Coordinating a Response to Crisis in Schools
Course Date: Call for Schedule
Normal Fee: S$580 (Singapore Residents).
Available Funding for Individuals: SkillsFuture Credit and/or NTUC UTAP $250/$500
Available Funding for Corporate: NCSS VCF Pre-approval Funding
E-invoicing is available for Singapore schools and ministries
Course Overview
Schools must be operationally ready to handle a crisis when it strikes. Examples of crises in schools are upsurge of COVID-19 cases in the school, sudden demise of a parent of a student, suicide, etc. When crisis happen, schools must coordinate an effective crisis response and to return to the task of teaching and learning. Sadly, many schools are ill-equipped for the task. This practical workshop is designed to bridge that gap: Participants will learn how to prepare an effective response plan aligned to the participant’s current school plans and procedures. The goal of the plan is to enable students and staff to return to learning. They will also learn best practices in maintaining crisis plans and protocols.
Based on international research, the most common crises that schools experience are suicide (child, student, teachers, other school personnel, family members), non-criminal death of a child/student (natural causes, drowning), and local transport accidents (road/bus/car/train/motorbike crashes/wreckage) (Rees, 2011). Also, according to Rees, the most common approach used by school psychologists includes group crisis intervention, identification of circles of vulnerability and support as development by the National Organization for Victim Assistance (US).
This workshop comprises of 3 parts:
Part 1 guides participants through the impact and response of a crisis. Impact and response will be broken down into chronological time frames from pre-crisis through to 1.5 to 2 years post-crisis. Participants will also learn about the adapting to different crises through the framework of Maslow’s Hierarchy of Need adapted and applied to crisis and trauma.
In Part 2, participants will apply their own knowledge and experience as well as the learning from Part 1 to school-based scenarios and will be tasked to develop a response plan. They will have the opportunity to confidentially share their experiences with past incidents.
Part 3 will briefly address a part of responding to crisis that is often overlooked—the need to review the response to a critical incident for challenges faced and lessons learned and apply that knowledge to maintaining crisis plans and protocols.
This practical workshop is delivered in a multi-modal format including immersive and experiential training via role-play, case studies, peer activities, and observation in addition to traditional teaching strategies.
The workshop facilitator is Dr. Suzanne Anderson. Suzanne is a certified crisis response specialist and trainer with over 20 years of experience. She has provided crisis response, cross-cultural, and social work in Singapore and the region including China, Thailand, Indonesia, India, Vietnam, Burma/Myanmar, and Nepal over the past 15 years. More recently Suzanne has provided support to the Jakarta Intercultural School from 2014 – 2019 in the wake of child abuse allegations. Throughout this time Suzanne has been working with schools in Singapore and Southeast Asia at the primary, secondary and tertiary educational levels, as they respond to earthquakes, suicide and other crisis. Her clients include National University of Singapore, Nanyang Polytechnic and United World College (UWCSEA), Singapore.
Suzanne holds a Doctor of Professional Studies from the University of Southern Queensland and a Masters of Social Science (Social Work) from the National University of Singapore.
Target Audience
This workshop is suitable for participants with or without psychological background. It is suitable for:
Duration
1 day (9 to 5 pm)
Delivery Mode
Face-to-face classroom
Workshop Topics:
Part 1: School-based Impact & Response
The affects of a crisis on a school community and a variety of responses will be reviewed, structured around the following phases of a critical incident:
Part 2: Table Top Case Study
Participants will be divided into teams (depending on participant demographics, groups may be based on grade level/age divisions). Each group will be given a different case scenario so that several crisis situations will be addressed. (Possible scenarios will involve incidents such as a bus accident, death of a student in a particular grade, death of a faculty member, accident on an interim semester trip, terrorist attack at school, missing student, suicide etc.)
Teams will prepare a response based on their specific school’s plans and procedures, information from the first section of the training, as well as their own knowledge and experience.
Time permitting, multiple phases in which additional information related to how the crisis is unfolding will be added. This will simulate how an actual incident unfolds and require the teams to modify, update or change their plans.
Each team will present to the full group at each phase to allow all participants to learn about the special concerns different incidents may involve.
Participants will be encouraged to familiarize themselves with their own school’s plans and procedures prior to the training, and use those as a backdrop for responding to the training scenarios (though this is not required).
Part 3: Best Practices in Maintaining Crisis Plans & Protocols
Crisis plans and protocols need to be reviewed and updated on a routine basis whether there has been an incident or not. Additionally, each incident, if reviewed, can provide important feedback on the effectiveness of the protocols and offer information on further development.
· Routine review of plans & protocols
· Developing teams pre-crisis / at the time of a crisis
· No fault review of a response
Additional Note
This is one of three courses being offered for schools to increase skills and resources for supporting faculty and students who have experienced crisis and trauma.
Reference
Rees, P. & Seaton, N. (2011). Psychologists’ response to crises: International perspectives. School Psychology International. 32. 73-94. 10.1177/0143034310397482.
Schools must be operationally ready to handle a crisis when it strikes. Examples of crises in schools are upsurge of COVID-19 cases in the school, sudden demise of a parent of a student, suicide, etc. When crisis happen, schools must coordinate an effective crisis response and to return to the task of teaching and learning. Sadly, many schools are ill-equipped for the task. This practical workshop is designed to bridge that gap: Participants will learn how to prepare an effective response plan aligned to the participant’s current school plans and procedures. The goal of the plan is to enable students and staff to return to learning. They will also learn best practices in maintaining crisis plans and protocols.
Based on international research, the most common crises that schools experience are suicide (child, student, teachers, other school personnel, family members), non-criminal death of a child/student (natural causes, drowning), and local transport accidents (road/bus/car/train/motorbike crashes/wreckage) (Rees, 2011). Also, according to Rees, the most common approach used by school psychologists includes group crisis intervention, identification of circles of vulnerability and support as development by the National Organization for Victim Assistance (US).
This workshop comprises of 3 parts:
Part 1 guides participants through the impact and response of a crisis. Impact and response will be broken down into chronological time frames from pre-crisis through to 1.5 to 2 years post-crisis. Participants will also learn about the adapting to different crises through the framework of Maslow’s Hierarchy of Need adapted and applied to crisis and trauma.
In Part 2, participants will apply their own knowledge and experience as well as the learning from Part 1 to school-based scenarios and will be tasked to develop a response plan. They will have the opportunity to confidentially share their experiences with past incidents.
Part 3 will briefly address a part of responding to crisis that is often overlooked—the need to review the response to a critical incident for challenges faced and lessons learned and apply that knowledge to maintaining crisis plans and protocols.
This practical workshop is delivered in a multi-modal format including immersive and experiential training via role-play, case studies, peer activities, and observation in addition to traditional teaching strategies.
The workshop facilitator is Dr. Suzanne Anderson. Suzanne is a certified crisis response specialist and trainer with over 20 years of experience. She has provided crisis response, cross-cultural, and social work in Singapore and the region including China, Thailand, Indonesia, India, Vietnam, Burma/Myanmar, and Nepal over the past 15 years. More recently Suzanne has provided support to the Jakarta Intercultural School from 2014 – 2019 in the wake of child abuse allegations. Throughout this time Suzanne has been working with schools in Singapore and Southeast Asia at the primary, secondary and tertiary educational levels, as they respond to earthquakes, suicide and other crisis. Her clients include National University of Singapore, Nanyang Polytechnic and United World College (UWCSEA), Singapore.
Suzanne holds a Doctor of Professional Studies from the University of Southern Queensland and a Masters of Social Science (Social Work) from the National University of Singapore.
Target Audience
This workshop is suitable for participants with or without psychological background. It is suitable for:
- Primary, secondary and tertiary school counsellors, AEDs & psychologists
- Mainstream school educators, Management and Student mentors
- Special education teachers, Management
- Pastoral care staff
- Psychologists and counsellors in private practice
Duration
1 day (9 to 5 pm)
Delivery Mode
Face-to-face classroom
Workshop Topics:
Part 1: School-based Impact & Response
The affects of a crisis on a school community and a variety of responses will be reviewed, structured around the following phases of a critical incident:
- · Pre-Crisis Preparations
- · Crisis Occurs
- · Survival (0 – 72 hours)
- · Support (1 – 2 weeks)
- · Adjustment (1 – 4 months)
- · Resolution (6 – 18 months)
- · Re(dis)covery (1 ½+ years)
Part 2: Table Top Case Study
Participants will be divided into teams (depending on participant demographics, groups may be based on grade level/age divisions). Each group will be given a different case scenario so that several crisis situations will be addressed. (Possible scenarios will involve incidents such as a bus accident, death of a student in a particular grade, death of a faculty member, accident on an interim semester trip, terrorist attack at school, missing student, suicide etc.)
Teams will prepare a response based on their specific school’s plans and procedures, information from the first section of the training, as well as their own knowledge and experience.
Time permitting, multiple phases in which additional information related to how the crisis is unfolding will be added. This will simulate how an actual incident unfolds and require the teams to modify, update or change their plans.
Each team will present to the full group at each phase to allow all participants to learn about the special concerns different incidents may involve.
Participants will be encouraged to familiarize themselves with their own school’s plans and procedures prior to the training, and use those as a backdrop for responding to the training scenarios (though this is not required).
Part 3: Best Practices in Maintaining Crisis Plans & Protocols
Crisis plans and protocols need to be reviewed and updated on a routine basis whether there has been an incident or not. Additionally, each incident, if reviewed, can provide important feedback on the effectiveness of the protocols and offer information on further development.
· Routine review of plans & protocols
· Developing teams pre-crisis / at the time of a crisis
· No fault review of a response
Additional Note
This is one of three courses being offered for schools to increase skills and resources for supporting faculty and students who have experienced crisis and trauma.
- Coordinating a Response to Crisis in Schools
- Developing Effective Skills to Respond to Crisis in Schools
- Post-Trauma Support
Reference
Rees, P. & Seaton, N. (2011). Psychologists’ response to crises: International perspectives. School Psychology International. 32. 73-94. 10.1177/0143034310397482.
