At July’s meeting of the Institute Council, Chief Executive Officer, Andrew Ius, reported on the recent International Teaching Councils’ Conference he attended in Cardiff with Chairperson, Susan Halliday. An edited version of Andrew’s report is provided below:

The 3rd International Teaching Councils’ Conference was held in Cardiff, Wales, from 24th to 26th June, hosted by the General Teaching Council of Wales.

It provided an opportunity for the 50 participants to:

• be exposed to international research relevant to the work of teacher regulatory authorities
• hear from a range of teacher regulatory authorities on topical aspects of their regulatory work
• be challenged on what might be considered best practice approach to regulatory work
• contribute to an expanding international network of teacher regulatory authorities.

Of interest to Victoria was the experience of Canadian authorities, in particular the Ontario College of Teachers, with their ‘alternative resolution process’. This process allows for agreed resolution of an inquiry, with accepted sanctions, without the need to undertake a formal hearing.

The conference plenary session agreed on a range of recommendations, including, as a key priority, the establishment of a communications network to facilitate the sharing of policies, knowledge and experience across the authorities.

The Victorian Institute of Teaching has agreed to assist in setting up this network, in a manner similar to that established for the Australasian authorities, that is, a listserve facility and website.