Balancing safety and support on campus: A guide for campus teams

This guide summarizes the existing literature on campus teams and suggests some of the key issues that should be considered when creating or managing a campus team. It includes key considerations for developing a behavioral intervention team, or the equivalent, and also survey data in terms of common terminology, structure, and participation. The guide may be particularly useful to new teams considering various options for how they should be organized and led, but should also be helpful to existing teams interested in assessing their current functions, operations, or emphases.

Balancing Safety and Support on Campus: A Guide for Campus Teams is a 36-page manual that provides recommendations and guidelines for the development of on-campus teams whose purpose is to assess, support and respond to troubled or potentially violent students, including those who are suicidal. The manual provides guidance on: forming teams; what to do before, during, and after an intervention; developing policies and procedures to govern the team’s work; special challenges for commuter and community colleges; promoting a culture of caring; and describing ongoing team functions. Examples of programs and protocols from campuses across the nation illustrate team principles. 

Recommendations found in Balancing Safety and Support on Campus: A Guide for Campus Teams were drawn from existing literature and professional experience. Balancing Safety and Support on Campus was developed by the Higher Education Mental Health Alliance (HEMHA). Numerous professional organizations and individuals participated in the development process. 

Program Objectives:

Campus teams that use Balancing Safety and Support on Campus will have greater knowledge of how to:

1. Identify the focus and scope of their campus team.

2. Create and effectively manage their campus team.

3. Develop institutional policies and procedures related to safety.

4. Promote a “culture of caring.”