Counselling

There may be a need for immediate social and psychological support for some of those people affected by an incident.

Emotional impact on children is not always immediately obvious to parents or teachers. At times children find it difficult to admit their distress to adults, often because they know it will upset them.

In some children, the distress can last for months and may affect academic work. Teachers should note any changes in behaviour and alert others as set out in contingency plans.

There are a number of key issues that must be considered:

The relaying of accurate information to pupils is vital. Schools are particularly prone to rumour, which adds to distress.
The families of pupils caught up in an incident need full and accurate information as quickly as possible.
Formal debriefing meetings for both pupils and teachers are a very important part of the rehabilitation process.

Source: Dealing with Disaster (3rd edition), Civil Contingencies Secretariat, The Cabinet Office, September 1997.

School emergency-management plan Health and safety in schools School security Educational visits First aid Evacuation procedures Calling emergency services Counselling Bereavement Media handling Communicating with parents	Counselling There may be a need for immediate social and psychological support for some of those people affected by an incident. Emotional impact on children is not always immediately obvious to parents or teachers. At times children find it difficult to admit their distress to adults, often because they know it will upset them. In some children, the distress can last for months and may affect academic work. Teachers should note any changes in behaviour and alert others as set out in contingency plans. There are a number of key issues that must be considered: The relaying of accurate information to pupils is vital. Schools are particularly prone to rumour, which adds to distress. The families of pupils caught up in an incident need full and accurate information as quickly as possible. Formal debriefing meetings for both pupils and teachers are a very important part of the rehabilitation process. Source: Dealing with Disaster (3rd edition), Civil Contingencies Secretariat, The Cabinet Office, September 1997.
The advice contained on this site should not be taken as an authoritative interpretation of the law. That is a matter for the courts.