BTAM Team

Preventing targeted violence in our workplaces requires a team approach

The BTAM process is typically conducted by a multidisciplinary team comprised of personnel with diverse backgrounds, experience, and expertise, who take principal responsibility for identifying, assessing, and managing potential individuals of concern.

Participants represented a wide range of roles and disciplines, including professionals directly involved in organizational BTAM teams, as well as organizational executives, managers, supervisors, and personnel in human resources, security, insider threat, cybersecurity, and more.

STEP 3 | Assemble a Multidisciplinary BTAM Team

Despite the organization having thousands of employees, the threat manager was the sole person managing several important functions

Early in my career, I used direct, academic language from the research.

Those involved in the BTAM process should have a clear understanding of everyone’s role and how they can and cannot contribute.

HR personnel should also understand the job functions and needs of collaborators on the BTAM team, including how they can assist collaborators, and how collaborators might aid them in their role in the BTAM process.

Talking with colleagues and community members in meetings, conferences, and sharing knowledge is vital for the practice of behavioral threat assessment everywhere.

For us, going to meetings, consulting with others, sharing information, and having a common language has been incredibly helpful.

It is best practice that many of the essential functions of the BTAM program be carried out by a multidisciplinary BTAM team.

Establish the authority of a BTAM team to perform the necessary functions to allow them to identify, assess, and manage individuals of concern before violence can occur

The structure of the BTAM team (see Figure 6) should be based upon organizational needs.

Authority and staffing of the BTAM team.

CENTRAL TEAM | One BTAM team assesses and manages all incoming reports in an organization. | An organization with a modest volume of incoming reports has one BTAM team stationed in the organization's headquarters.

LOCAL TEAMS | Multiple decentralized teams each assess and manage incoming reports from local facilities. | An organization has local BTAM teams across several geographic regions to respond to reports at numerous facilities in their area of responsibility.

REGIONAL TEAMS WITH SUPPORT | Multiple regional teams assess and manage incoming reports while a centralized team consults and supports with difficult cases. | A large organization with a high volume of reports uses regional teams, each serving several facilities in their region, with coordination and assistance available from a centralized BTAM team at the organization's headquarters.

the mission of the [name of the BTAM team] is to identify, assess, and manage individuals who may pose a risk of harm to themselves or others in the workplace, either currently or in the future.

Memorializing detailed SOPs can also allow for all BTAM team members to have a shared understanding of what is expected of them and what they can expect from others on the team.

To achieve this mission, the [name of the BTAM team] will receive, investigate, and assess reports of concerns within the workplace, and provide direction, management, support, and follow-up to address concerns before the risk of potential violence escalates to physical harm.

The Behavioral Threat Assessment and Management (BTAM) Team will convene twice per month to review and assess potential concerns.

When developing the BTAM program, organizations should invest time in determining the appropriate team composition, establish expectations regarding training for BTAM team members, and set standards for BTAM team meetings.

BTAM in the workplace requires a multidisciplinary team to process reports of concerning behaviors

The responsibility for violence prevention belongs to everyone in a workplace.

it is best practice to identify personnel who can be routinely dedicated to the important tasks associated with the BTAM process

Establishing a multidisciplinary BTAM team can allow team members with varied organizational roles and responsibilities to leverage their unique expertise

It's important to get the right people.

Previously, team members were identified because they were told to join.

The BTAM team serves as the primary decision-maker throughout the BTAM process.

BTAM teams should include a core group of dedicated, trained professionals.

the BTAM team leader is responsible for ensuring compliance with policies and procedures, facilitating team meetings, and helping team members reach consensus

the BTAM team leader is also responsible for communicating information between the BTAM team and organizational leadership when necessary

Workplace BTAM teams often include personnel from the following organizational roles:

employees need not be core members of a BTAM team to be relevant to the BTAM process

Top side (dark blue, Core Member): Human Resources; Employee Assistance Program; Security; Ombudsman

Left end (dark blue, Core Member): Management

Right end (gray, Ad Hoc Participant): Information Technology

Bottom side (gray, Ad Hoc Participant): Cybersecurity and Insider Threat; Chaplain; Labor Relations; Legal

Training is essential for ensuring that team members build and maintain their knowledge and skills with BTAM practices.

Once a report is received, BTAM teams should process and triage these reports of concern

Every member of the BTAM team should have the capability to view received reports and should automatically be notified of incoming reports, even outside of normal operating hours, if possible.

small organizations may have reports sent directly to the BTAM team for screening and assessment

These similarities make insider threat programs well-positioned to support BTAM teams in identifying and mitigating risk before it escalates to violence.

Including a team member with expertise in open-source investigations can significantly enhance a BTAM team's ability to identify digital and online indicators of concern

When BTAM teams determine that an individual of concern poses a risk of harm to themselves or others, they must take appropriate action to reduce the risk of violence.

Using the information gathered during an assessment, BTAM teams should develop a plan to manage any risk posed by the individual of concern.

During this phase, the BTAM team develops a case management plan for the individual of concern.

The decision to close a case should involve all relevant stakeholders, including the BTAM team and organizational leaders.

BTAM teams should carefully consider these intervention methods in the full context of what is known about the individual and their environment.

BTAM teams should work with the employer to develop and implement a case management plan to effectively address the factors of concern for the employee, which may or may not involve punitive measures.

Generally speaking, it's helpful to get people together so that they know what resources are available in the community.

The inconsistent or indirect contact between these individuals and the organization can make it difficult for the BTAM team to determine the extent of the risk

A nationwide healthcare network has a BTAM team that specializes in handling concerns related to their patients.

assesses whether this behavior is a trend and whether it is indicative of violent intent

BTAM teams should determine the frequency of these refresher trainings based upon organization size, turnover rate, and available resources

Behavioral Threat Assessment Units: A Guide for State and Local Law Enforcement to Prevent Targeted Violence.