Support after emergencies
Advice and assistance for parents, teachers and students following emergencies, such as bushfires and floods, impacting local communities.
Large-scale emergencies impact our school communities in many ways. Emergencies, including bushfires and floods, are unsettling and stressful for many people.
Distress may be related to:
- having been directly at risk/exposed to danger (loss of homes, pets, personal belongings)
- being concerned about family or friends
- feelings and memories related to previous experience
- other grief and loss.
Information for parents
Some communities may be directly, or indirectly impacted. Some have lasting trauma from past events. This will affect our students, staff and communities in different ways. Almost all distress or behavioural change following such an event is normal. There is no such thing as a typical reaction.
Children react in different ways depending on age and personality. Some may show much distress or ask many questions and appear preoccupied with the event. Some of these reactions may appear immediately, but others may not show themselves for weeks or even months later.
Reactions may include sleep disturbances, regressive behaviour (such as thumb sucking), nightmares, fear of the dark, clinging to parents/carers, loss or increase in appetite, physical complaints with no medical basis, aggressive behaviour, competition for parental attention, withdrawal and/or loss of interest in regular activities.
Children look to the significant adults in their lives for guidance on managing their reactions. Parents and teachers can help children cope, despite their own feelings, by remaining calm and reassuring them that they will be all right.
Importantly, most children are resilient and return to their previous level of functioning over time.
How you can support your child
- Monitor how much your child is exposed to television/social media stories about the emergency, as children can be distressed by watching repeated images. Explain how news reports will repeat images and stories, so it may not be a good idea to keep watching.
- Find out your child's understanding of the event and correct misunderstandings or confusion.
- Include your child in planning for the future.
- Support your child to stay connected to friends.
- Keep to your regular routines and activities as much as possible.
Resources
Where to get help
While most children will bounce back after a traumatic event, some children may show prolonged distress and may benefit from professional assistance. School counselling staff are available to support students. Please contact your school to discuss.
If students would like to speak with someone anonymously, confidential sources are:
- Kids Helpline – 1800 551 800 – kidshelpline.com.au
- Headspace – 1800 650 890 – eheadspace.org.au
Video – Supporting children through a bushfire crisis
Duration – 2:22
Rose Glassock
Hi I'm Rose Glassock. I'm a psychologist with the Department of Education and I've had experience supporting the community and the schools with disaster recovery following bushfires.
On screen text
What impact can bushfires have on children?
Rose Glassock
The most common emotions would be fear, and sadness, anxiety and confusion. But most of the time what we're looking for is how that might translate to their behaviour.
It could be eating more, eating less. Sleeping more, sleeping less, often a regression in their behaviour. So with little kids it might be that they're more clingy, a bit more separation anxiety and one of the other things is just a general sense of being more irritable.
On screen text
What can adults do to help?
Rose Glassock
If we're looking at things that we can actively do to support young people - just generally that reassurance, whether that's little snuggles on the couch or cuddles or bedtime stories, or the things that you usually do to make your child feel safe.
One of the things for older children is that they can take a much greater roll maybe in the family preparation, so being maybe more active in the preparedness.
Really be clear in talking with your young people about the fact that the threat is over. So often the stories on the media will continue, but to really explicitly make sure that your family know 'right - we're ok now, we're feeling safe now.'
And even if your home is under threat from a fire, that as the adult, you're aware of what's going on, you have a plan, and we will enact that plan.
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When should we seek extra support?
Rose Glassock
Most children and young people recover with no real additional psychological support.
It's really about when is that behaviour that we might say in the beginning 'that's a normal response' is extending for a longer period of time or it's really starting to have an additional impact on their life.
On screen text
Where can we get more help?
Rose Glassock
So parents can always contact their school. Often the first port of call is the classroom teacher or maybe in high school, it's the year adviser. The schools also have school counselors who will be available to offer extra support.
And on the Department of Education website - there's a lot of helpful resources that can be also really useful for families to have a look at.
Information for schools and teachers
The ways to support students after a traumatic event are:
- listen to the student's story, look for changes in their behaviour and check in regularly with any students you are worried about
- remind and reassure them school is a safe place to be
- return to classroom/school routines and activities as soon as possible
- explore ways to link students together if they have been relocated
- encourage students to reach out to friends for support as well as adults
- answer questions in a simple honest way, using age-appropriate language
- highlight your student's and communities' strengths and resilience, be hopeful and optimistic for the future
- provide information about access to student counselling services and other outside school support services such as headspace/Kids Helpline
- consult school counselling and support staff regarding any students you’re particularly concerned about.
Support for staff
School staff may also require additional support, especially if they have family or friends who have been affected by previous or current emergencies. Take the time to identify those affected and discuss the types of support available. There is no right or wrong way to feel. Remember to reach out to family and friends for support.
It's common for us to find everyday situations challenging after an emergency. Issues you would normally manage easily can suddenly feel a struggle. Don't ignore the need to care for yourself or to ask for more support. Anticipate the next few weeks will be a difficult time, be patient with changes in your emotional state and have a contingency plan for managing any other difficult situations.
Support options for staff
- Employee Assistance Program (EAP) (staff only) – 1800 951 198
- external support services, including:
- local GP
- Beyond Blue – 1300 224 636
- Lifeline – 13 11 14
- 13YARN (Aboriginal & Torres Strait Islander crisis support line) – 13 92 76
- or other local community services.