Helping Individuals At Risk Program

Helping Individuals at Risk (HIAR) is a confidential, centralized resource for members of the campus community to report at risk behaviours or concerns about individuals who are at risk of harm to self or others. HIAR staff can assess risk, help connect individuals to support and resources before situations escalate, and offer guidance on potential next steps.

The HIAR program encourages the campus community to trust your instincts, to recognize and report worrisome behaviours of those at risk of harm to self or others in order to connect them to resources before a situation escalates. When reporting to HIAR, a detailed case file for the individual is created which can be connected to other reports referencing the same individual. This enables the team to have a full understanding of the concerns and provide appropriate guidance.

The program is guided by the Helping Individuals at Risk Policy, which applies to ALL members of the university community (example: students, staff, faculty members, etc).

What is the Helping Individuals at Risk (HIAR) Policy?

The University of Alberta is committed to supporting a healthy academic and work environment. Recognizing at risk behaviour and responding with interest and concern are critical factors in preventing potential violence.

The HIAR Policy applies to ALL members of the university community (students, staff, faculty members, post-doctoral fellows). The objective is to create a system to gather reports from across the University in order to facilitate a “connecting of the dots” of what could otherwise be viewed as isolated and less urgent incidents.