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Managing Traumatic Incidents

At St Joseph's School, the board ensures that the school is a physically and emotionally safe place where risks to health and safety (both physical and mental) are eliminated or minimised (Health and Safety at Work Act 2015; Education and Training Act 2020). We plan how to manage traumatic incidents as part of our overall emergency management planning and may activate our response to traumatic incidents alongside other emergency or welfare procedures. This information is part of our emergency management plan and kept with our printed emergency plans and procedures.

Planning for traumatic incidents

As part of our emergency management planning, we plan to manage incidents in a way that supports recovery, mitigates further harm, and priorities the wellbeing of students, staff, and our school community. We aim to support continuity in learning and return to normal school operations as soon as possible.

We have a procedure for responding to traumatic incidents to ensure that everyone knows what their roles and responsibilities during a traumatic incident would be.

We have a crisis management team who manages and coordinates our response to a traumatic incident. Our group includes the principal, members of the management team, designated board members, and any other designated staff. Following a traumatic incident, they assess the circumstances of the traumatic incident to figure out the best course of action and lead our response.

Response to a traumatic incident

Designated staff meet as soon as possible after being informed of a traumatic incident. We gather information about the incident and respond as outlined below. Our response may require modification at the time of an emergency event, depending on circumstances. We may follow additional actions outlined in our school emergency management plan. Our response is informed by Ministry of Education guidance (see Resources).

Our response may include:

• contacting emergency services and other relevant agencies (e.g. Ministry of Education's Traumatic Incident teams)

  (in the event of a death, the police inform parents or next of kin)

• determining what information (if any) about the incident can be shared with our school community and how to best deliver that information

  (subject to privacy, confidentiality, and other considerations, it may or may not be possible or appropriate for the school to share information about the traumatic incident but support will be offered as needed)

  Privacy refers to the right to have personal information protected. The Privacy Act 2020 outlines how personal information must be collected, stored, used, shared, and disposed. For more information, see Privacy Policy.

  Confidentiality refers to the responsibility to ensure personal information is kept secret. Confidential information may be shared if it is in the best interests of the student. See Sharing Student Personal Information with External Agencies.

• preparing written statements or scripts about the incident and using these to communicate with school staff, students, our wider school community, and media if appropriate
• briefing staff and students on expectations around the incident
• arranging appropriate staffing and student supervision
• supporting and monitoring student and staff wellbeing (e.g. identifying vulnerable students).

Our response may be guided by other relevant policies:

• Child Protection
• Managing Injuries and Illnesses
• Recording and Reporting Injuries and Illness (e.g. preserving the site, reporting a death)
• EOTC Incident Reporting
• Media and Publicity
• Communicating with Parents and Whānau
• Responding to Student Wellbeing Concerns
• Self-harm
• Preventing and Responding to Suicide
• Lockdown and Shelter in Place
• Emergency Closure
• Assessing and Responding Concerns and Complaints

After a traumatic incident

We aim to resume normal school operations as soon as possible and support those affected in the long term as needed. We keep records of all decisions made and debrief the incident. We evaluate our response and consider ways to improve our processes. Also see After an Emergency.

Legislation

• Health and Safety at Work Act 2015
• Education and Training Act 2020

Resources

• Ministry of Education | Te Tāhuhu o te Mātauranga:
  • Respond at school to an emergency or traumatic incident
  • Responding to Traumatic Incidents
  • Traumatic Incidents: Managing Student and Staff Wellbeing A Guide for School Crisis Management Teams

Release history: Term 4 2025, Term 2 2022

Topic Number: 9127	Last Modified Date: 20/01/2026 15:44:18
Topic Version: 3	Published Date: 30/01/2026