1 / 19

An introduction to the World Federation of Occupational Therapists

An introduction to the World Federation of Occupational Therapists. Overview (1).

kathie
Download Presentation

An introduction to the World Federation of Occupational Therapists

An Image/Link below is provided (as is) to download presentation Download Policy: Content on the Website is provided to you AS IS for your information and personal use and may not be sold / licensed / shared on other websites without getting consent from its author. Content is provided to you AS IS for your information and personal use only. Download presentation by click this link. While downloading, if for some reason you are not able to download a presentation, the publisher may have deleted the file from their server. During download, if you can't get a presentation, the file might be deleted by the publisher.

E N D

Presentation Transcript

  1. An introduction to the World Federation of Occupational Therapists

  2. Overview (1) The World Federation of Occupational Therapists (WFOT) is the key international representative for occupational therapists and occupational therapy around the world and the official international organisation for the promotion of occupational therapy. WFOT’s mission is to promote occupational therapy as an art and science internationally. The Federation supports the development, use and practice of occupational therapy worldwide, demonstrating its relevance and contribution to society

  3. Overview (2) • WFOT is a federation of national and regional occupational therapy associations and organisations, who unite to form the international organisation for occupational therapists • WFOT was inaugurated in 1952 by 10 associations – Australia, Canada, Denmark, Great Britain (England and Scotland), India, Israel, New Zealand, South Africa, Sweden and the United States • In 1959 WFOT was admitted into official relations with the World Health Organisation (WHO) • 1963 WFOT was recognised as a Non-Governmental Organisation (NGO) by the United Nations (UN) • WFOT currently has 69 Member Organisations

  4. 56 Full Member Associations13 Associate Member Organisations5 Contributing Members

  5. WFOT Crest (1) WFOT uses the crest as designed and agreed upon in 1964 for all official purposes and for future congresses in order to achieve continuity. • The crest represents: • The staff of life with serpents entwined: a recognised medical symbol of Hippocrates. • The wings of the Phoenix topping the upper end of the staff: symbols high aspirations. • The encircled five rings: represents the continents of the world.

  6. How WFOT works WFOT uses a programme management structure. There are five programme areas that work together to meet the aims and objectives for the organisation. The work is carried out by Programme Coordinators (PCo’s), project team leaders and project team members. The PCo’s oversee ongoing functions and time limited project teams which are guided by specific costed project plans.

  7. WFOT Mission Statement and how it relates to its programme areas THE WORLD FEDERATION OF OCCUPATIONAL THERAPISTS PROMOTES OCCUPATIONAL THERAPY AS AN ART AND SCIENCEINTERNATIONALLY THE FEDERATION SUPPORTS THE DEVELOPMENT, USE AND PRACTICE OF OCCUPATIONAL THERAPY WORLDWIDE, DEMONSTRATING ITS RELEVANCE AND CONTRIBUTION TO SOCIETY EDUCATION AND RESEARCH PROMOTION AND DEVELOPMENT STANDARDS AND QUALITY INTERNATIONAL COOPERATION PROMOTION AND DEVELOPMENT EDUCATION AND RESEARCH INTERNATIONAL COOPERATION STANDARDS AND QUALITY

  8. WFOT Projects (1) WFOT has over 80 international projects running at any one time. Examples of these include: • Reviewing, updating, translating and producing the Minimum Standards of Education for Occupational Therapists • Formulating Positions Statements addressing issues pertinent to occupational therapy • Publishing a peer reviewed journal twice a year “WFOT Bulletin” • Developing resources to support occupational therapists working in Disaster Preparedness and Response • Providing resources to promote the profession, including World Occupational Therapy Day

  9. WFOT Projects (2) • Supporting the development of the profession in countries where it does not currently exist • Developing the website and social media to connect the profession worldwide • Liaising with and representing the profession with strategic international partners • Supporting the development and inclusion of new WFOT Member Organisations A full list of WFOT projects can be found on the website www.wfot.org

  10. International Advisory Groups • WFOT currently has eight International Advisory Groups (IAG’s). • IAG’s are a panel of expert practitioners, researchers and academics who are located in different regions of the world. They work together to advise, develop and support issues that are pertinent to the organisation at a particular time. The IAG’s that are currently operating are: • Accessibility and Participation • E-health • Evidence Based Occupational Therapy (EBOT) • Human Rights • International Classification of Functioning (ICF) • Mental Health • Occupational Science • Research

  11. Resources • WFOT is a structured, volunteer based organisation. The structure enables WFOT to achieve a wide range of outcomes, within the limited resources that are available. • WFOT is reliant on people contributing their time and expertise in a voluntary capacity to the development of the profession, these include: • Executive Management team - President, Vice President, Vice President Finance, Executive Director, and Programme Coordinators • Member Organisations delegates, some of whom may have paid positions within their organisations – all volunteer their time freely to participate in the work of the organisation • Project leaders and project team members • Convenors and members of International Advisory Groups • Project coordinators and team members • Congress committees • There are two salaried positions in WFOT - the Executive Assistant and the Clerical Assistant who both work part time.

  12. WFOT Meetings WFOT Council meets once every two years The Executive Management Team meet in between Council Meetings and immediately before the Council Meeting Executive and PCo daily operational management Programme group work and regular reports back to PCo The work of the organisation continues in between meetings with regular feedback and reporting provided by the project teams

  13. International partnerships • WFOT maintains liaison with over 23 international organisations including the World Health Organisation (WHO) and other international (non-governmental) health organisations such as UNICEF, UNESCO, Rehabilitation International (RI), International Council on Disability (ICOD) and the World Confederation of Physical Therapists (WCPT). • In 2009, WFOT celebrated 50 years of collaboration between WFOT and WHO.

  14. Facts and Figures - Practice • There are 354,848practising occupational therapists worldwide • 81% of occupational therapists are female • Average number of occupational therapists per 10,000 head of population is 2 • There are 42,222 occupational therapy assistants worldwide • 60% of occupational therapists work in government/public funded services • 34% of occupational therapists work in non government/public funded services • 38% of WFOT Member Organisations report labour shortages in the field of mental health • 35% of WFOT Member Organisations report labour shortages in the field of physical health

  15. Facts and Figures - Education • There are 685 WFOT Approved Education Programmes worldwide • There are 75,915 students studying on WFOT Approved Education Programmes • Approximately 19,303 occupational therapists graduated from WFOT Approved Education Programmes in 2009 • There are 297 Non WFOT Approved Education Programmes worldwide educating 30,094 students • In 2009, approximately 7,912 occupational therapists graduated from Non WFOT Approved Education Programmes

  16. A world of resources • WFOT produce a range of materials to develop, promote and support occupational therapy worldwide, these include: • A website, packed with information, position statements, profiles and contact details of each member organisation, document centre, information about working in other countries, FAQ’s and presentations • WFOT Shop – an online shop with discounted prices on publications, posters and educational materials • WFOT Bulletin – the organisations peer reviewed journal • Promotional goods – posters, postcards, e-cards, calendars

  17. Individual Membership of WFOT • MEMBER ONLY access to the website www.wfot.org • Free and exclusive downloads – keeping you up to date with what is happening in the international OT community • Information about working abroad and links to useful sites and communities • Discounts on publications and events • Twice yearly copies of the WFOT professional journal The Bulletin and e-newsletter • Eligibility to apply for research awards • Opportunity to register with Occupational Therapy International Outreach Network (OTION) • Member discounts in the WFOT Online Shop • Regional conferences, networks and working groups • Opportunity to join project teams pursuing over 80 separate initiatives in four programme areas: Promotion and Development; Education and Research; International Cooperation and Standards and Quality.

  18. Membership of the WFOT • There are two ways a WFOT Member Organisation can pay their subscription to WFOT: • Banding – the Member Organisation pays an annual subscription fee to WFOT – the amount varies based on the number of members in an organisation. Individual Membership of WFOT remains optional for every occupational therapist and student within the Member Organisation • Premium Pricing Model – the Member Organisation provides an Individual Membership subscription to WFOT for all occupational therapists and studentsintheir membership. The cost of Individual Membership is heavily discounted (based on volume) and enables all occupational therapists and student members to access all the benefits of the WFOT

  19. Find out more…. • Visit www.wfot.org for more information about the organisation and our activities • Contact your national association to join WFOT as an Individual Member

More Related