Brescia University

For Faculty/Staff

There are common questions that faculty and staff often ask when learning about the Care Program and the role they can play in its success. Below you will find answers to those questions:

Why does the Brescia community need the Care Program?
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We are a caring campus community, which means that we look out for one another.

The goal of Brescia's Care Program is to provide earlier support to help students get back on track when they are experiencing difficulty that may put their academic success at risk, before these challenges become too overwhelming and before the situation reaches crisis.

In doing so, the Care Program offers options to students, encourages them to seek help early, and empowers them to self-manage.

What kinds of concerns should I share with the Care Program?
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A student can face all sorts of difficulties to varying degrees and concerns can present themselves in different ways, depending on the student's situation and the time of year in the academic cycle.

Some common concerns include a student...

  • Has a marked decrease in academic performance
  • Has frequently missed classes
  • Tells you they are struggling
  • Shares they are thinking about or have attempted suicide
  • Has expressed to you or you have noticed that they are having difficulties

Further indicators of common concerns can be found in Brescia's Guide for Faculty & Staff: Identify and Respond to Students in Difficulty.

How do I know if a concern is worthy of a Care and Concern Submission?
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You care about your students – so trust your instincts. Any response to a student in difficulty is better than the student suffering in silence.

Making a Care and Concern Submission (CCS) does not replace how staff and faculty currently support students. When you share a concern in this way, you are accessing specialized support not only for the student, but also for yourself. You're not alone in navigating your concerns or supporting a student; the Care Program provides you with reassurance, a trained perspective, and an outcome given the current nature of the situation.

The Care Program is meant to complement the way staff and faculty are already looking out for the well-being of students. Part of having a caring community means that when we notice signs of difficulty in others, we reach out to offer support and resources.

How do I tell a student that I'm sharing my concern with the Care Program?
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Transparency is important, so be sure to let the student know that you are concerned about them, that you care, and that you need some extra help to support them in the best way possible. 

Let them know that you are going to discretely share your concern about the situation with a specialized Care Program advisor to help provide the student with options and connections to the right resources for their situation.

To share a concern, please make a Care and Concern Submission (CCS).

What happens after I submit a CCS?
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When you make a submission, you will hear from a Care Program Triager within two (2) business days. During this time, the Triager reviews your concern and considers it within the context of any other information they may have about the concern, in order to objectively assign a current risk level to the concern and determine a current outcome. They will inform you of the outcome and any next steps, while also respecting the student's right to privacy.

Depending on the circumstances and level of concern, the outcome will vary. For low risk, non-urgent concerns, an outcome may include an outreach plan for you, providing you with further direction and resources that you may not have previously known about or shared with the student, and would be specific to the student's situation. You would also have the option of being coached along in this process, should you want this additional support.

We're a resource to you, as much as we are to our students.

How anonymous or confidential is a CCS?
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We believe that transparency and privacy are critical. When you reach out to a student, you're letting them know what you notice and that you have a concern. By asking them how they're doing, you can also find out if there's any way you can help. 

We have the utmost respect for a student's privacy and will maintain it to the highest degree possible. Information is shared on a need-to-know basis and only to the extent necessary for those who are directly involved in supporting the student, so they can do so as effectively as possible in order to fulfill their professional responsibilty.

Where there is a concern for the health or safety of a member of the Brescia community, or the threat of physical harm, privacy laws do not prohibit, but encourage, the appropriate and necessary sharing of that information to maintain a safe campus community.

Submitting a concern does not affect a student's academic records, or decisions related to funding or academic progress and/or future involvement in activities. A student always has the choice whether or not they would like to accept help or not, with the exception of someone’s safety at risk.

The Care Program is not about surveillance and/or is not meant to be disciplinary. The goal is to provide students with relevant resources and support as early as possible, so that they are better able to reach their academic and personal goals.

How can a student share a concern about a friend?
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Students cannot submit a CCS at this time. As a staff or faculty member, if a student discloses to you that they are struggling, you are responsible for supporting them in that moment to the extent that you are able to do so.

We, then, ask that you share that concern with the Care Program by submitting a CCS, so the concern can be appropriately reviewed and any further support can be thoughtfully considered.

What if it's an emergency?
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A CCS is not intended for emergency situations and should not replace Brescia's current emergency guidelines.

Ensure that you attend to the student in the moment, ask for help from those around you, and once the emergency or crisis has been resolved, please complete a CCS so the Care Program can follow-up.

If you feel there is an immediate threat or emergency on-campus that requires police, fire, ambulance, or SERT, call campus police at:

  • 911 (from any campus phone); or
  • 519-661-3300 (by cell phone)