policy:

1. Any accounting, bookkeeping and/or tax-preparation services;

2. Doula and/or life coaching services associated with Doula services;

3. Driver instruction and/or driving training services;

4. Personal shopping services.

The OASW Plan includes both Professional Liability and Commercial General Liability Insurance for more comprehensive coverage. It is not possible to remove either coverage from the OASW Plan bundle.

Once you are aware of an actual or potential claim, report it to PROLINK immediately. Please refrain from making written or oral statements, and do not offer to compensate or admit liability. Taking such actions could interfere in the insurer’s ability to manage the claim.

Click here to see how you can file an insurance claim in 5 steps or less.

Trisura has access to a panel of highly experienced professional liability lawyers from various law firms. Their team specializes in social work legal cases and will be able to handle your case more efficiently and effectively than a general counsel. When an individual chooses a lawyer outside of the Trisura panel, the legal costs to defend the College investigation can be two to three times higher (approximately $4,000 to $5,000 per claim), due to the additional time required for a non-specialized lawyer to review the case. To manage these extra costs, a $2,500 deductible is now applied by the OASW Professional program when a lawyer outside of the Trisura panel is retained.

The deductible will remain at $0 if you choose to select your own lawyer to defend against professional negligence allegations made by a third-party, such as a patient or client. However, we still advise using a lawyer from Trisura’s panel of highly experienced professionals to ensure the best possible outcome for your case.