Report page 29

In addition to the above considerations, BTAUs should develop an understanding of the rules and laws that govern the sharing of information held by their community partners.

For example, the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) protects the privacy of individual health and medical information held by healthcare providers and healthcare businesses.

Similarly, the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA) protects the privacy of individual education records held by education agencies and institutions receiving funds from any program administered by the U.S. Department of Education.

Units should have a firm understanding of exactly what information these laws protect and what exceptions allow for sharing information when a risk to public safety exists.

Even if mental health providers and local education agencies cannot share information with the BTAU, those agencies can receive whatever information the BTAU is authorized to share. Sharing information with these entities will inform the strategies used by the mental health providers and local education agencies to promote the wellbeing of individuals under their care.

As the behavioral threat assessment proceeds, the BTAU will want to document all relevant information gathered during the assessment. Templated forms can be used to organize, prompt, and standardize information gathered during the behavioral threat assessment process.

Using templated forms will also improve consistency and reliability in the behavioral threat assessment process by ensuring the same type and quality of information is gathered in each assessment.

It is important to remember that templated forms should be used as a starting point for gathering and collecting information. These forms should not be considered all-inclusive and should allow the flexibility to make common-sense adjustments during the behavioral threat assessment process. For example, information learned during an interview may prompt additional follow-up questions not explicitly listed on an interview form.