Critical Incident Policy
Introduction
Scoil Íde aims to protect the well-being of its students by providing a safe and nurturing environment at all times.
Scoil Íde has taken a number of measures to create a coping, supportive and caring ethos in the school. The school has also formulated a number of policies and procedures to be followed with a view to ensuring the physical and psychological safety of staff and students, both in ordinary time and in the event of a critical incident.
What is a Critical Incident?
Scoil Íde recognises a critical incident to be “an incident or sequence of events that overwhelms the normal coping mechanism of the school and disrupts the running of the school”. Critical incidents may involve one or more pupils, staff, the school, or our local community. Types of incidents might include:
- The death of a member of the school community through sudden death, accident, terminal illness or suicide.
- An intrusion into the school.
- An accident/tragedy in the wider school community.
- Serious damage to the school building through fire, flood, vandalism etc.
- The disappearance of a member of the school community.
- An accident involving members of the school community.
Aim
Recognising that the key of managing critical incidents is planning, Scoil Íde has developed this Critical Incident Management Policy and accompanying Plan. Our hope is that, in the event of an incident, these will help staff to react quickly and effectively and to maintain a sense of control. They should also help us to achieve a return to normality as soon as possible and ensure that the effects on the students and staff will be limited.
Creation of a coping supportive and caring ethos in the school.
We have put systems in place to lessen the probability of the occurrence of an incident. These include measures to address both the physical and psychological safety of both staff and students.
Physical Safety: See Health and Safety Statement.
Psychological Safety:
- SPHE programmes are included in the curriculum to address issues such as grief and loss, communication skills, stress and anger management, conflict management, problem solving, help-seeking, decision making, and alcohol and drug prevention.
- Our Discipline Policy includes an approach to bullying.
- Staff are informed of difficulties affecting individual students and are aware and vigilant to their needs.
- Staff have access to books and resources on difficulties affecting the primary school child.
- The school has developed links with outside agencies, which may be contacted in the event of an emergency and for onward referral of students.
Critical Incident Management Team
Scoil Íde has set up a CI Management Team in line with best practice and will maintain this team in future. The members of the team are part of the Senior Leadership Team in the school. The members of the team will meet once a year to review and update the plan. Each member of the team has a Ready-to-Go Pack with relevant materials to be used in the event of an incident.
Confidentiality and good name considerations
The school has a responsibility to protect the privacy and good name of the people involved in any incident and will to be sensitive to the consequences of any public statements. The members of the school staff will bear this in mind and will see to ensure that pupils to do also.
This policy was adopted by the Board of Management on 11th March 2020 and will be communicated with the staff and school community as appropriate and will be subject to review.
Signed: Maureen Hobbins Signed: Grace Burke
Chairperson of Board of Management Principal/Secretary to the Board of Management
Date: 11/03/2020 Date: 11/03/2020
Review
In light of the COVID-19 Pandemic a COVID-19 Response Plan and Risk Assessment were developed. Please refer to these policies for information on procedures and practices in relation to COVID-19.
The Critical Incident Policy was reviewed by the Board of Management on October 4th 2022
Signed: Maureen Hobbins Signed: Ray D'Arcy
Chairperson of Board of Management Principal/Secretary to the Board of Management
Date: 4th October 2022 Date: 4th October 2022