Incident Reports

1. What an incident report is

An Incident Report (IR) is a formal record of an event that needs careful documentation — anything from a minor scrape to a serious medication error. They're separate from daily tracking entries because they capture more detail and go through a review before they're considered complete. When to file an IR Common triggers across most organizations: - Injuries — falls, hits, scratches, bites, anything requiring first aid. - Behavioral incidents — significant aggression, self-injury, property damage, elopement. - Medication errors — wrong med, wrong dose, missed dose with consequences. - Allegations — complaints, abuse allegations, neglect concerns. - Near-misses — events that almost caused harm but didn't. - Property damage — significant damage to belongings or facility. - Protective physical intervention — when a physical intervention was used. Your organization will have its own policy about what triggers an IR. When in doubt, file one — it's better to over-report than under-report. What's in an IR The exact fields depend on your organization's setup, but an IR generally captures: - Date and time of the incident (separate from when the report was filed). - Incident type(s) — one or more categories (fall, behavior, medication error, etc.). - Description — narrative of what happened. - Witnesses — anyone present (optional — there's no minimum number). - Injuries — body diagram, severity, treatment given. - Photos and videos — supporting media. - Follow-up actions — what was done, and what's planned next. The IR workflow On the website, each report moves through clear stages shown in the Incident Reporting list: 1. Draft — the report is still being written. The author can edit freely (most fields save as you change them). 2. Waiting for Reviews — after the author submits (Submit For Review), the report waits for the people chosen as Responsible Parties (reviewers) to finish their review. (In the Status filter, this is labeled Waiting For Review.) 3. Completed — all required reviews are done; the row shows Completed with the completion date and reviewer. Restricted isn't a separate type — any incident report becomes restricted when it indicates suspected abuse, neglect, or exploitation. A restricted IR shows a Restricted label on the row, and access is limited to Managers, Billing users, and people with Review MAR/IRs, plus the report's author. Use the Restricted option in the Status filter to focus on those. Mobile wording can differ slightly, but the underlying states are the same. The Incident Reporting page (web) Open Incident Reports in the top menu (same row as Track and Analyze). The URL looks like https://app.behca.com/ir/{profile-id} — it always applies to the profile selected in the profile switcher. At the top of Incident Reporting: - Status and Author filters — multi-select menus to narrow the list by stage or who filed the report. - Create New IR — starts a new draft. - Archived — toggles the archived list. Archived IRs leave the default list; you can Unarchive from the archived view when allowed. The list shows one row per report: reported date and time, incident type, a short description preview, author, and status. Reports waiting on your review appear under Needs your review. Each row has action icons — View, Edit, Review, download PDF (when completed), or Archive. Who can do what - Creating an IR — Create IRs. Managers and Billing users have this automatically. Staff and Guests need it turned on for them on Manage Team, plus access to the profile and a plan that includes incident reporting. - Reviewers — the people you check as Responsible Parties on the report. The list is Managers, Billing users, and Staff or Guests with Review MAR/IRs who can access that profile. Review MAR/IRs without Create IRs is review-only — they can sign off but not file new reports. - The creator of an IR can also be one of its reviewers — BEHCA doesn't stop you. If your organization wants a separate person to review, make that part of your own process. Notifications When an IR is submitted, BEHCA notifies: - Managers, Billing users, and Staff or Guests with Review MAR/IRs — the same submission alert (email, push, and in-app bell). Managers and Billing users are notified for every profile in the organization. Staff and Guests only if they can access that profile (through a Group or guest share). - The Responsible Parties you selected — a separate review required alert. If someone is both on that list and has Review MAR/IRs, they get the review alert only, not both. BEHCA does not send notifications to external parties (family, GP, regulators) — that's outside the app and up to your organization's own process. What's not in an IR - Routine behavior tracking belongs in Daily tracking overview, not IRs. Don't open an IR every time someone yells. - Medication administration goes in What MAR is, not IRs. Open an IR only when there's an actual error. - Staff complaints about coworkers (workplace/HR matters) go through HR, not IRs. But if the concern is about harm, abuse, or neglect of a person you support — even involving a staff member — that is an incident report (and will be handled as a restricted one). What the activity log records Each IR keeps an activity log, but it's about the review lifecycle, not every keystroke. It records things like when the report was created and submitted, who was added or removed as a reviewer, reviewer feedback, and when the review was completed. It does not track field-by-field edits (it won't say "Jane changed field 2"). Common questions - Can I retroactively file an IR for a past incident? — Yes. Set the Date and time of incident to when it actually happened. - Do I need to upload photos for every IR? — No. Photos and videos are optional, but recommended for injuries and property damage. - Are IRs visible to families/Guests? — Depends on your organization's settings and the Guest's permissions. Talk to your Manager. - What if I made the IR by mistake? — You can archive it (this works even for drafts). IRs can't be deleted from the app — archiving moves it off your active board while keeping the record. Related articles - Creating an incident report - Submitting and the review workflow - Configuring incident types

2. Creating an incident report

Create IRs is the permission to file a report. Managers and Billing users have it automatically. For Staff and Guests, a Manager turns it on under Manage Team → open the person → Create IRs. You also need a plan that includes incident reporting and access to that profile (through a Group or guest share). Review MAR/IRs is separate — it does not let you create a report; it is for reviewing others’ IRs. New reports start in Draft — you can save and come back before submitting. Where to start On the web 1. Sign in at app.behca.com (US) or app.behca.au (Australia). 2. Pick the right profile in the profile switcher (top bar). 3. Click Incident Reports in the top menu (same area as Track and Analyze). You'll be on /ir/{profile-id} — the heading reads Incident Reporting. 4. Click Create New IR (opens the editor). On mobile 1. Open the IR tab. 2. Go to the New Report subtab to start a new incident report. Filling in the report The web editor uses the same sections on every report. Work through them top to bottom. Type of Incident is the only part that varies by profile — those choices come from that profile’s Types of Incidents list (see Configuring incident types). Incident details - Time and Date — when the incident happened, not when you're writing the report. - Duration (min) — how long it lasted, if relevant. - Location Address — where it occurred. - Type of Incident — open the multiselect (Select incident types…) and tick at least one label that applies. Selecting injury shows a reminder on the Health tracking page afterward. - Relationship to individual — your relationship to the person the report is about. People involved - Persons involved in incident — names of people directly involved. - Other individuals involved — anyone else present; note who is staff and who is the client/resident. - Was incident witnessed? — turn this on and enter witness names if someone saw what happened. What happened - What happened just prior to the incident? — context leading up to the event. - Description of incident — what happened, in plain factual language. - Specific action(s) taken by staff — what staff did in response. Outcome & injuries - Outcome for (profile name) — how things ended for the person. - Was anyone injured? — turn this on and name who was hurt. - Description of injuries — type, severity, and treatment in your own words. - Mark and describe any areas injured — draw on the body diagram to show where injuries occurred. Follow-up & prevention - What could be done differently? — ideas to improve care or prevent a repeat. Attachments - Upload documents, photos, or supporting evidence — add PDFs, images, or videos. See Adding photos and videos. Before you submit, choose Responsible Parties (reviewers) on the right and use Restrict Access if abuse, neglect, or exploitation is suspected. Saving as a draft You don't have to finish everything in one sitting. On the web, most fields save automatically as you edit — keep the tab open while working. Finish critical sections before you submit; after submit, changes go through the review workflow again. Drafts appear on Incident Reporting with a Draft status until you submit. Submitting When the IR is complete: 1. Ensure Type of Incident has at least one selection (otherwise the web form will stop you when you try to submit). 2. On the web, scroll to Signature, type your name in the Sign field, and tick I agree to electronically sign this form. Until both are done, Submit For Review stays disabled. 3. Click Submit For Review. 4. If you didn’t choose any Responsible Parties (reviewers), BEHCA will warn you — you may confirm anyway or go back and add reviewers. 5. A confirmation popup may appear; confirm when you’re sure. Managers, Billing users, and people with Review MAR/IRs receive notice that the IR was filed; Responsible Parties are the people who must complete their review on the report. See Submitting and the review workflow for the full lifecycle. If the button stays gray or submitting fails unexpectedly, see Incident report won’t submit (Submit For Review). Tips for good IRs - Write quickly while events are fresh. A draft started during your shift, finished afterwards, is much more accurate than a full report written days later. - Stick to facts. Save interpretations for the Outcome or follow-up sections. Most regulators want a clear factual account. - Quote, don't paraphrase. If someone said something significant, put it in quotes. - Use the body diagram. A picture really does say a thousand words for injury location and severity. - Don't blame. Frame staff actions in terms of what was done, not who was at fault. The review workflow is for that. Common questions - The incident type I need isn't in the list. — If you have Create IRs, add it on the profile’s Incident Report Templates tab. Otherwise ask a Manager or teammate who can edit that list. See Configuring incident types. - Can I copy details from a previous IR? — No, each IR is its own record. - What if I'm not sure the event warrants an IR? — File one. If you don't need it, you can archive the draft. - Can a Guest file an IR? — Guests are view-only by default. They can only file one if your organization turns on Create IRs for them. - Submit For Review is disabled or submitting says I need an incident type. — On the web, enable submit with Sign + I agree. You must also pick at least one Type of Incident before submission succeeds — see Incident report won’t submit (Submit For Review). Related articles - Adding photos and videos - Submitting and the review workflow - What an incident report is

3. Adding photos and videos

Photos and videos make incident reports much clearer for reviewers and clinicians. You can also attach documents. BEHCA handles all of them with sensible limits and processing. What you can upload - Photos — .jpg, .png. (On mobile, .heic photos from an iPhone also work — the app converts them on upload.) - Videos — .mp4, .webm, .mov. Maximum video size 100 MB. - Documents — .pdf, .docx, .xlsx, .csv. Uploading from the web 1. Open the IR. 2. Find the attachments section. 3. Click Upload (or drag and drop files into the zone). 4. Wait for the upload to finish. A thumbnail or preview appears. The web is also where you go to add or change attachments on an existing report. Adding photos and videos on mobile On mobile, photos and videos are added as part of creating the report — you'll reach the media step on the fourth screen of the new-report flow. From there you can take a new photo/video with the camera or pick one from your library. The upload runs in the background while you finish the report. To change attachments on a report you've already created, use the website. Video processing — what happens after upload Videos are processed to keep file sizes manageable: 1. You upload the video. Status: Processing. 2. BEHCA downscales to 720p (or compresses on the device if your video is larger than 100 MB). 3. When complete, status changes to Ready and you'll see a notification (web push or in-app banner). 4. The compressed video is what plays back to viewers. If processing fails, status changes to Failed. The original file is still playable — re-upload to try compression again. Compression takes anywhere from a few seconds (short clips) to a few minutes (long clips on slow connections). You can keep editing the IR while it processes. Watching a video later Videos are played inside BEHCA's viewer. They can't easily be downloaded — there's no download button, and right-click is disabled. This is intentional, to reduce the chance of sensitive footage getting redistributed. The "no download" guard is best-effort, not absolute. Don't put video into BEHCA assuming it's impossible to extract — a determined viewer with technical knowledge can always grab it. The guard reduces casual mishandling. Photo guidelines - Injury photos — well-lit, close-up, with a coin or ruler for scale if helpful. - Scene photos — wide enough to show context, but anonymise people in the background where possible. - Avoid identifying others. If staff or other residents are in the frame, consider whether they consented or should be cropped out. - Multiple angles help — a single photo can be misleading. Video guidelines - Keep them short. Reviewers are time-poor. 30 seconds focused on the relevant moment is more useful than 10 minutes. - Hold the camera steady. Stabilized video is clearer. - Vertical or horizontal both work. BEHCA preserves orientation. - Audio is recorded. Keep it factual. Don't make accusatory comments while filming. Storage and privacy - Photos and videos are stored in BEHCA's secure cloud storage. - They're visible only to people with access to the IR (the profile's team, Managers, designated reviewers). - They're retained as long as the IR is on the system. - Only photos appear in the IR's PDF export — videos can't play in a PDF, so they aren't included. See Exporting an incident report PDF. Common questions - Why is my video stuck on "Processing"? — Big videos take a while. If it's been hours, contact support. Most clips finish in under 5 minutes. - Can I edit a video after uploading? — No, videos are stored as-is (after compression). Trim or edit on your device first if needed. - What if the file is too big? — On mobile, BEHCA tries to compress files over 100 MB on the device before upload. If that fails, trim the video on your phone first. - Can I delete a photo or video from an IR? — Yes. While the report is open for editing you can remove an attachment — there's no separate amendment workflow to go through. Related articles - Creating an incident report - Submitting and the review workflow - Uploading large videos on mobile

4. Submitting and the review workflow

Submitting an Incident Report (IR) sends it for review. The flow is simple: a report goes from draft → waiting for reviews → completed. Your selected reviewers (Responsible Parties) submit their reviews, and once they've all done so, the report is complete. Before submitting Make sure you've covered the basics: - ✅ Date and time are correct (when it actually happened). - ✅ At least one Type of Incident is selected — if the multiselect is empty, the web form stops you when you try to submit. - ✅ What happened sections are complete and factual. - ✅ People involved and Outcome & injuries are filled in when they apply. - ✅ Photos / videos are uploaded and finished processing (for videos). - ✅ Responsible Parties (reviewers) are selected — without them, no one can review the report. If you're unsure whether something belongs, keep editing until you're ready — most fields autosave — and consult your Manager before you Submit For Review. Submitting on the web 1. Open the IR (from Incident Reporting or the link that created it). 2. Confirm Type of Incident lists at least one selected category — open Select incident types… if you have not picked any yet. 3. Scroll to the bottom signature section: enter your typed Sign name where asked and tick I agree to electronically sign this form. The Submit For Review button remains disabled until both are complete. 4. Click Submit For Review. 5. If Responsible Parties are missing, BEHCA may warn you — add reviewers from the Responsible Parties checklist, or confirm you still want to submit without them. If the button stays disabled or submitting fails immediately, see Incident report won’t submit (Submit For Review). The IR moves from Draft to Waiting for Reviews. Once all your reviewers have submitted their reviews, it becomes Completed (shown with the date and reviewer). You can't start another incident report for a profile until the current one has been submitted. Finish and submit your draft first. Submitting on mobile On mobile, submitting an IR takes you through several screens (the report's steps) before the final submit. Work through them and confirm at the end. Who gets notified on submission When you submit, BEHCA notifies: - Managers, Billing users, and Staff or Guests with Review MAR/IRs — the same submission alert (email, push, and in-app bell). Managers and Billing users are notified for every profile in the organization. Staff and Guests only if they can access that profile. - The Responsible Parties you selected — a separate review required alert. If someone is both on that list and has Review MAR/IRs, they get the review alert only, not both. BEHCA does not notify external parties (family, GP, regulators) — that's handled outside the app. The review workflow After Submit For Review: 1. Each Responsible Party gets a review required alert. The report also shows under Needs your review on Incident Reporting for that person. 2. They open the IR and read the narrative, attachments, injury images, and so on. 3. They submit their review, or use Return to author to send it back with feedback for the creator to fix. When every Responsible Party has submitted their review, BEHCA marks the IR Completed. If no reviewers were selected, there's no one to review it, so it stays in Waiting for Reviews. Remember the creator can also be a reviewer — there's no rule preventing it. Tracking status on Incident Reporting On Incident Reporting (/ir/{profile-id}): - Click Archived to switch between active and archived reports. - Narrow the list with the Status filter (Draft, Returned to Author, Waiting For Review, Completed, Restricted) or the Author filter. - Reports waiting on you appear under Needs your review. Each row shows date/time, type, a description preview, author, and status. Action icons on the row let you View, Edit, Review, download a PDF (when completed), or Archive / Unarchive. Corrections after submission There's no separate "amendment" mode — an IR can be edited rather than re-versioned. Who can edit depends on the report's state and your role: the creator and reviewers can open it for editing, and a reviewer can use Return to author to send it back with feedback for the creator to correct. IRs can't be deleted in the app (even drafts). If a report shouldn't be on your active board, archive it instead — the record is kept. Common questions - I submitted an IR by mistake. — Ask a reviewer to Return to author so it can be corrected, or archive it. IRs aren't deleted. - My Manager hasn't reviewed an IR I submitted. — Send them a direct message. The notification isn't a substitute for human follow-up. - Can I add a comment to a submitted IR? — Yes. Comments are for clarifications and don't change the report's state. - Will the family see the IR? — Only if they have Guest access to the profile and your organization's settings allow it. Talk to your Manager. Related articles - Incident report won’t submit (Submit For Review) - Creating an incident report - Adding photos and videos - Exporting an incident report PDF

5. Configuring incident types

Incident types are the labels in Type of Incident when someone files an IR (the multiselect Select incident types…). There are two levels: organization IR templates, and each profile’s own list. What your plan includes Incident Reporting — filing IRs, the list, reviews, and editing Types of Incidents on each profile — is on School, Therapeutic, and Residential plans. Family plans do not include Incident Reporting. Organization IR templates (under Organization → IR Templates) and LOAD TEMPLATE on a profile are included on those same provider plans. They are not a separate add-on. If your organization is on a provider plan with Incident Reporting, Managers can build org templates and load them onto profiles. Organization IR templates (Managers and Billing) Managers and Billing account owners build reusable IR templates under Organization → IR Templates (/organization/ir-templates). There you create, duplicate, and rename templates and edit the default Types of Incidents list for your organization. On a profile’s Incident Report Templates tab, only Managers and Billing account owners see Apply a Template and LOAD TEMPLATE. That copies an organization template onto that profile (replacing that profile’s current type list). You can keep customizing the list for that person afterward. Staff and Guests never see LOAD TEMPLATE, even when they have Create IRs. Types on a profile (Create IRs) Each profile has its own Types of Incidents list on Profile → Incident Report Templates (same tab as Crisis Safety Plan / Risk Assessment uploads). Anyone with Create IRs who can access that profile can edit this list — Managers, Billing users, and Staff or Guests when a Manager turned Create IRs on for them. Add names like tags (comma-separated paste works). Changes save automatically and show up in Type of Incident when filing an IR for that profile. Review MAR/IRs alone does not edit this list — that permission is for reviewing reports, not configuring types. Suggested incident types A good starting list for most organizations: - Fall — accidental, with or without injury. - Behavioral Incident — aggression, self-injury, property damage. - Medication Error — wrong dose, wrong med, missed dose. - Allegation — abuse / neglect / complaints. - Near Miss — almost happened, was averted. - Property Damage — significant damage to belongings or facility. - Protective Physical Intervention — when a physical intervention was used. - Elopement — person left the premises unauthorized. - Death — some programs label this Critical Incident. - Other — catch-all for anything that doesn't fit. Your industry and regulator may need additional types — check your local guidance. Tips - Keep the list short. A handful of clear types is easier for staff than dozens of niche ones. - Use plain names your team will recognize at a glance. - Review it occasionally as your service and local requirements change. Common questions - Can Staff or Guests change types on a profile? — Yes, if they have Create IRs and access to that profile. They edit Incident Report Templates on the profile, not Organization → IR Templates. - Can Staff or Guests load an organization template onto a profile? — No. Only Managers and Billing account owners can use LOAD TEMPLATE. - Can Staff create organization IR templates? — No. Only Managers and Billing account owners use Organization → IR Templates. - Do IR templates come with Incident Reporting? — On School, Therapeutic, and Residential plans, yes — org IR templates are part of the same offering as Incident Reporting. Family plans include neither. - What happens to old IRs if I change the list? — Nothing. Existing reports keep the types they were filed with. - Is there a global library of incident types? — No. Each organization and profile maintains its own list. Related articles - What an incident report is - Creating an incident report - Submitting and the review workflow

6. Exporting an incident report PDF

Most regulators, GPs, and family members want a clean printed or emailed PDF of an IR. BEHCA generates one on demand. Where to export On the web 1. Open Incident Reports in the top menu for the right profile. 2. Find the IR in the list. 3. Click the PDF icon on that row (or open the report and export from there if your role shows that option). 4. The PDF opens in a new tab and downloads to your device. On mobile PDF export is web-only for now. If you need a PDF urgently, sign in to the website on your phone's browser. What's in the PDF The PDF includes the report's details, formatted cleanly: - Profile name and basic details. - Incident type(s), date, time, location. - Full narrative description. - Witnesses. - Injuries (with body diagram). - Follow-up actions. - Photos (shown inline). Videos are not included — a PDF can't play video, so only photos appear. - Reviewer signatures and notes. - A signature audit trail (when it was created, submitted, reviewed, and by whom). Common uses - Clinician handover — email to GP, psychiatrist, behavior analyst. - Family communication — share with parents/guardians who don't have BEHCA access. - Regulatory reporting — submit to NDIS, state department, etc. - Internal records — print and file in paper records if your organization requires. - Insurance / legal — keep alongside other care records. Sending a PDF securely PDFs can contain sensitive information (medical, legal, identifying). When you share: - Email: use your organization's normal secure-email policy. - Printing: don't leave printed IRs in shared spaces. - Storing: keep on encrypted devices, under access control. BEHCA's role ends when the PDF leaves the system — onward handling is your responsibility. What if the PDF looks wrong? - Photos missing or sideways: check the photo orientation in the IR. The PDF preserves orientation. - Missing fields: confirm the IR has those fields filled in. Empty fields are skipped. - Wrong layout: PDFs are laid out responsively. If a layout problem persists, contact support. Re-exporting after changes Each export is generated on the fly, so if the report has changed since you last exported it, exporting again gives you the up-to-date version. Common questions - Can I customize the PDF layout / template? — Not currently. The layout is standardized. - Can I export multiple IRs at once into a single PDF? — Not currently. Export each IR individually. - Will the PDF include sensitive data? — Yes, by design — that's the point. Treat it as a confidential document. - Can a family Guest export the PDF? — Yes if they have access to view the IR. Permissions follow viewability. - Can I export many IRs into a spreadsheet? — Three different paths, depending on what you need: - Full report (narrative, injuries, reviewers): use PDF from the Incident Reports list — one file per report. There is no “export all IRs as PDF” in one click. - Same timeline as the audit log: open Analyze → Audit Log, set filters if you want (leave categories alone to include everything), then Export XLS and pick the months. Incident reports are included the same way they appear in the log — one row per report on the All Data + Comments sheet, with incident type in Category and status lines in Note. If you turn off the Incident Reports category chip before exporting, those rows are omitted. This is not every IR field in its own column; it matches the audit log, not the PDF. - Organization totals: Managers and Billing users can use Admin Reports → IR Summary → Export XLS for an Excel file of counts by staff and profile (draft, pending review, completed, restricted). - Compliance Log → Export CSV lists account events (for example, that a report was submitted), not the report narrative. Related articles - Submitting and the review workflow - Exporting PDF reports - Exports from Admin Reports