TRAUMATIC INCIDENCE RESPONSE PLAN

 Rationale:

 To provide the staff with clear concise guidelines for dealing with any traumatic incident which affects the school, its staff, the pupils, or their direct families.

Guidelines:

 Traumatic Incident Management Team: Principal, Senior Staff, BOT Chair or delegate

 Staff who hear of a death or very serious injury involving students, their family, or staff members (including families), should contact one of the above team.

Crisis Management Team’s Initial Tasks:

·        Contact other team members and arrange meeting

·        Collect necessary information – family, police, others involved

·        Write the message to give all staff

·        Contact staff

·        Develop plan for informing students (note some staff are very uncomfortable with telling students)

- which students - individuals

                              - what group limitations

                              - message

                             - who delivers the message

·        Class teachers of victims – notify – do they need extra information? Support

·        Support Structure for Students – Consider class support person to attend classes, if necessary

·        Guidance Team – Co-ordinated by Principal/D.P.

Who will be available within the school?

            Notify other agencies:              Health Nurse

                                                          Special Education Service

                                  Children Adolescence and Family Service

                                                            Any other person deemed necessary

·        Organise regular meetings of guidance personnel

·        Identify students at risk – by history – relationship to victim/s

·        Media: All media requests to be handled by the Principal

·        Contact with family: Who makes initial contact? On going contact

 Short Term Plan:

 ·        Memorial

      Plan for attending public service

      Suitability of school memorial

      Demarcation of responsibility of school/family

 ·        Target Students

      Guidance team to identify students most distressed / at risk

      Revise strategies according to needs

      Monitor attendance

·        Long Term Plan

Things to consider:

·                    At risk students

·                    Grieving students

·                    Student education

·                    Teacher Education

·                    Parent education

  Contact Numbers of Resource Professionals and Groups:

 Specialist Education Services

Contact person:  Murray Witherford or Trevor Clark

Phone:  2182442

Address:  PO Box 887 / 190 Forth Street

Email:  sessouth@ses.org.nz

Fax:  2182171

 Local Medical Centre

Contact person:  Dr Fernando

Phone:  2158333

Address:  233 North Road

 Mental Health Services

Acute Assessment Team

Contact person:  Invercargill Mental Health Team (over 18)

Phone:  2145786

All the calls – out of hours

 Youth Mental Health Services

CAFS

Contact person: 

Phone:  2145783

After hours:  Emergency Social Work only (2146580)

CYP&F Service (DSW)

Contact person:  Judy Larkin/Paul Erickson

Phone:  2146580

Address:  Menzies Building

 Community Support Agencies and Resource People:

Parish Priest Fr Chris O’Neill Ph 2168466 

Cultural Advisers and Support People

Contact person:  Selwyn Henry

Phone:  2182197

Address:  Youth for Christ PO Box 1366 Invercargill

 Contact person:  Rarotongan Ana and Teri Gillett

 Other:

Contact person:  Arieta Kerr

Phone:  2141729

Address:  Samoan Advisory Council / PO Box 1761

 Ashburn Hall

Contact person:  Tim McKerror

 Victim Support

Contact:  Police – Don Wisely

Phone:  2110400

 Public Health Resource People (eg. Nurse)

Contact person:  Lyn Sanderson

Phone:  2145773

Address:  PO Box 828 (Southern Health) Invercargill

 Child and Family Services

Contact person:  PSS Diana Halstead

Phone 21866140