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Crisis support service

The Educational Psychology Service provides a crisis support service for schools. This work is part of the core work provided for schools by the Local Authority to support the delivery of its statutory responsibilities under the Civil Contingencies Act (2004) and it is not traded.

The service aims to mobilise the resources available in the school, and to stimulate and encourage positive coping strategies across the community through joint work in the immediate aftermath of an event. It also works with staff in school to identify individuals whose reactions to an event suggest a need for further long term support.

To support schools in crisis we identify the following aims:

  • to enable educational establishments to deal with the initial shock of crisis situations;
  • to support the senior management of the school/institution with the re-establishment of normal routines;
  • to mobilise individual and collective resources for dealing with trauma;
  • to use psychological support to promote cognitive organisation and understanding of the event to reduce distress;
  • to identify vulnerable individuals who need more intensive psychological or psychiatric support.

The overriding objective in all of these is to promote psychological processing of the event, both at an individual and a systems level, within the school community. As a consequence, it aims to minimise further distress.

Where there is a need for longer term support, referral to an appropriate agency will need to be made as necessary. Additional support from KEPS beyond the initial crisis response is available to schools through traded services. This can include Cognitive Behavioural Approaches, supporting individuals or group based psychological interventions.

Office hours: 03000 41 01 00

Crisis support service leaflets
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We have provided the following leaflets for schools about how to deal with different crisis including loss and bereavement and disastrous events:

Further downloadable resources

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We have a wide selection of downloadable resources to further support schools.

Advice for pre-school settings

Resources to support children through bereavement

Suicide advice