Responding to crises in schools: A consultancy model for supporting schools in crisis

Abstract

The author will describe how Kent Educational Psychology Service (EPS) has developed a consultancy model to support schools in crisis based on their request for practical and emotional support in the immediate aftermath of a critical incident. This paper will describe the resources that have been developed to ensure the maintenance of the quality of the service’s response across the county. Issues for practice will be discussed, raised by feedback from schools via post-incident questionnaires collected over the last ten years in Kent, and the conclusions of a study conducted by the author following two incidents involving road traffic fatalities with large numbers of student witnesses. The author will consider issues raised for practice from recent research and conclude that there may be issues about the appropriate use of techniques such as psychological debriefing, but that these should not be confused with the benefits of supporting school communities in crisis.