By the end of this module, you can: decide what needs to be checked, confirm both whether the planned action happened and whether it actually helped, repair failed connections or barriers, and decide what work remains.
Approximately 15–20 minutesPlan → Verify → Repair → Decide
A referral, appointment, phone call, housing meeting, transportation request, or handoff can happen without producing the result the student actually needed.
That means follow-up checks two different things:
Did it happen?
Did the student connect with the service, attend the appointment, receive the call, arrive at the location, or complete the expected step?
Did it work?
Did that action actually produce a usable result?
Examples:
The student attended the housing meeting, but no placement decision was made.
Counseling called, but the student could not answer because their phone was dead.
Transportation arrived, but the appointment had been moved.
A referral was accepted, but the student was later found ineligible.
A temporary plan worked overnight but failed the next morning.
Follow-up is not complete just because an event appears as “done.”
The appointment happened, but the problem was not solved
A student attended the scheduled housing meeting after a crisis-related relocation. The appointment is marked “completed.”
The student says the meeting ended because required documentation was missing. Their temporary room ends tomorrow, and no one told them who would obtain the documentation or make the next housing decision.
Why this fits the evidence
The meeting happened. The needed outcome did not. Follow-up must distinguish those two facts.
Before following up, identify the expected action, the result you hoped it would produce, who owns the check, and when the check should happen.
Result: Follow-up has a purpose instead of becoming a vague “check in later.”
Be specific: “Confirm that counseling connected by 10:00 and that the student has a usable next appointment” is stronger than “follow up with counseling.”
2
Verify
Check whether it happened and whether it worked.
Use the student and other authorized sources to confirm both the connection and the result.
Result: You know whether the planned step occurred, whether it produced a usable outcome, and what is still unknown.
Do not treat “appointment completed,” “message left,” “provider called,” or “student answered” as proof that the need was resolved. Ask what actually happened next.
3
Repair
Fix what did not work.
If the action failed, stalled, or produced an unusable result, identify the barrier and change the plan rather than repeating the same failed route.
Result: The failed pathway has a new action, owner, timing, and backup plan.
Common barriers include transportation, missing documents, eligibility, cost, technology, language, disability access, timing, trust, provider scope, missed handoffs, closed offices, or unclear ownership.
4
Decide
Decide what still needs to happen.
Use the verified result to decide whether CARE continues, responsibility transfers, another follow-up is needed, the case is ready for completion review, or the situation requires a return to SAFE.
Result: The case does not drift after follow-up. The next movement, owner, timing, and return conditions are clear.
A successful phone call is not automatic case closure. Follow-up supplies the evidence needed for the completion decision on the next page.
You know what was supposed to happen, by when, and who was responsible for checking it.
Connection
You know whether the planned contact, appointment, arrival, handoff, or other event actually occurred.
Outcome
You know whether the event produced a usable result for the student.
Student perspective
The student’s experience of whether the plan worked is included when appropriate and available.
Repair
Failed or unusable pathways have been repaired, replaced, or deliberately assigned for continued work.
Next movement
The next action, owner, timing, and conditions for another follow-up, transfer, completion review, or return to SAFE are clear.
Move to Completion Review when
the expected actions and outcomes have been verified honestly; barriers and failed pathways have been repaired or remain clearly owned; the student’s current situation is understood; and the next movement, owner, timing, and return conditions are clear.
Keep following up or repair the plan when
contact is incomplete, the outcome is unknown or unusable, a promised action did not occur, a barrier remains, timing expires, ownership changes, the student cannot use the result, or new information changes the plan. Reassess and return to SAFE when risk or immediate function changes.
The service connected, but the student cannot use the result
A student successfully completes a counseling intake and receives a follow-up appointment for the next morning. The student says the appointment is by video, but their phone is broken and they do not have access to another device.
The counseling office considers the intake complete.
Why this fits the evidence
The service doing its part does not automatically mean the student can use the result.
