Collaborative risk-driven intervention: research supporting technology-enabled opportunities for upstream virtual services in rural and remote communities

Abstract

In 2011, Canada’s Hub Model of Collaborative Risk-Driven Intervention was launched in Prince Albert, SK. Since that time, over 60 communities across the country have replicated the initiative, resulting in over 9,500 rapid interventions of acutely-elevated risk. For the most part, however, these multi-sector efforts to detect elevations in risk, share limited information, and mitigate risk before harm occurs, have taken place in small-to-large-size communities. Still uncertain, is how the benefits of the Hub Model can be expanded to support individuals in rural and remote communities. This article represents a compilation of extracts from a larger body of work conducted to research, explore, and propose a pilot project for application of collaborative risk-driven intervention in a virtual environment. Part of this effort includes a review of literature on the Hub Model, adaptations of human service initiatives, and the relationship between human service provision and information and communication technology (ICT). Consultations with 199 different human service and ICT professionals lay the groundwork for development of theory, assumptions, risks, options, and solutions for implementation of a tech-enabled Hub. Of course, the implications for service mobilization through a remote presence extend far beyond just the Hub Model. Therefore, this article aims to encourage and inspire action-based research that propels a wide variety of tech-enabled opportunities for improving community safety and well-being.