Professional Guidance - Critical Incident Plan
- Published: 08 December 2022
A critical incident is any incident or sequence of events, which overwhelms the normal coping mechanism of the school. The main aim of the Critical Incident Plan is to assist school leaders, their management team and staff to clear about their roles and act quickly and effectively in the event of a critical incident in the school. This enables all involved to maintain a sense of control and ensure the appropriate procedures are in place as well as the most appropriate supports for the staff, pupils, parents and all in the school community before, during and after the incident. This involves being prepared for a critical incident, which can occur at any time, managing the critical incident when it happens and restoring some form of normality after the incident is over. Why not review your policy and check that all contact details of relevant personnel are still in order? Discuss the plan with the NEPS psychologist and ensure that the NEPS emergency number is near at hand in the school. Use the Critical Incident Guidelines (DES) and presentation for a Staff Meeting (www.gov.ie)to brief all staff on what will happen in the event of an incident occurring. Relevant templates for use when such an incident happens are all available at www.gov.ie
SCHOOLS SEEKING SUPPORT SHOULD CONTACT THEIR LOCAL NEPS OFFICE
Local Garda Station
There may be many times in the life of a school that contact will be made with Gardaí. In the event of requiring the emergency services, the school can call 112 or 999 from any phone. Both numbers are free of charge. At other times, the school may need to contact the local Garda station. Check your local station and have the number near at hand in the school in the event of support being needed in an emergency.
