Mission Statement

Dalkey School Project National School strives to create a happy, friendly, inclusive, educational environment where each child is unique and valued. We are a welcoming school where diverse talents are appreciated and the school community works together respectfully. To this end, Dalkey School Project aims to protect the wellbeing of its students by providing a safe and nurturing environment at all times.
Dalkey School Project 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?

As per DES / NEPS guidelines, Dalkey School Project 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”.

Types of incidents might include:
• The death of a member of the school community through sudden death, accident, terminal illness or suicide.
• Outbreak of disease or major illness in school or community.
• Serious injury sustained by a member of the school community as a result of violence on or off school grounds.
• A threatening or violent intrusion into the school.
• An accident / tragedy in the school or wider community.
• Serious damage to the school building through fire, flood, vandalism, etc.
• The disappearance of a member of the school community.
• Unauthorised removal of student from school.

Aim

Recognising that the key to managing critical incidents is planning, Dalkey School Project has developed this Critical Incident Management Policy and accompanying plan. Our hope is that, in the event of an incident, this 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 and caring ethos in school

We have put systems in place to lessen the probability of the occurrence of an incident and to help build resilience in both staff and students, thus preparing them to cope with a range of life events. These include measures to address both the physical and psychological safety of both staff and students.

Physical safety

• The following policies and strategies have been put in place in order to maintain the
• physicalsafety of all members of the school community.
• Health & Safety (please refer to the Health and Safety policy for further details).
• Evacuation plan formulated.
• Regular fire drills occur.
• Fire exits and extinguishers are regularly checked.
• The Fire Alarm is serviced regularly, at least once a year.
• Visitors to the school are advised to report to the school office.
• Pupils are not released into the care of persons unknown to school staff without checking with a parent/ guardian.
• Pupils are reminded of playground rules by staff at regular intervals in the context of our School Code of Behaviour.
• Pupils are adequately supervised at all times especially during physical activity and break times. Three members of the teaching / ANA staff supervise the children during break time.
• First Aid box maintained and kept in: a) Secretary’s office b) Upstairs resource room; Room 4 c) Downstairs resource room; Room 9

Psychological Safety

Dalkey School Project aims to create an open and encouraging environment in the school where students can talk about their difficulties and seek help for the same. Opportunities are provided for reflection and discussion to enhance a sense of safety and security in the school. The following strategies aim to support and ensure the psychological wellbeing of our pupils:
• SPHE is an integral part of the school curriculum and addresses issues such as grief and loss, communication skills, stress and anger management, conflict management ,problem solving, help-seeking, resilience, bullying, decision making, and alcohol and drug prevention. Promotion of mental health is an integral part of this provision.
• The Stay Safe programme is taught in its entirety all classes (SI, 2nd, 4th 6th classes).
• School Anti-Bullying Policy (refer to policy for futher details).
• Child Protection policy & Child Safeguarding policies are reviewed annually.4
• Staff have completed ‘Introduction to Children First’ online training programme.
• Programmes such as Friends for Life (programme six members of staff have been trained in the use of the programme), Weaving Wellbeing, Zones of Regulation, Restorative practices are taught in the school.
• Staff are informed of difficulties effecting individual students and are aware of and are vigilant in identifying their needs.
• Staff are familiar with the Child Protection Guidelines and Procedures and details of how to proceed with suspicions or disclosures.
• Staff have access to books and resources on difficulties effecting the primary school child.
• The school has developed links with a range of external agencies including Carmona Services, HSE, NEPS, Lucena Services, Enable Ireland, CAMHS, Túsla Child and Family Agency.
• Information is provided on mental health in general and such specific areas as signs and symptoms of depression and anxiety.
• Inputs to students by external providers are carefully considered in the light of criteria about student safety, the appropriateness of the content, and the expertise of the providers. See DES Circulars 0022/2010 (Primary)
• The school has a clear policy on bullying and deals with bullying in accordance with this policy.
• There is a care system in place in the school using the “Continuum of Support” approach, which is outlined in the NEPS documents published on 2007 for primary school. These documents are available on www.education.ie
• Students who are identified as being at risk are monitored by the principal, class and support teachers. Concerns are explored and the appropriate level of assistance and support is provided. Parents are informed, and where appropriate, a referral is made to an appropriate agency.
• Staff are informed about how to access support for themselves

Critical Incident Management Team (CIMT)

Dalkey School Project has set up CI Management Team in line with best practice and will maintain this team in future. The members of the team were selected on a voluntary basis and will retain their roles for at least one school year. The members of the team will meet once a year to review and update the plan. Each member of the team has a Red Folder with relevant materials to be used in the event of an
incident.

The key roles are as follows:

In the event of a critical incident, the responsibilities of each role-holder will be as follows.

Team Leader – M. Hurley

► Alerts the team members to the crisis and convenes a meeting.
► Co-ordinates the tasks of the team.
► Liaises with the Board of Management and Department of Education and Skills,I.N.T.O., NEPS / relevant agencies
► Liaises with the bereaved family.

Garda Liaison – M. Hurley

► Liaises with An Garda Síochána where necessary.

Staff Liaison – Fiona O’Donoghue / Alice Andrews

► Leads meetings to brief staff on the facts as known, gives staff
members an opportunity to express their feelings and outlines the
routine for the day.
► Advises staff on the identification of vulnerable students.
► Is alert to vulnerable staff members and makes contact with them individually.6
► Provides materials to staff from the Red Folder.

Student Liaison: Maryrose Leeson / Deborah Reynolds
► Liaises with other team members to keep staff, student up-dated with information and progress.
► Alerts staff to vulnerable students.
► Provides materials for students from the Red Folder.

Community Liaison – Rebecca Sutton / Clodagh Robinson

► Liaises with agencies in the community for support and onward referral.
► Updates team members on the involvement of external agencies.
► Co-ordinates the involvement of these agencies.
► Maintains up to date lists of contact numbers of
o Key parents, such as members of the parents’ council.
o Emergency support services and other external contacts and resources

Parent Liaison – Una Kennedy / Rebekah Connolly

► Facilitates ‘questions and answers’ meetings.
► Meets with individual parents.
► Provides materials for parents from the Red Folder.
► Visits the bereaved family with the team leader.
Media Liaison: Miriam Hurley / Cathy Maguire
► In preparing for the role, the media liaison person will consider issues that
may arise during an incident and how they might be respond to (e.g. students
being interviewed, photographers on the premises, etc).
► In the event of an incident, they will liaise where necessary with the
Communications Section in the DES.
Administrative Tasks: Gillian Hudson / Aoife O’ Driscoll
► Maintenance of up to date lists of contact numbers of
■ Parents or guardians
■ Teachers
■ Emergency support services
► Telephone calls that need a response, letters sent and materials photocopied.

Media Liaison: Miriam Hurley / Cathy Maguire
► In preparing for the role, the media liaison person will consider issues that
may arise during an incident and how they might be respond to (e.g. students
being interviewed, photographers on the premises, etc).
► In the event of an incident, they will liaise where necessary with the Communications Section in the DES.

Administrative Tasks: Gillian Hudson / Aoife O’ Driscoll
► Maintenance of up to date lists of contact numbers of
■ Parents or guardians
■ Teachers
■ Emergency support services
► Telephone calls that need a response, letters sent and materials photocopied.

Record Keeping

In the event of an incident each member of the team will keep detailed records of phone calls made and received, letters sent and received, meetings held, persons met, interventions used, material used etc. The school secretary will have a key role in receiving and logging telephone calls, sending letters, photocopying materials, etc.

Letter to Parents

The Principal will prepare a brief, written statement to include:
► The sympathy of the school community for the affected/bereaved family
► Positive information or comments about the deceased/injured person(s)
► The facts of the incident
► What has been done
► What is going to be done

Confidentiality and good name consideration

The school has a responsibility to protect the privacy and good name of the people involved in any incident and will be sensitive to the consequences of any public statements. The members of the school staff will bear this in mind, and will ensure that pupils do so also. [For instance, the term ‘suicide’ will not be used without the consent of the family involved or until it has been established categorically that the
person’s death was a result of suicide. The phrases ‘tragic death’ or ‘sudden death’ may be used instead.]

Critical Incident Room

It has been agreed, that as we are a small school with limited space, we would not make decisions about designated rooms in advance of a Critical Incident.

Consultation and communication regarding the plan

All staff were consulted and their views canvassed in the preparation of this policy and plan.

Our school’s final policy and plan in relation to responding to critical incidents has been presented to all staff. Each member of the critical incident team has a personal copy of
the plan.

All new and temporary staff will be informed of the details of the plan by Niamh Malin.
The plan will be updated annually – next review will be June 2023.