Transcript Managing complex student and staff behaviours

Managing complex student and
staff behaviours
Sally Trembath
Manager
Mental Health and Safer Community Programs
Health, Wellbeing and Development
Managing complex student and staff
behaviours
• Define the problem, impact and risk
• The Monash context: mental health and
safer community frameworks
• Services, and resources for early help
seeking and intervention
• Information sharing
• Panel, Q and A
• Key messages
Behaviour management in the University
When does the University’s tolerance of
diversity and eccentricity bow to the need for
containment and control?
Professor James Ogloff
Problem behaviours in a University
community
• Disgruntled students and staff,
complainants
• Threateners, may or may not be harmless
• Personal, domestic disputes
• Criminals
• Abusive students or co-workers
• Abusive supervisors
• Mentally ill
Defining the problem
University
community
Academic
unit
Individual
Society
Table discussion
• Examples of complex cases
• Discuss impact on yourself and others
• Write case scenario describing
behaviours and context
The safer community program and mental
health strategy, a collaborative approach to
behaviour management in order to:
– enable early intervention for better mental health
outcomes
– mitigate the risk of threatening behaviour escalating
to violence
– minimise the impact of disturbed behaviour on
others
– ensure risk is contained in a fair and humane way
Mental health and safer community
framework
High risk
specialised response
Low risk
local response by many
Safety of the individual and the
community
Mental health
Safer community
Crisis response
Remove threat and support those impacted
External specialist referral
Coordinated threat management and engagement of
police, Forensicare. Support to those impacted
Counselling and brief multi-modal intervention
Risk assessment, coordinated case management
and support to those impacted
Early intervention and help seeking.
Psychological first aid
Early local containment, information gathering,
advice and referral
Mental health promotion and resilience programs
Safety awareness and crime prevention programs
What did you know? When did you
know it? What did you do?
Step 1
Duty of care
Behaviour witnessed and identified as signpost of potential
violence or serious mental health issue. Willing to act on
concern for wellbeing.
Step 2
Duty to report
Witness knows who to tell within the university. Witness
chooses to act by reporting or seeking advice.
Step 3
Duty to assess
and act
Threat assessment team provides advice and assistance
appropriate to threat level to reduce risk. High risk cases
escalated to university wide risk management group.
Step 4
Duty to act
Duty to warn
Establish fact and develop evidence based intervention.
Ongoing monitoring and flexible plan to reduce risk both to
the individual and the university community.
Social and academic functioning scale (SAF)
• Adapted from the GAF
• Promotes early identification of students having
difficulties to minimise disruption to their
studies
• Provides clear and common language around
observable behaviours
• Guides appropriate response
• Increases awareness of behaviours requiring
containment
• Indicates referral and service pathways
Community Care Line : 9905 1599
Central point of enquiry for information, advice
and support for students and staff who:
• Feel threatened or unsafe
• Have concerns about someone else’s behaviour
or wellbeing
• Have received unwanted attention
• Are worried about someone harming themselves
or someone else
May be referred to the Safer Community Unit to
lead a coordinated management plan
Risk Management Group
• Purpose is to meet regularly to monitor risks to
the safety of any part of the University
community that arise from the conduct of
individuals within or in contact with the
University community
• Members: Solicitor’s office, Human Resources,
Occupational Health and Safety, Disability Unit,
Residential Services, Mental Health, Safer
Community
• Clear terms of reference for sharing information
in order to manage and mitigate risk
RMG cases: 52 cases January to June 2009
Case Type
Intervention/outcome
Requests to
re-enrol post
exclusion 6.3
SCU access forensic or mental health assessment to guide decision
by faculty
Stalking
Stalking ceased after range of interventions eg. Police, intervention
orders, misconduct
Aggressive
behaviour
SCU coordinated response. Affected staff supported. No further
reports.
Threat, veiled
in email (note
5 in prev. half
year)
Suspect located, admitted and apologised. No further problem
behaviour.
Child
Pornography
Police involved. Guilty plea - student excluded on academic progress
RMG cases
Case Type
Intervention/outcome
Unreasonable
complainants
SCU develop strict management plan and monitoring
Non-suicidal
self-injury impact
on others
Safety plan meetings, external assessment and personal crisis
plans in place
Mental health
issues
1 exit home for assessment, non-compliance on return and
academic progressed. 2 Referral and treatment.
Concerning
comments
Investigation negated action, frightened staff debriefed.
High risk alcohol
use
Halls resident unconscious, hospitalisation, counselling and
monitoring
SAFER COMMUNITY ORGANISATIONAL CHART
Vice President
Administration
Safer Community Working Party
Chair: Divisional Director Student & Community Services
Members: Director, HWD, Director, Equity & Diversity, Director OHS, Director HR
Planning and Resources, Director, Workplace Relations, University Security
Manager, Deputy University Solicitor, Manager Mental Health and Safer Community
Unit, Coordinator, Safer Community Programs, Manager Leadership and Org
Development, University Ombudsman, Assoc Dean Medicine.
Risk Management Group
Chair: Manager Mental Health and Safer Community Unit
Members: Director, HWD, Director, Equity & Diversity, Director OHS,
Director, Workplace Relations, Director, Monash Residential Services,
University Security Manager, Deputy University Solicitor, Coordinator Safer
Community Programs, Security Investigations Supervisor, Senior
Disability Liaison Officer.
Safer Community Unit
Manager, Mental Health & Safer Community Unit
Coordinator, Safer Community Programs
Project Officer
Key Internal and
External
Stakeholders
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• Glenda Beecher, Deputy University Solicitor:
Information sharing , clarification of privacy
and confidentiality
• Andrew Picouleau, Director Workplace
Relations and Deputy HR DD:
Mental Health provision for staff in the EB
Table discussion
• Scenario
• How would you approach this situation
now?
Key messages
• You do not have to know the solution
• There are services to help
• For the best outcome for individuals and the
community, seek advice early
• All advice will be in line with university
statutes and policies
• Where necessary appropriate internal and
external expertise will be engaged
• Community Care Line 9905 1599