Responding to Critical Incidents – A support pack for schools

3.1 The first 24 hours

3.1.1 Agree roles and responsibilities

Who will lead the response? This is likely to be the head teacher. In the event of the death of a Head Teacher, colleagues should be notified as soon as possible and a lead for this work will need to be quickly identified.

Agree who is best placed to communicate with the family or families in order to gain accurate information, confirm a death, discuss their wishes and at a later date to confirm funeral arrangements (see appendix 1 for a proforma for the first contact).

If required agree who will notify and liaise with other effected schools (e..g siblings’ schools etc).

Form an in-school planning group of staff;:to decide on an immediate action plan for the school; the plan should cover 2 or 3 days. As well as developing plans, this group can be a very important source of mutual, personal support.

Where relevant nominate a spokesperson to liaise with WCC communications team to check the legalities and timings of their communications [telephone – 01926 413 727.] This will be relevant if the police are involved, following a suicide or where the press make contact.

3.1.2 Communicating the news

Inform staff and governors

Advice from Winston’s Wish is that the Head Teacher arrange a staff meeting as soon as practicable and if this is not possible for example if a death has occurred in a holiday period to make sure that all staff are informed. Remember to inform part-time staff, absent staff, supply teachers, administrative staff, lunchtime supervisors; and identify school visitors and consider how they might be informed. 

The initial staff meeting agenda will include an outline of what has happened, the school’s basic response, time to consider suggestions and answer questions.

• Advice for initial staff meeting from Winston’s Wish
• Tell the story of what happened leading up to the death. 
• Give a factual explanation of how the death occurred. 
• Be prepared for obvious upset and feelings of anger/guilt. People may connect the incident to their own personal experience of bereavement, so feelings about past bereavements may need to be discussed. This is perfectly natural. 
• To enable absent staff to feel part of a caring team, arrangements should be made to inform them over the telephone if a personal visit is impractical. Consider the relationship between the absent colleague and deceased. 
• Provide staff with a script about what has happened so that consistent information is given to all of the pupils.  Include where possible some answers to difficult questions that staff may be asked by the children, to prevent them needing to think of appropriate responses on the spot.
• Encourage everyone to consider how to meet their own support needs and take care of themselves, this may be from friends, family, support services and/or buddying up with other members of staff.  Provide contact details for support in your local area.
• We recognise that speed and chaos may be a major factor on a day when a critical incident has happened – the speed and chaos meaning that constantly referring to plans and lists is not possible. DONT WORRY! Be confident enough to go with your gut instinct. Remember that keeping people as informed as possible is always helpful, and don’t bear all the responsibility yourself, share it round. © Winston’s Wish

Informing pupils (with reference to advice from Winston’s Wish)

As part of the initial response, it is important to create clear scripts for staff so that consistent information is given to all of the pupils.  Include where possible some answers to difficult questions that staff may be asked by the children, to prevent them needing to think of appropriate responses on the spot.

Think carefully about when and how pupils will be informed about the incident (usually as soon as possible). Consider informing individuals and groups of pupils closest to the incident/person who has died separately from the rest of the school, but at the same time. Depending on the size of the school you may wish to call special assemblies for the rest of the school or inform pupils in year or class groups.

Outline of special assembly

Staff should present the facts as they know them and as scripted, acknowledge their personal feelings, be honest about their own feelings and experiences, and talk openly about the relationship that they had with the person. 

Avoid using euphemisms like ‘passed away’, or ‘lost’ etc. Use the words dead, died and death to avoid confusion for children. 

Example scripts are:

“I’ve got some really sad news to tell you today that might upset you. I know most of you will have heard of cancer, and know that sometimes people with cancer get better, but other times people die from it. Mrs Smith, the Geography teacher and Year 11 tutor, has been ill with cancer for a long time. I have to tell you that Mrs Smith died yesterday in hospital”.

“Sometimes people have accidents at work, at home, at school or on the road. People may be hurt or injured in the accident and they may have to go to hospital for treatment. Sadly, there are some accidents that cause people to die. I have some really sad news to tell you that might upset you. Yesterday Stephen, who is in Year 4, was in an accident and he was so badly injured that he died”.

Refer to the person’s name naturally, “Mrs Smith died from cancer”.

It is always a shock when a death occurs in a school even if it may have been anticipated. In the eyes of the pupils, teachers are part of the fittings and fixtures in school and are not expected to die. Children expect to live forever, and so a fellow pupil dying whilst still young enough to attend school can also feel quite shocking. 

Talk about the feelings the students might have and normalise these “some of you may be very shocked at this news, some of you might feel very sad or worried, some of you might not feel anything at all – it’s ok to have any of these feelings. If you want to talk about how you feel, or cry, or laugh about your memories of him, then that is ok too and we will be here for you. We will try and answer any questions that you might have”

Describe the plans and support mechanisms in place for the school day, dispel rumours. It is natural that children may be upset and/or need time to process information, make sure there is a quiet space for them to go to, support available for them both immediately after they have heard the news and in the days that follow.

Staff may choose to make a short, special tribute to the person who has died.

Be prepared for children to say or do the unexpected, experience has shown some responses or apparent lack of response may be upsetting for adults. No apparent response does not mean that a child does not care. 

Informing parents/ carers

It is vital that parents/carers are informed as soon as possible so that they can support their child to make sense of what has happened. Any communication should be clear, factual and shared with the family prior to being sent out [See examples of scripts that could be used in e-mails or letters in the appendices]

Where there has been a traumatic event within the school community it is helpful to send out a communication to tell parents and caregivers of the traumatic incident: it would be useful to include the school arrangements, possible student reactions and sources of help available (The EPS can provide a range of leaflets that could be sent out to parents following a traumatic event)

The school may wish to put information on their website or through other social media means – this should be as above; clear, factual and shared with family first. Where relevant the WCC Communications team should check the wording of the information.

3.2 The first few days

3.2.1 Identify vulnerable staff and pupils:

• Some members of staff may be vulnerable due to recent bereavements or other personal circumstances - consideration should be given as to how additional ‘check ins’ can be made to these staff members and someone allocated to do this. 
• Staff or pupils who may have witnessed the traumatic event will require additional planning and support.
• Pupils directly affected by the bereavement for example where a family member has died, pupils taught by the member of staff who has died should be considered through ongoing planning for additional support.
• Pupils might be particularly vulnerable due to previous bereavements - make a plan for additional ‘check-ins’ with them and possibly contact families.
• Consider others who might be directly or indirectly effected by the event pupils/staff/other schools/families.

3.2.2. Practical issues regarding staffing, cover and changes to the timetable

• Is it appropriate for the timetable to remain the same or will some adjustments be needed for all, or some, pupils? 
• Will some supply teacher support be needed?
• Would it help to reallocate staff to provide additional support for specific classes and times of the day?
• Would it help to have extended tutor time and/or modify the timetable?

3.2.3. Support for pupils 

• Provide a space for pupils to access with a member of staff able to provide support, answer questions and listen.
• When children have heard the news provide a safe, contained space for students’ reactions to be supported and for them to express any thoughts and feelings about the news they have just received. 
• Have a practical activity such as writing cards or drawing pictures at this time.
• Children and young people will appreciate time to verbalise their feelings and fears. Allow space for “If only’s...” to be acknowledged. 
• Discussion – allow pupils to share their own experiences of death, eg. “When my pet/my gran died” etc. Answer pupil’s questions factually.
• Consider short term support, for example time out cards and a safe, designated and monitored space for pupils/staff.
• Changes to the class register need to be acknowledged with pupils and altered to avoid a distressing mistake.
• The vacant chair in class – pupils will normally adjust to this in their own time, but this may require sensitive discussion.
• Books and personal belongings – may be collected by school staff and sensitively presented to carers, perhaps with some remembrance, in writing or drawing from staff and pupils.  NB all work should be marked with positive comments.

3.2.4 Support for staff

Supporting bereaved pupils can be very stressful for staff who may already be struggling with their own reactions and emotions. At certain points in time, some members of staff may be more vulnerable due to circumstances in their own lives.

3.2.5. Support for parents/carers

Parents and other member of the family can provide a vital mechanism of support and resilience for bereaved children and young people. Schools may want to send out information to parents see appendices for examples and links.

3.3 The first week and beyond

3.3.1. Organising donations/cards/flowers etc for the family

It is important to consult the family about their wishes.

3.3.2. Planning for the funeral

Rather than making assumptions, consult the family to find out whether members of staff and/or pupils are welcome to attend. Identify the practicalities of issues such as staff cover to allow all those wishing to attend the funeral to do so. Consider any arrangements for pupils attending the funeral, and how they will be supported/supervised. Consider support for pupils and staff who wish to attend: it may be appropriate for pupils who wish to go to be taken by their parents

3.3.3. Considering opportunities to remember

Plan and arrange how the school will collectively acknowledge the loss and remember the person, Consult the family of the person who died about any plans for a memorial, assembly or memory book. Maybe in time a permanent memorial (garden, tree, bench, award) may be appropriate, but in future the removal, relocation or replacement will need to be managed sensitively.

Most schools feel that organising some sort of special assembly or remembrance service after a death in a school community is a helpful thing to do. It can put back a sense of normality into what may have been a very unsettled time. Child Bereavement UK has some ideas to help organise something appropriate. Including pupils in the planning of this supports them to establish a sense of control and provides a focus.

A special assembly/memorial activity can be planned on the day of the funeral, for those pupils who are not attending but would like to have some time to focus within the school.

If a child/young person dies then work/books/photos and other things relating to them should be retained by the school and shared with parent/carers when they are able to do so. If their work is currently displayed then photos could be taken of these before the displays are removed.

3.3.4. Supporting staff and parents to support children and young people

Familiar staff and family members who are close to children and young people play an important role in supporting children and young people after a death or other critical incident. They do not have to be counsellors to offer support.

Being informed about the effects of grief, loss and trauma will support them to do this - information about grief and the types of things that might be helpful on the websites and links in the appendices.

Staff can be invited to contact their school EP if they are worried about how to support children and young people. School may ask the EP to facilitate a group session focusing on this.

Remember that most people feel better on their own, given time and support from those they know and trust and who care about them.

After a few weeks it may become clear that an individual is struggling to cope and it may be necessary to consider bereavement support from an outside agency. If they have gone through difficult experiences in the past they may find some of the old feelings and reactions coming back.

Bereavement support would be through the voluntary sector. A referral to CAMHS would be appropriate if there was evidence of a mental health need such as signs of Post Traumatic Stress Disorder, thoughts of harming themselves or other behaviours that were impacting on their functioning. Schools can discuss concerns with their link EP after a period of time has elapsed and they remain worried about the way a pupil is coping; signs that might be a cause for concern are a pupil being overwhelmed by their feelings and reactions; doing things that are risky and dangerous; using alcohol and drugs excessively; or being unable to carry on with day to day life.

3.3.5. Consider long term support for pupils and family members

Retain a school-wide list of pupils at some risk who may need longer term assistance. Provide family with updates about what is being done at school. Provide support for family members returning to school.

3.4 Key messages re bereavement, trauma and loss

3.4.1. Key Principles

• Grief is a normal reaction to loss
• Most children and young people do not need grief counselling but do need support from their natural support networks
• Children and young people are active in constructing their own recovery from loss
• Experience of loss is unique to each individual so each child/YP’s perspective must be explored
• A knowledge base of loss and bereavement is empowering to adults providing support

In time, most children and adults will come to terms with what has happened and recover without the need for professional counselling. We do not advise immediate counselling to bereaved families – grief is a normal process and those who are grieving may need to be reassured that everyone grieves in different ways but that the way they are feeling is a perfectly normal reaction to the situation.

3.4.2. Hobfoll's Five Principles for Critical Incident Recovery

Hobfoll et al (2007) found that recovery after a critical incident could be supported through promoting the following: a sense of safety, calm, social connectedness, self and community efficacy and hope.

Feelings of social connection are vital to promote a sense of belonging and safety

• How can staff connect with vulnerable pupils?
• Are there ways for staff members to link up e.g. through a staff buddy system?
• How can students connect and link up with each other?
• Are there opportunities for pupils to express their feelings and share reactions?

It is important that members of the school community have a sense of agency, hope and purpose

• How can students be involved for example in planning a memorial?
• Can students plan how they would like to contribute to a memory box or book etc?
• Involve students in drawing pictures or writing memories, depending on appropriate stage of development, and how these will be shared/displayed.

3.5 Staff wellbeing

To support others, you need to ensure that you are looking after yourself and your own emotional wellbeing. Conversations about death and loss are emotionally difficult and will often expose us to the heightened emotions and worries of others and to our own experiences and feelings about loss. Sometimes we can feel surprised by how affected we are by hearing details of illness or a death and will need time to process those feelings.

Make sure that you:

• Take time before conversations to prepare and time afterwards to reflect and to allow yourself some space/time to engage in something relaxing/regulating
• Make sure that you have a peer that you can talk to, in addition to supervision with your manager
• Remember that there is no ‘blueprint’ for offering support, you are doing the best that you can and your support will be appreciated.