1. What does CARE stand for?
CARE stands for Campus Assessment, Response and Evaluation.
The CARE Team endeavors to:
- Help create a campus culture where the shared value of “Caring for Our Pod” is upheld.
- Review reports of concern about members of the CI community including students, faculty, staff, and visitors.
- Monitor and assess activity in the campus community to identify signs of potential threat as early as possible by “connecting the dots.”
- Educate the campus community on “active bystander” intervention, bias incidents, crisis management, monitoring behavior, and threat assessment.
- Serve as consultants to members of the CI community to support them in monitoring and assessing behavior and building plans to manage it.
- Maintain a database of historical reports of concern.
2. What should I expect when I file a CARE Report?
Upon receipt of a CARE Report, the CARE Team will review the information provided and then strategize the best way to follow-up. Individuals who make a referral will be contacted by a representative of the CARE Team for more information or clarification prior to a CARE Team member contacting the individual of concern. Depending on the circumstances, that individual may not receive specific information about how the CARE Team plans on responding to their referral. Examples of responses may include the following:
- The CARE Team may determine that there is no need for further action but will monitor the situation and concern.
- A CARE Team representative will circle back around to the referral source and provide suggestions and ways to respond to the concerning behavior.
- A CARE Team representative may reach out to the individual of concern directly to provide support and resources.
- If the situation requires immediate action, such as situations where the individual is an immediate threat to self or others, the CARE Team may coordinate with the University Police Department to assist in the response.
3. Are the referrals to the CARE Team confidential?
The CARE Team will take reasonable steps to maintain the privacy of those who make a referral, if requested. If the circumstances do not allow privacy to be maintained, this will be discussed with the person making the referral. On occasion, the nature and context of the report may make it easy for the individual to speculate the reporting source.
4. Can I make an anonymous report?
Many staff, faculty, family members, and concerned others refer students to the CARE Team for various reasons. Occasionally, individuals choose to remain anonymous on the reporting form. The CARE Team would like to outline some common misconceptions about remaining anonymous and how we sometimes encourage the opposite, depending on the situation. It can actually help a student tremendously to know that someone cared enough to refer them to the Team for assistance. We encourage you to read Common Misconceptions of Remaining Anonymous (PDF, 109KB) prior to making a decision regarding your anonymity so that we can best serve the wellbeing and safety needs of the student and our campus community.
5. What is the CARE Team responsible for?
The CARE Team is responsible for reviewing reported behaviors of concern and developing appropriate responses for members of the campus community, to include students, faculty, staff and visitors to CI. We assess the composition of the CARE Team and change membership when appropriate. We develop any needed policies, protocols and procedures to formalize CARE Team actions in regards to reports of concern about students, faculty, staff and visitors to the University. We also develop and implement education and outreach plans to ensure that processes and contacts are well known by the campus community.
Having clear procedures and plans of action when behavioral issues arise is critical to ensure the safety and security of the entire campus community. The CARE Team will provide leadership and guidance on these processes and also respond to inquiries and issues as they arise.
6. How can I help?
Every member of the CI community can do something to show that they care. The primary action you can take to help a person is to provide support. Consider the tips below that include many ways we can all support members of our community. Helping often means getting others involved who have expertise and are responsible for working with individuals who may be struggling.
Tips
- Find a private, comfortable place to talk.
- Make sure you have set aside adequate time for the discussion and are not rushed or preoccupied. For example, be sure to put your phone away so you are not texting during your conversation.
- Try to be calm and relaxed. Pay attention to your demeanor and tone of voice, and try to maintain a calming presence.
- If the discussion is initiated by you, try to be as specific as possible about the behaviors that are concerning. Provide examples of your observations in a direct but non-judgmental way.
- Ask open-ended questions to help clarify.
- Express interest, care, and concern. Remember that although what they are sharing may not seem like a crisis to you, it still feels like one to them.
- Be proactive: engage students early on, pay attention to signs of distress, and set limits on disruptive behavior.
- Be direct: don’t be afraid to ask students directly if they are under the influence of alcohol or drugs, feeling confused, or having thoughts of harming themselves or others.
- Be clear about the limits of your ability to assist them. Help them explore options available to them and the cost and benefit of each option. Remember that even though you think they should seek professional help, it is ultimately their choice.
- Follow through: direct the student to the physical location of the identified resource.
- Do not ignore comments about suicide, violence, or harm to self or others. If you have safety concerns, contact the University Police Department at 9-1-1 or 805-437-8444.
- Consultation and documentation: always document your interactions with distressed students and consult with your department chair/supervisor after any incident.
7. Who is on the CARE Team?
The CARE Team is an interdisciplinary campus committee and includes representatives from the following offices: Dean of Students office, Student Conduct & Community Responsibility, Counseling & Psychological Services, Public Safety, Human Resources, Housing & Residential Education, Disability Accommodations and Support Services, Academic Affairs, and Title IX and Inclusion.