Policy on Referrals to Private-Sector Conservators in Canada

Effective Date

• June 22, 2006

Application

• All CCI employees

Context

• The purpose of this Policy is to clarify for CCI staff and clients the process and rationale for making referrals to private-sector conservators in Canada.

Policy Statement

• Referrals of clients to private-sector conservators must be based on the need for fairness and transparency, and on CCI’s obligation to help clients find competent and reliable conservation professionals to assist them in preserving their objects or collections.

Policy Requirements

• Referrals to private-sector conservators are based on the Code of Ethics and Guidance for Practice of the Canadian Association for Conservation of Cultural Property (CAC) and the Canadian Association of Professional Conservators (CAPC). Section 37. 

  References and Referrals in the Code reads in part:

  " … The conservation professional shall make referrals only to accredited professionals, or to professionals in which he/she has knowledge of their competence. When acting on behalf of an employer, a conservation professional employed by a public institution shall make referrals in a manner which best meets the needs of the client and which respects fair competition by providing a list of qualified professionals."

• CCI staff members should refer the client to at least three conservators whenever possible. They should include:
  
  
  • members of CAPC or other accrediting organizations in the conservation field
  • other conservators of whom the CCI staff member has first-hand knowledge of their capacity to carry out the conservation work in accordance with current conservation practices (“first-hand knowledge” means having worked with the conservation professional, or having seen their work — both practical and documentation)


• If there are insufficient members of CAPC, and the CCI staff member does not have direct knowledge of other conservators who could meet client needs, the client should be directed to the conservation department of a public institution in the client’s geographical area for a referral.

References

• Code of Ethics and Guidance for Practice of the Canadian Association for Conservation of Cultural Property and of the Canadian Association of Professional Conservators (Ottawa: Canadian Association of Professional Conservators, 2000)