1. NOVACares NOVACares Office Monica Chenault, MS mchenault@nvcc.edu
11/8/2018
NOVACares
NOVACares Office
Monica Chenault, MS
August 16, 2018
Welcome to the NOVACares presentation for new faculty. Our office strives to provide you with resources to help you in your role as an Instructor.

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College Safety
Virginia state legislation mandates that every institution of higher education must establish a system for the identification, reporting and intervention of concerning behavior. (2009 – after 2007 VA Tech Tragedy)
NOVA has established
Campus CARE Teams
College-wide Threat Assessment Team
Violence Prevention and Education Committee
The NOVACares Office in its current form was started 5 years ago in an effort to comply with Virginia legislation. NOVA is dedicated to reducing the risk of the likelihood that we will have a crisis on at the College by employing resources and early intervention to distressed members of our community.

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The NOVACares Office
Manages NOVACares and Sexual Assault Services Programs (SAS)
Develops information and referral resources for faculty, students, and staff
Provides education, training and outreach on behavioral intervention and related topics to the NOVA community
Provides case management to high risk students
Manages the NOVACares reporting system and database
The NOVA Cares Office manages two programs in house: NOVACares and NOVA Sexual Assault Services, known as SAS. NOVACares cultivates resources and information that will be beneficial to the NOVA community and shares it with NOVACares Responders and the NOVA Community via our blog and Facebook posts. Each week, a new Tip of the Week is shared to highlight a service or resource available to the NOVA community. NOVACares provides professional development opportunities to educate, assist and enhance the skills of Instructors to help them be more able to identify issues affecting their students before they manifest into a crisis. NOVACares has a Case Manager on staff that assists on higher risk mental health cases through consultation and assessment.

4. NOVACares Website Resources www.nvcc.edu/novacares
NOVA SAS (
NOVACares blog (
Virginia Veteran and Family Services
Database of community mental health providers (
Homelessness resources in the community
Campus food pantries and off-campus resources
Substance abuse treatment providers
Faculty/staff resources (EAP, Classroom Management, Distressed Students, Autism Spectrum)
Human trafficking community resources

5. Responding to Concerning Behavior – Throughout the NOVA Community
11/8/2018
Responding to Concerning Behavior – Throughout the NOVA Community
Conduct/Disciplinary
Academic Integrity
Concerning Behavior (CARE)
Sexual Misconduct
The NOVACares reporting system allows us to use an all in one reporting form to accept incident reports on any of these four area: Conduct/Disciplinary (a violation of the Student or Employee Handbook includes harassment and discrimination); Academic Integrity (violations of the NOVA Academic Integrity policy, also outlined in the Student Handbook); Concerning Behavior (anything that concerns you but does not necessarily rise to the level of a conduct violation, may include mental health issues or welfare concerns); and Sexual Misconduct (may include concerns such as: sexual harassment, sexual assault, domestic violence, and stalking).

6. Centralized Reporting Through NOVACares
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Centralized Reporting Through NOVACares
All members of the NOVA community are encouraged to report their concerns to NOVACares.
Prevents silos of information within departments and/or campuses – encourages One NOVA
Increases the safety of our College and satisfies Federal Law and State Regulation §23-9.2:10
Allows us to identify individuals in need who might otherwise be overlooked
Anyone can file a report on anything that happens on or affects the NOVA Community
The NOVACares program utilizes and all-in-one reporting form to capture most any type of concern. These reports are documented along with the intervention that occurred as a response to the report. Incidents should be documented even after intervention occurs so that the occurrence can be tracked. Often a situation occurs that necessitates a swift immediate response, once the matter is resolved it’s tempting to not take the extra time to file a report. If you don’t this information will not be captured and documented. Should a similar incident with the same person occur at another campus or even at the same campus with different players, all that information would be lost and the responders would not have it to effectively assess a situation that could be escalating. Add NOVACares Video here:

7. FOR SYLLABI:
NOVA is committed to the safety and wellbeing of our college students, faculty and staff. If you have a concern about the behavior or safety of any member of the NOVA community, you may share your concerns with NOVACares by submitting a report. Please visit www/nvcc.edu/novacares and click on “Make a Report”. Your report will help us to identify, assess and respond to members of our college community.
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Note the FAQ button next to the Report Concerns button. This will answer your questions about reporting. If you still have concerns about the situation or your incident report, feel free to contact any member of the NOVACares Office for a consult. You may call or us at:

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To report anonymously, only fill in the required blocks.

10. Examples of Concerning Behavior
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Examples of Concerning Behavior
Classroom/learning environment disruption
Sexual aggression/violence
Harassment/discrimination
Incoherent speech
Aggression in speech, attitude, or behavior
Substance use/abuse
Unusual or bizarre behavior
Violent/threatening behavior
Negative change in academic performance
Self-destructive behavior
Writings or drawings that convey intentions to harm self or others
Alcohol use on campus

11. What To Know About Reporting
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What To Know About Reporting
Anyone can file a report:
If it bothers you – report it! (You don’t have to decide - is it worthy?
Anonymity is protected, whenever possible
Reports are usually assigned to a responder by the next business day.
NOVA refers off campus for mental health counseling
IN AN EMERGENCY: 911
Please notify campus police immediately at If you call for a police response, please also complete the on-line NOVACares report as soon as safely possible.
Most classrooms have a panic button on the phone. The LiveSafe app is available for your cell phone. Visit for more info.

12. When a Concern is Reported
The NOVACares office will assess the initial risk level.
Reports are assigned to the most appropriate Responder:
CARE Team
Conduct Officer /Dean of Students
Sexual Assault Services
Title IX
Police
Human Resources
Threat Assessment Team
Academic Integrity cases are handled by the appropriate faculty and Academic Dean. Decisions are documented in NOVACares.

13. What’s Next
The reporter will receive an immediate acknowledgement from the system.
The NOVACares Responder is responsible for investigation, the development of a response plan and follow-up.
Within 1-2 business days, the NOVACares Program Manager will assess the report for risk and then route it to the appropriate NOVACares Responder. An will be sent to the Reporter informing them of case assignment.
The NOVACares Responder will contact the reporter initially and will provided follow-up on a need to know basis.
Any problems, lack of response? Follow-up with the lead responder or our office.

14. CARE TEAMS Campus Assessment, Response, and Evaluation
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CARE TEAMS Campus Assessment, Response, and Evaluation
CARE is an acronym for Campus Assessment, Response and Evaluation

15. CARE teams are not disciplinary, but rather,
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CARE teams are not disciplinary, but rather,
a voluntary early intervention program that can assist students and faculty/staff to avert a crisis situation.
The key word is “voluntary”. The CARE team will contact a student to offer support and services. If the student refuses assistance, their response is documented and the matter closed. If however, the student accepts or requests assistance, the CARE team will work with the student to develop an intervention plan. The intervention may include life coaching, academic counseling and referrals to services at NOVA and in the community. Remember, the CARE Team cannot provide direct mental health counseling, we can however assist the student in locating a mental health provider. We have created a mental health provider database for this and it can be found on our webpage. The direct web address is: nvcc.rints.com

16. LIABILITY Concerns about confidentiality (FERPA)
11/8/2018
LIABILITY
Concerns about confidentiality (FERPA)
Notification puts the “College on Notice”
Duty and Ethics to report your concerns
Not reporting concerning behavior actually increases your liability
Hearsay or second or third hand info – should you report? Absolutely! Just indicate how you learned the info.

17. 24/7 phone/text/email - confidential services
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Contact NOVA SAS!
To speak with an advocate
To get assistance with options
To help you process a disclosure
Sexual Assault
Dating/Partner Violence
Stalking
Sexual Harassment
24/7 phone/text/ - confidential services
YOU ARE NOT ALONE!

18. SEXUAL ASSAULT SERVICES
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SEXUAL ASSAULT SERVICES
Program of the NOVACares Office
Focus on the issues of Sexual Assault, Dating/Partner Violence, Stalking, and Sexual Harassment
Free and confidential services to all members of the NOVA Community
Students
Faculty/Staff
Family Members
Significant other
(703) –

19. SAS SERVICES PROVIDED Crisis intervention and referrals
Psychological, medical, legal, and campus support and information
Presentations, informational brochures and handouts for victims, family members and friends
Educational outreach events on all campuses
In person appointments also available at NOVACares office, on any campus, or off campus
(703) –

20. YOU ARE THE EYES AND EARS FOR NOVA’S HEALTH AND SAFETY
SHARE YOUR CONCERNS WITH US.
WE ARE HERE FOR YOU!
The NOVACares Office