By: Tim Cason, M.Ed., Senior Consultant, TNG Consulting, LLC; Vice President, NABITA
With the publication of the updated NABITA Industry Standards for Behavioral Intervention Teams, it is essential to review each standard in detail for our higher education audience. Today, we focus on Standard 10 and the importance of a written manual.
Standard 10. Procedure Manual: The team has a written procedure manual that supports an objective, consistent, and evidence-based functionality.
A procedure manual is a roadmap that a BIT follows as it orients new members, responds to referrals, develops educational outreach materials, and makes decisions. Because of this, the procedure manual must be in writing, formalized, and accessible to all team members. The manual should include a set of guidelines that outline the team’s structure and process in an organized, consistent, and thorough manner. This manual should consist of details on how the team operationalizes the standards of practice for a BIT, how it effectively responds to referrals, and how it monitors progress toward its established goals.
The procedure manual should include the BIT’s mission statement, the scope of service, and a commitment to educating the institutional community about the potential risk factors of which to be aware. These factors may include academic, emotional, behavioral, and physical indicators. Ideally, the manual would also outline information regarding recordkeeping, information standardization, database management, marketing and advertising, meeting details and frequency, objective risk assessment tools, available interventions, member roles and responsibilities, and more.
BITs may struggle with developing a procedure manual because the team has operated from a place of tradition and routine practice rather than one of policy and outlined procedures. Documenting actions that have become second nature can be time-intensive and complex. To assist BITs with this task, NABITA created templates for higher education teams. These templates are meant to serve as a jumping-off point and should not be adopted whole cloth without being reviewed and adjusted to the institution’s unique needs. Because institutional structures and environments vary, some template sections may not be applicable. To access and purchase our BITKit for Higher Education, click here. This document repository of best-in-class templates, forms, manuals, and checklists supports your BIT’s operational efficiency and compliance. It is free for NABITA Super Members and offered at preferred pricing for Team and Individual members.
Practical tip: The team should review the procedure manual annually to ensure it reflects updates from changes in team processes, institutional policy, and any applicable federal or state laws. While leading the process, the team chair should assign members to review and recommend changes. During meetings, the team can review recommendations.
Stay tuned for the remaining Tips of the Week in the BIT Standards refresh series.