Supporting schools and children after a crisis or disaster – a psychological perspective
Psychologists have shared their first-hand experiences of supporting schools and children following a disaster, including those from the Manchester Arena bombing and the Grenfell Tower fire, in a new resource from the BPS.
02 August 2021
'Psychological support in schools following a disaster' features contributions from psychologists who work with schools and communities and those involved in managing teams, developing policy and guidance.
It includes recent research in the area and discussion of positive growth following a disaster.
Strong themes are evident across the different experiences – communicating effectively and openly, dealing with misinformation and misunderstanding, promoting the capacity and wellbeing of the leadership team and the importance of supportive screening and watchful waiting.
Dr Siobhan Currie, Honorary Secretary of the Crisis, Disaster and Trauma Section who worked on the document, said:
"We are really grateful to the individuals and teams for sharing their experiences in this document.
What is evident is that psychologists have a unique role to play in supporting schools, staff, parents and children following a disaster and we hope this document will provide a range of practical advice to ensure children, families and schools can access the support they need.
The past year has thrown us all a whole new challenge with Covid-19 and we must use our expertise and draw on the experience of our colleagues to help schools manage the ongoing implications for children, families and communities."
The educational psychologists involved in the Grenfell Tower response explain the immediate and 24 hour support they offered to senior staff to reassure them they had the skills to deal with this, and advise the reactions to expect from pupils, the questions they were likely to ask and how to answer them.
They detail the staff and parent workshops which took place a immediately after the event and then one month later – promoting practical help and empathy from familiar trusted adults.
Following the Manchester Arena bombings, the Greater Manchester Resilience Hub was established and fully operational within seven weeks.
The guidance details the work of the hub, including the trauma recovery workshops ran to connect people who had been impacted by the same trauma, with sessions ran for 16-25-year-olds and parents.
It was clear that proactive and rapid outreach is valued by those affected.