Toolkit with Report Form - Pennsylvania Coalition Against Domestic ...

Section five
Bringing in Other Individuals
Hearing from an outside expert, who is
objective in their presentation yet sensitive to
the emotions of the group, is often helpful.
Factual information can help many people
to reach a point of acceptance. Addressing
lingering questions and putting the critical
incident in its proper context can help
reestablish a sense of safety, security and
control so that staff can move forward in their
daily lives.
Examples:
◗ In the case of a building fire, a local
fire inspector or fire services professional
can talk about the origins of the fire, how
the fire may have affected the safety of
the building and what could or should be
done differently in the future if a similar
event occurs.
◗ Medical personnel can attend staff,
volunteer, client and community meetings
to address questions about the manner of
death or serious injury that continues to
resonate with those affected by the critical
incident.
Getting the Word Out
During critical incident times ongoing
communication with the community is
crucial. It is important to document all inhouse
communications and to provide
written media statements. Media statements
should include information that reassures the
community that services will resume upon
stabilization of the program and informs
them how to access services in the interim.
Any disruption in services should be
reported IMMEDIATELY to PCADV
with the information requested on the
Domestic Violence Critical Incident
Response and Management Report
Form. A plan to maintain services
until the program is stabilized must
be identified.
When A Decision To
Close Has Been Made
If it is necessary for your program to close,
provide enough staffing so advocates are
available to respond to those clients who
are not yet aware of the closing. Staff
should remain available until word of the
closing is communicated throughout the
community. Consider how to reach those
current clients who may not have access to
any media sources.
Review your program’s confidentiality
policy. Questions about confidentiality
issues should be immediately directed
to the PCADV Legal Department.
page 28
When Crisis Strikes | Pennsylvania Coalition Against Domestic Violence | 2012