Notice to the Profession: Current Con-Ed courses listed on the Bereavement Education Committee website

There are currently several credit-approved continuing education courses available to licensees of the Bereavement Authority of Ontario.

This Notice is being sent to remind and encourage licensees to regularly check the Bereavement Education Committee (BEC) website – which is the continuing education information hub for all credit approved courses in Ontario’s bereavement sector.

The continuing education (con-ed) courses are in Category A – Professional Skills, or Category B – Personal Care. For information on credit requirements and Categories A and B, please see the section *How to receive your con-ed credits (CEC) in this Notice.

Courses available now

Humber College

Humber College has recently announced three credit-approved *Category A online courses that are posted on the Bereavement Education Committee website:

• Nov. 17 – Human Rights: Discrimination, Sexual Harassment and Consent  
• Dec. 3 – Microbiology Refresher: What you need to know to stay safe!
• Dec. 10 – Exploring the license classes, required education & scope of practice

Please see the registration information and links for the Humber courses in their PDF posted on this Bereavement Education Committee webpage.

Ontario Association of Cemetery and Funeral Professionals (OACFP)

The OACFP has these online courses coming up:

• Nov. 19 – 2020 Bereavement Sector Administration Training
  –  Half-day training – *Category A   
• Dec 10 – Self Care for the Bereavement Professional
  – Presenter, Howard Mammon, THMP – *Category B

Click the links for more information on each OACFP course offering.

Ontario Funeral Services Association (OFSA)

The OFSA has these online *Category A courses coming up:

• Oct. 28 at 1 p.m. – Embalming the Jaundice and Edematous Case
• Nov. 18 at 1 pm. – Managing Family Complaints  
• Nov. 30 to Dec. 2 – Celebrant Training, 21 hours over three days

For more information contact the OFSA here. To access these courses, funeral directors are asked to contact the OFSA office at:

• 1-800-268-2727; or 905-637-3371; or info@ofsa.org.

Requirement reminder

Here’s a reminder to all funeral directors, funeral preplanners and transfer service sales representatives renewing their licence in the fall of 2020 for the 2021 licence year:

• You must have completed your required six hours of approved, continuing education to be eligible for licence renewal.

Con-ed credit courses must be:

• Provided through one of the two provincial associations (OACFP, OFSA) or  
• Provided by Collège Boréal or Humber College, or
• Approved by the Bereavement Education Committee (BEC)

The BEC maintains a list of approved con-ed courses on its website. 

*How to receive your con-ed credits (CEC)

As you know, all licensees of the Bereavement Authority of Ontario (except cemetery and crematorium sales representatives) must complete six hours a year of approved Continuing Education Credits (CEC).

The CEC courses will be identified as either Category A or Category B content:

• Your complete six-hour requirement may be done entirely in
  Category A – Professional Skills CEC credit courses
• A maximum of two hours from Category B – Self Care courses will also qualify toward the six-hour CEC total requirement
• See the list of what makes up categories A and B specifically on the BEC website

Licensees must submit their hours to the Bereavement Authority of Ontario via its Licensee Portal here. (The Licensee Portal will be opening in November. Stay tuned for the exact date of opening.) This means that funeral licensees renewing their licences in the fall/winter of 2020 for the 2021 licence year will have completed six hours of continuing education to be eligible for renewal.

No courses, seminars, conferences, or events originating from outside of the province or from other associations will qualify for con-ed credit unless they have received the prior approval of the BEC. Licensees should inquire with the course provider to ensure that the education has been approved by the BEC before registering for these courses if they intend to use them for con-ed credit.

Courses that qualified in the past as professional development do not automatically qualify in the future.

Please note that future Notices on con-ed will simply be reminders linking to the BEC website. For more information, email apply@bereavementeducation.org.

About the Bereavement Education Committee (BEC)

The Ontario Association of Cemetery and Funeral Professionals (OACFP) and the Ontario Funeral Service Association (OFSA), in consultation with Humber College and Collège Boréal, and the Bereavement Authority of Ontario, created the Bereavement Education Committee (BEC) in 2019.

The BEC developed guidelines to evaluate programs to be considered for continuing education credits for Ontario’s bereavement sector licensees. Businesses, associations, and bereavement sector licenced operators interested in providing relevant continuing education to Ontario bereavement professionals must be accredited by the BEC.

The BEC is a joint committee of OFSA and OACFP that, in consultation with Humber College and Collège Boréal, meets to receive applications from third-party education providers. Applications are reviewed by the committee to ensure content meets continuing education credit requirements, as set by the Bereavement Authority of Ontario.