A Multi-Divisional Collaborative Approach to Student Safety and Behavioural Management: Safer Community

Safer Community provides a centralised reporting service for La Trobe University students and staff to report “concerning, threatening, inappropriate or uncomfortable behaviour” they may have witnessed or experienced at the university. Safer Community utilises a systems-based approach to explore all areas of an individual’s university experience to mitigate risk, increase psychological and physical safety, and decrease unwelcome behaviour on campus. Whilst navigating Victorian state statutes and governing legislation, Safer Community applies risk management and de-escalation strategies to promote the safety of all on campus. This includes targeted education and resources directed to high-risk cohorts, such as students living in on-campus accommodation and international students. It also involves supporting staff to manage problematic behaviours, both online and in the classroom, and empowering them to understand, recognise, and respond to distressing behaviours. When reporting to Safer Community, individuals share their experiences in a trauma-informed and confidential environment where the team collaboratively mitigates risk, conducts safety planning, and empowers students to participate in the response. Respondents to the concerns are offered natural justice and encouraged to engage with the investigative process. Individuals with complex psychosocial needs are offered a multidisciplinary approach, with referrals made within the Health, Wellbeing and Inclusion division or to external stakeholders such as the police. This proactive approach to early prevention is informed by data collected by Safer Community to allow for a university-wide response. This paper describes the significance of adopting a circular, holistic, multi-divisional, collaborative approach aimed at fostering the wellbeing of the university community, encompassing both physical and psychological safety. This paper also explores effective strategies to achieve this through the presentation of a case example and service model.