Help at hand in the aftermath

Andrew Wood, school counsellor at Elim Christian School in Botany Downs. Photo / Natalie Slade

Trauma incident teams attend about 130 incidents in schools each year, many related to bullying or behavioural problems. When a crisis occurs, teams in the Education Ministry's 16 districts are ready if called on.

Nicholas Pole, the ministry's deputy secretary for special education responsible for the trauma teams, says they "don't go in and take over."

"We support the leadership and management of the school - it's the school leadership that provides a sense of security and support to the community.

"We attempt to provide some common-sense thinking, planning, practical ideas and solutions in what can be a quite chaotic and stressful time for the school."

Schools and the ministry place a strong emphasis on prevention to minimise the chances of a traumatic event. Schools can do much to reduce the opportunities for a disaster - from fixing "unsafe" areas by installing lighting, for instance, to addressing bullying and behavioural problems.

But most traumatic crises are random events that schools can only do so much planning for. Primary schools and smaller secondary schools may not have staff with the training and experience to deal with a crisis.

Trauma teams are most commonly called in after the death of a student or staff member. Then there are serious injuries, violence, crime, property damage, sexual offences or epidemics such as measles. The makeup of teams reflects the type of incident, where it occurred and "cultural dimensions" of the school community, such as ethnic differences or religious beliefs.

Shelley Dean, the ministry's traumatic incident practice adviser, says teams go in with a problem-solving approach: "Have emergency services been contacted? What messages need to go out into the community? What information can teachers give to children coming into the classroom? How can they support students?

"A lot of that needs to occur in the first 2-3 hours after an incident," she says. "That makes it quite challenging for the school's leadership - to think of all the things that need to be done after an emergency."

After that, attention turns to getting staff and students back to normal routines, as much as possible, getting students in front of familiar faces, whether teachers, friends or parents.

Pole: "We usually try to normalise routines as quickly as possible - get back into school and play routines, try to look at continuity of community and school life."

Research shows that people react in similar ways to traumatic events, depending on factors like age or disability, says Dean. Other variables include support levels at home and school. Young children may be fearful, have trouble sleeping, want to stay close to parents or revert to thumb sucking or bed wetting. "We give out common sense strategies on what teachers and parents can do."

Despite the emphasis on prevention, schools still have progress to make in identifying and caring for at risk students. After Takapuna Grammar student Toran Henry took his own life in March 2008, an inquiry stressed the need to pay "special and sympathetic" attention to students with known mental health conditions.

Pole says a lot of work has gone into reducing the risk of "contagion" after suicides - identifying students who may be vulnerable and providing support; advising parents and teachers about warning signs; monitoring the students, talking through issues and pointing them to websites or helplines.

"In those situations, someone with expertise who is independent of the school can be of great comfort."