FAQs

Referral Privacy
When possible, it can be helpful for the referring party to let the individual of concern know about the referral—but we understand this isn't always realistic. A CARE Team member may contact you to gather more context or additional details.

In most cases, the names of referring parties are not disclosed. However, in rare situations involving serious concerns, disclosure may be necessary to ensure appropriate support and intervention. If you have concerns about confidentiality, please talk with a CARE Team member. We are committed to addressing your questions and finding the best path forward.

The CARE Group is a multidisciplinary group of professional staff who collaborate on the creation of individualized plans for supporting students. Each CARE Group member has a primary leadership role at the Institute (e.g. Associate Dean, Assistant Vice President of Student Affairs, etc.) and works closely with other group members to help facilitate students' success. The CARE Group also offers training on suicide prevention, violence prevention, and is dedicated to ongoing professional development and training related to collegiate mental health, violence risk assessment, and best practices for behavioral intervention teams.

Anonymous referrals are permitted, but can limit the options the CARE Group has for intervention or management of a situation. We prefer that the referring party includes contact information so that a CARE Group member can discuss any details or additional information that would be helpful to the group, as well as understand any concerns about anonymity. In many cases, the incident or concern is shared by a number of people, and individual identities do not need to be revealed.

The specific actions taken for any CARE referral depend on the nature of the concern. In situations where there is no immediate concerns about safety, an individual may receive email outreach from one of the associate deans or a member of the residential life team, or an in-person attempt to check-in for students living in Institute housing. The goal of this outreach is to establish a connection with the CARE Group and offer support to students - this could be a referral to SWS, CASS, CCID, ISP, tutoring, or other campus resources.

If there is a concern about suicidality or other pressing safety concerns for students living on campus, a member of the residential life team will typically attempt to locate the student experiencing distress, and connect them to counseling resources for a consultation about safety and how to mitigate risk of self-harm or suicide. These consultations may be in-person at Student Wellness Services during business hours, or by phone when SWS is closed. The goal of this type of consultation is to identify current stressors, co-create a safety plan and lay the groundwork for follow-up with SWS so that the student has access to ongoing support. In a minority of situations involving suicidal ideation or behavior, it may be helpful for a student to enter a higher level of care at a local psychiatric hospital. SWS understands that this intervention can be challenging for students, and will do everything possible to explain the process and provide support throughout. More information about behavioral health hospitalizations can be found here.

A member of the CARE Group (usually the Associate Deans) will follow up with students experiencing distress and offer appropriate resources and support. While it can be difficult, at times, to engage with support resources, the CARE Group strongly encourages students to be open to outreach and connection to the broad range of resources available to assist students with academic, personal, health, and other challenges that can impact their ability to thrive.

The CARE Group is not a disciplinary body, and doesn't force individuals to talk to anyone. In most cases, individuals will receive an invitation to speak with one CARE Group member with whom they may already have a supportive relationship or connection. Unless there is a question about risk of harm to self or others, students are not mandated to talk to a CARE Group member. The CARE Group member doesn't need to know the specifics of your concerns in order to be helpful; in most cases, they can refer you to confidential resources on or off campus for support.

The CARE Group takes every referral seriously, and operates according to the best practices defined by the National Behavioral Intervention Team Association. When a concern is raised, it is important to look at the specific behavior or issue of concern through an objective lens. The CARE Group strives to base it's recommendations and interventions on an assessment of the facts at hand, and to ask questions and seek information to help inform a reasonable approach to each situation. The balance of the needs of the community and the autonomy of an individual of concern is paramount, and the CARE Group focuses on equitable treatment of all parties involved.

In some cases, concern will persist even after an individual of concern gets connected to supportive resources. Sometimes this is because the referring party continues to feel worried or fearful, and isn't seeing any meaningful change in the individual's behavior. Other times, it is because the individual of concern has multiple issues to manage and progress takes time. In all cases, we encourage you to work collaboratively with the CARE Group and let us know if you are still concerned or if disruptive or disturbing behavior has continued.

The CARE Group does use a secure database program to manage the Group's activities and organize referral information. These records are subject to FERPA, and are only accessible by CARE Group members, or under certain circumstances (i.e. a health or safety emergency) other persons on campus with a legitimate educational interest. The records are largely procedural (i.e. notes about referrals made or follow-up meetings) and do not include any medical or diagnostic information. For more information on FERPA at Caltech, click here.

The CARE Group and its members, other than the Director of the Staff and Faculty Consultation Center and the Director of Counseling Services, are not confidential resources; this means that each CARE Group member works under the usual guidelines for reporting abuse, sexual misconduct, and any other requirements for mandated reporters and responsible employees. However, in both working with referral sources and with individuals of concern, the CARE Group prioritizes discretion, privacy, and a "need-to-know-only" approach. The CARE Group members are readily available to discuss any concerns about this practice.