To access the Regional Private Protocol, please contact Jodi Carmichael 403-331-9500 or jodi@swcss.ca

The Southwest Alberta Regional Violence Threat Risk Assessment (VTRA) Protocol is the result of commitment and cooperation between school jurisdictions and community agencies, all of whom are committed to making our schools and communities safe.

All SW Alberta Regional VTRA Protocol partners1 have agreed to respond to all behaviours that may pose a potential risk for violence to children/youth, staff and members of the community. The goal will be to intervene as early as possible when an individual may be moving on a pathway towards violence.

In developing this protocol, consideration was given to the uniqueness and diversity of the rural and urban communities represented in our collaboration. The protocol will ensure common understanding of the Violence Threat Risk Assessment (VTRA) process, and encourage the development of common responses, emphasizing a multidisciplinary approach. A multidisciplinary team affords a more complete understanding of the dynamics involved in the lives of those individuals making the threats and presenting the risks. This approach also better reflects consideration of the contexts in which threats occur and the impact upon those identified. The strength of the multidisciplinary team is the access it provides to a broad range of expertise and perspective.

This protocol supports collaborative planning among children/youth, families, schools and community agencies to reduce violence and to reflect safe, caring and restorative approaches. It fosters timely sharing of information about children/youth who pose a risk for violence towards themselves or others while respecting an individual’s right to privacy to the fullest extent possible. The protocol celebrates the process of deliberately trying to “connect the dots” that may suggest an individual is moving on a path towards serious violence before a violent act occurs. Finally, the protocol promotes supportive interventions and preventative plans being put into place.