CARE Team

Report a Student of Concern

If this is an emergency, please call x6911 on-campus or 911 off-campus. To report a behavior of concern, use the CARE Referral Form. When the form is submitted, it is received by the chair of the CARE team. Questions can be directed to Inge-Lise Ameer at iameer@bryant.edu or 401-232-6046.

Mission

The CARE (Campus Assessment, Response and Evaluation) Team is a team of interdepartmental professionals responsible for identifying, assessing and responding to students of concern and/or at risk. The team responds to non-emergency situations involving at risk students and works to connect them to essential support services on and/or off campus. The CARE Team serves as a resource to the campus community by providing assistance and referral for students in need of support.

Purpose

The CARE Team collaboratively and purposefully intervenes to provide support resources to students who are experiencing difficulties. The CARE process also provides members of the campus community who have concerns regarding students’ behavior, with an avenue to report these concerns. Once the CARE referral form is received, the CARE Team will identify assistance and/or referral recommendation options to the student. The CARE team will consult with administrators, faculty, staff and other students affected by the behaviors of the student. The CARE team will also make recommendations to University officials regarding appropriate action consistent with University policy and local, state and federal law.

Goals

The goals of the CARE Team are:

1. Prevent crises through the provision of outreach and educational programming, consultation, appropriate assessments and referrals.
2. Ensure that students whose behavior is of concern are contacted through a follow-up process and have access to the appropriate services to improve both academically and personally.
3. Use a reporting and tracking system that allows members of the CARE Team to observe patterns of behavior that may elicit assessment and to provide a documented response to student needs.

Team Meetings

The members of the CARE Team meet weekly to discuss non-emergency situations, routine incidents and referrals to the team.  Weekly meetings take place on Mondays.  When a report is deemed urgent, the team or a subset of the team, will meet to identify an immediate response.

Response and Follow Through

• When a report comes in:
  • The report is read by the chair of the CARE Team.
  • The report is discussed by the CARE team either immediately (in the case of urgent situations) or at the next weekly meeting of the CARE Team.
  • The level of risk and the most appropriate action(s) to take are discussed by the CARE Team.
• The actions of the CARE Team may include, but are not limited to:
  • Reviewing the report and establishing baseline behavior.
  • Reaching out to the student of concern via phone or email to extend concern and informally inquire as to their well-being.
  • Meeting with the student involved to discuss:
    • Student needs
    • Campus services
    • University expectations
  • Referring the student to various programs or services on campus (Counseling Services, Health Services, Academic Advising, Financial Aid, etc.)
  • Referring the student to appropriate community resources.
  • Notifying outside parties (i.e. parent or guardian) in high priority cases, when the student is considered an imminent threat to self or others.
  • Referring the student to the Associate Director of Community Standards/Residential Life for possible disciplinary action.
• The CARE Team will monitor periods where a previously identified student of concern is dormant and will determine whether quietude raises or decreases monitoring needs.
• Even after a student’s case has been closed, CARE records will remain on file indefinitely.

Communication and Confidentiality

Members of the team may provide each other or faculty/staff/students involved in a particular report, or outside parties in connection with the situation, with information as is necessary to protect the health, safety and privacy of the student or other persons and to generate a recommended course of action in accordance with applicable legal and professional standards of confidentiality, including the release of information pursuant to the Family Educational Rights Privacy Act of 1974.

If the student is involved in harmful, threatening or disruptive activities and is a client of the Counseling or Health Services Offices, information about that student’s contacts may not be obtained by the team from those offices without written authorization of the student in question, in accordance with federal and state laws that govern the privacy and confidentiality of students’ health and mental health information and records.