Summative themes are key questions that must be answered in an overall assessment
Summative themes represent key questions that must be answered as part of an overall assessment.
NCIER®
Report page 52
Claims on this page
Identifying what could motivate violence better equips BTAUs to assess risk
BTAUs will be better equipped to make an informed assessment of risk if they have identified what is, or could be, motivating someone to become violent.
BTAUs need to learn whether contacts of the individual have been concerned, especially about safety
They will also need to understand if the people who know or have had contact with the individual have been concerned, especially if their concern is related to safety.
BTAUs must assess means and capability by learning about weapons accessible to the individual
Lastly, BTAUs will need to assess if the individual has the means and capability to cause harm by gathering information about the weapons the individual has access to or could potentially obtain.
Three summative themes: motive, elicited concern in others, access to weapons
Motive • Elicited concern in others • Access to weapons
BTAU must judge whether individual poses violence risk while weighing needed interventions
As information is gathered from interviews, records, and other sources, the BTAU must assess whether an individual does or does not pose a risk of violence, while also thinking about what intervention is required to move the individual toward a more positive outcome.
Risk assessment should consider Assessment Themes via Systems Approach plus situational factors
The BTAU should make this assessment by considering all the information gathered about the Assessment Themes using the Systems Approach, while also considering any other situational factors.
Focus on whether a person poses a threat, not only whether they made one
When assessing for risk, the BTAU should not focus solely on whether a person made a threat, but whether a person poses a threat. In other words, while explicit threats are relevant to assessing risk, they are not the sole indicator for whether a person may become violent and, as such, should not be treated as a threshold for concern by public safety officials.
NTAC research shows many attackers make no explicit threats before attacking
This distinction is based on decades of NTAC research that demonstrates that many attackers do not make explicit threats of violence prior to an attack.
Central question of threat assessment: does the individual pose a violence risk now
Therefore, the central question in behavioral threat assessment is—Does the individual of concern pose a risk of violence at this time?
BTAU may apply management strategies even when no current violence risk appears
Even if the individual does not appear to pose a risk of violence at this time, the BTAU may decide to implement some management strategies to support the individual’s wellbeing and prevent the situation from escalating.
Units must continuously assess changes in threat throughout an assessment
Throughout an assessment, it is essential that units continuously assess any potential changes in the threat posed by the individual of concern.
Top
Find the Perfect Training Class For You