CARE Team

Submit Referral
Contact Information

Marple Campus
Office 3250
Phone: 610-359-7389
Fax: 610-325-2820

Delaware County Community College is concerned about the health, welfare and safety of its students, faculty and staff. We’re committed to providing an environment where individuals can learn, work and teach successfully. Our College’s CARE (Consultation – Assessment – Referral – Education) Team is made up of an interdisciplinary group for assessing, recognizing and educating students who are in apparent or potential distress at any of the College’s campuses or sites, and could benefit from the safety net of the College’s CARE Team.

In 2024-2025, the CARE Team reviewed and helped with over 170 referrals from our College community.

Although the team focuses on preventing a threat and/or crisis before it occurs, it will react to sudden or crisis behavioral concerns when they occur as well. Our CARE Team’s response is not meant to take the place of standard classroom management techniques, alter the student code of conduct or replace other processes, including the complaint or harassment processes. Instead, the team provides a structure that allows all College community members to be actively engaged in creating a safe environment for students, faculty and staff alike.

  • Provide a formal protocol for addressing behaviors that impact the well-being of an individual or the College community.
  • Connect members of the College community to needed resources.
  • Determine and initiate appropriate responses to ensure that services, support and resources are deployed effectively.
  • Balance the needs of the student and those of the College community at large.
  • Student has excessive absences from class or group activity
  • Student makes concerning communications to an instructor
  • Student’s behavior indicates heightened/extreme personal distress
  • Student exhibits unusual behavior
  • Concern a student is suffering from impaired mental status
  • Concern a student may be having thoughts of suicide
  • Student is experiencing stress over housing or financial insecurity
  • Assist faculty or staff in developing a plan of action
  • Refer the student to appropriate community resources
  • Facilitate a meeting between concerned parties
  • Mandate psychological assessment
  • Recommend voluntary or involuntary removal from a class or the College
  • Make other recommendations consistent with College policies or procedures
  • Recommend no action, pending further observation
  • Charles Schnur, Director of Student Accountability and Support (Chair)
  • Dana Baker, Assistant Dean, Business, Computing & Social Science
  • Danny Hoey, Jr., Vice President of Student Affairs
  • Matt Brenner, Director of Safety & Security
  • Michele Boyle, Professor, Counselor
  • Simone Richardson, Director of Disability Services
  • Stephanie Sarafinas, Professor, Counselor

To refer a concern to the CARE Team, students, faculty, and staff can use our web form, which allows for anonymous submissions. Providing your name helps us address concerns effectively. Each report is promptly emailed to CARE Team members, who discuss and respond during regular meetings.

In case of a life-threatening mental health emergency, dial 911 for immediate police and ambulance response. For urgent mental health needs, call 988 or contact local crisis services:

Delaware County Crisis Connection Team: 1-855-889-7827

Chester County Crisis Service: 610-280-3270

Philadelphia Crisis Response: 215-686-4420

FAQs