CARE Team

Mission Statement

The UIW Campus Assessment, Response and Evaluation (CARE) Team is a multidisciplinary team dedicated to a proactive, coordinated, and planned approach to the identification, prevention, assessment, management, and reduction of interpersonal and behavioral threats to the safety and well-being of The University of the Incarnate Word students, faculty, staff, and visitors.

Goals

The UIW CARE Team is responsible for the investigation, assessment and evaluation regarding reported concerns to determine if the individual may pose a threat to self and/or the UIW community, or if the concerns are best handled by other UIW departments/resources. When information is directed to or received by the CARE Team (or one of its members), the members will gather information about the concern from their respective departments/divisions and share it with the CARE Team to assess the level of concern.

• Review: Review information from faculty, staff, students, and/or community members; conduct investigation to determine appropriate response.
• Intervention: Intervene in a timely manner. Provide support and response to students displaying varying levels of disruptive, disturbed, or distressed behaviors.
• Communication: Centralize collection and assessment of concerning student behaviors of disparate problematic actions involving one student that may be known to various faculty, staff, and administrators.
• Coordination: Coordinate action and follow-up utilizing a formalized protocol of instructions for communication and intervention. Ensure that services, support, and resources are deployed effectively.
• Prevention and Education: Take a proactive approach through prevention and by educating the UIW community regarding the role of the CARE Team, the need and purpose for intervention, the procedure for filing a report, and how to contact members of the CARE Team with concerns or

CARE Team Members

CARE Team Expanded Team Members (as needed):

• Director of Health Services
• Director of Human Resources
• Director of International Affairs
• Associate Dean (EAP)
• Academic Deans
• Veteran Affairs Coordinator
• St. Anthony Catholic High School Principal
• Incarnate Word High School Principal
• Other campus personnel as deemed necessary by the Chair

* **If you have any questions or would like to consult regarding a behavioral concern, please contact a member of the UIW CARE Team.

Reporting Concerning Behavior

To provide information to the CARE Team, utilize our online reporting form. In any case that warrants immediate emergency response, contact 911 and then UIW Campus Police at (210) 829-6030. UIW employees are strongly encouraged to report all safety concerns and incidents for the purpose of tracking student behavior across time.

All reports received are reviewed by the Office of Student Conduct and Community Standards; the Director of Student Conduct and Community Standards (or designee) will then refer incidents to the CARE Team as appropriate. Campus law enforcement will report relevant police log entries and refer appropriate concerns to CARE Team.

Once a report is received, it will be reviewed by the CARE Team and the appropriate action will be taken, which may or may not include contacting the person, you and any witnesses identified for further details. Anonymous reporters must be aware that if insufficient information is provided in reports, it may be difficult to address incident reports appropriately. 

UIW Employees are strongly encouraged to report behaviors such as, but not limited to, the following:

CARE Team Student Follow-Up Protocol

• CARE Team will determine if and/or when a member or members can/should/must meet with the subject student.
• CARE Team should reference existing UIW policy to recommend imposition of interim suspension and/or trespass orders.
• CARE Team should reference the Voluntary and Involuntary Medical or Psychological Withdrawal Policy for criteria and procedures regarding mandating psychological assessment for a student.
• CARE Team will use an automatic feedback loop within the Maxient software to confirm to reporters that red flags are being acted upon.
• CARE Team will reference existing procedures with the Office of Student Conduct & Community Standards (or designee) for purposes of imposing campus-based no-contact orders.
• CARE Team will reference existing procedures whereby campus hearing outcomes for acts of violence, disruption, threats and other pertinent offenses will be shared by the office of the Director of Student Conduct and Community Standards (or designee) with the CARE Team.
• CARE Team will utilize existing notification procedures for contacting parents, guardians, roommates, friends, faculty, coaches, etc. Part of this protocol is an assessment of whether such notifications meet federal guidelines, and whether such notifications could be helpful or harmful to the intervention and helpful or harmful to risk management priorities.
• CARE Team will coordinate with the appropriate administrative offices and/or law enforcement to determine if reports should be pursued despite having an unwilling complainant, anonymous report or reluctant witness.
• CARE Team will coordinate with academic support services regarding academic concerns.
• CARE Team will follow-up with students to coordinate referral to appropriate support services for a student who returns from the emergency room or community in-patient mental health facility following a potentially suicidal or emergency psychiatric situation.
• When CARE Team has determined that withdrawal from the university is recommended or required, the Director of Student Conduct and Community Standards will contact the Associate Provost to appropriately coordinate the process for withdrawal.
• Campus Response Teams are defined to include, but are not limited to: Crisis Intervention Team; Campus Police; Counseling Services; Health Services, San Antonio Police Department; San Antonio Fire Department, etc.
• The UIW Chief of Police (or designee) activates campus warning systems (text, email, sirens, etc.) according to existing policy and in coordination with the Clery Act timely warning requirements.
• The CARE Team Chair should coordinate and elevate reporting to offices, entities, and personnel according to existing University policies. (CARE Team will defer to the Crisis Response Team at that time).

CARE Team Recommendations

After review of the report of concerning behavior, the CARE Team may recommend some or all the following;

1. Make recommendations to appropriate university personnel that may include, but are not limited to the actions or sanctions consistent with the UIW Student Code of Conduct and Handbook. In addition, the CARE Assessment Team may refer students, faculty, or staff members to professional counseling or other actions deemed appropriate;
2. Assign appropriate university personnel to the subject of the incident for follow-up and observation;
3. Recommend that the proper authority notify, within FERPA guidelines, the parents, guardians, and/or next-of-kin, and;
4. Make recommendation(s) to appropriate university personnel regarding conditions of consideration for an individual to return as an active member of the campus community (interim suspension), as necessary. This may include requiring internal or external psychological evaluations of the individual in question.