Suitability Checks

In keeping its duty to serve and protect the public interest, the College of Licensed Practical Nurses of Manitoba (CLPNM) requires applicants and members of the profession to submit criminal record checks that include vulnerable sector searches, child abuse registry checks and adult abuse registry checks. These are referred to collectively as suitability checks.

Suitability Checks

Background

In 2017, the CLPNM began requesting criminal record checks, child abuse registry checks, and adult abuse registry checks from its registrants, as part of its annual registration renewal requirements. These three checks are referred to collectively as “suitability checks” because they help the CLPNM determine if its registrants are suitable for ongoing practise as members of the profession.

Each year, approximately 20% of Manitoba’s LPNs will required to submit the three suitability checks to be eligible to renew their registration for the following year. All LPNs can expect that they will be required to submit suitability checks at least once within a five-year cycle.

If you are an LPN selected to supply your suitability checks as part of the periodic suitability check program, you will now be required to upload your documents directly into your CLPNM profile. Please note that the CLPNM will not be accepting these submissions via Canada Post or via email.

For information on how to upload your documents into your profile, please click here.

If you have been directed by the CLPNM to provide suitability checks, you are required to provide all three of the checks listed above. Suitability checks allow the CLPNM to review past conduct and determine if it is in the public interest for an individual to be authorized to practise as a practical nurse. Suitability checks protect the public, and contribute to trust and confidence in the profession.

Who Must Submit Suitability Checks to the CLPNM?

All applicants must provide suitability checks as part of their first application to the CLPNM. These checks are also required when former members of the profession apply to reinstate their registration with the CLPNM. Active practising LPNs must answer self-disclosure questions every year during registration renewal, confirming there has been no recent change in status.

In addition, if the Executive Director has reason to believe that a registrant may have a criminal record or abuse registry record they have not disclosed, the Executive Director may ask the registrant to submit suitability checks as part of the registrant’s renewal application.

LPNs must also provide the CLPNM with updated suitability checks on a periodic basis, approximately every five years.  Those selected to provide updated suitability checks are notified individually, early in the registration year, and are required to submit all three checks by May 31 of the same year in order to be eligible to renew their registration for the following year. Please review the CLPNM’s FAQs on Periodic Suitability Checks for more information.

How do I Obtain and Submit Suitability Checks to the CLPNM?

Please review the CLPNM’s Fact Sheet on Suitability Checks for specific information on how to obtain and submit these documents. Registrants and applicants should anticipate a turnaround time of up to eight weeks at the government offices responsible for issuing criminal record and abuse registry checks. Be sure to apply as early as possible.

Periodic Suitability Checks

Frequently Asked Questions

The CLPNM refers to all of the following, collectively, as suitability checks:

  • criminal record checks that include vulnerable sector searches,
  • child abuse registry checks, and
  • adult abuse registry checks.

These documents are referred to as suitability checks because they are used by the CLPNM to assess whether an applicant or registrant is suitable to practise as a member of the profession.

The main reason is to strengthen public protection, and trust and confidence in the profession. Periodic suitability checks will also be required by provincial legislation that is expected to take effect in the next few years.

Those selected to provide updated suitability checks are notified by email, early in each registration year. They are then required to submit all three checks by May 31 of that year, in order to be eligible to renew their registration for the following year. Be sure to keep your contact information on file with the CLPNM up-to-date. While your initial notice will come by email, the CLPNM may send you follow-up information by mail or email. Inaccurate contact information could mean you will not receive a notice, which in turn, could have implications for your next year’s registration renewal.

No. LPNs will be required to provide updated suitability checks approximately once every five years. Those who are required to provide updated suitability checks will be notified individually.

Those selected to provide updated suitability checks are required to provide them by May 31 of the same year.  Registrants are notified in January if they have been selected. This provides more than four months to obtain and submit the documents.  Apply as soon as possible. It may take up to eight weeks for you to receive the results.

Those who are selected to provide updated suitability checks are notified in January, providing more than four months to apply for the documents and to submit them to the CLPNM. With this amount of notice, the CLPNM expects that all registrants will have the ability to meet the deadline.

The May 31 deadline was chosen to be fair to registrants. Meeting this deadline is in your interest. Submitting all three suitability checks by May 31 provides you the best chance of avoiding delays and processing times that may otherwise impact your ability to renew your registration by the renewal deadline and before late fees apply.

Any cost associated with applying for the documents is the responsibility of the registrant. The costs are not included in CLPNM registration fees.

When a criminal or abuse registry record is identified, the CLPNM carries out a registration risk assessment before taking any further action.  Through this assessment, the CLPNM will determine whether authorizing a person with a criminal or abuse registry record to practise as an LPN is against the public interest. In some cases, the CLPNM may determine that ongoing authorization to practise does not place the public at risk. The full circumstances of each individual case will be considered, and each case may result in a different outcome.

If your criminal record check is positive, or you know that it will be, you are strongly encouraged to apply for a certified criminal record check based on fingerprinting right away. This second type of criminal record check compares fingerprints to confirm that the record is associated with you, and not someone else with a similar name.  The CLPNM will direct you to submit one after it reviews the results of your initial check. It can take up to 120 days to receive this documentation, and it may then take the CLPNM a further six weeks to assess your suitability before you will be eligible to apply for renewal. By applying for a certified criminal record check based on fingerprinting early, you stand the best chance of avoiding delays that could impact your ability to renew.

Since all registrants are asked to self-disclose criminal or abuse registry records each year as part of their renewal application, you will be held accountable for not disclosing the information previously. That said, the CLPNM recognizes that having a record does not always mean that the public is at risk.

You will still be required to provide updated documentation to identify whether or not there is also a more recent record. If the CLPNM has documentation on file that was issued within the past six months, you may not be required to re-submit. Contact the CLPNM for more information.

It is in your interest to meet the May 31 deadline. This deadline has been chosen to ensure there is time for the CLPNM to assess your suitability to practise before the registration renewal deadline. These assessments take time, and sometimes require the submission of additional documents.

Registrants who are directed to provide updated suitability checks, but do not prior to May 31, may be ineligible to renew their registration before late fees apply or before it expires. Registrants who do not submit the documents may also be guilty of professional misconduct, and may therefore, be referred to the CLPNM’s Investigation Committee.

Being free of a criminal record that places the public at risk is a requirement for registration, as per section 6 of The Licensed Practical Nurses Regulation (the Regulation). The Regulation also requires registrants to provide evidence of all eligibility requirements. The CLPNM By-Laws further state that registrants must report to the CLPNM, within 30 days, if they are under investigation or have been charged or convicted of any offence under federal law, or of any offence under provincial law (except for The Highway Traffic Act), or if their name has been entered on the adult abuse and/or child abuse registry.

If you require further clarification, or if you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact the CLPNM by email or by phone at 204-663-1212 or 1-877-663-1212 toll free.