How can the school help the traumatised child?
- As children spend a great deal of time at school,
involving the school and its teachers in helping the child is
potentially a very valuable source of support. This option might be
particularly valuable after major events which have attracted much
media attention or where several children from the same school have
been involved.
- Following the death of a child on a school trip, the following guidelines are set out (Gibson, 1998).
- Children should be kept together and be given as much information as it is possible to share.
- Questions should be encouraged as should open
displays of emotion without allowing them to develop into mass hysteria.
- Talk about the dead child should be allowed.
- The children should be encouraged to create rituals
around the death (e.g, providing flowers at the school and attending
the funeral).
- After the funeral other rituals can be considered
(e.g., presenting the school project work of the deceased at a
religious service and then presented to the parents. A tree could be
planted in the grounds to commemorate the dead child).
- Memories of the child should be treated with respect and dignity.
- Parents should be kept well informed.
- Teachers and parents should watch the reactions
shown by pupils and have knowledge of where to seek expert help.
- Children should be encouraged to grieve without "medicalising" the situation.
- Not all "bad behaviour" should be attributed to the event.
- Expert advice should be available to assist the teachers to support the children.
- External counsellors can be helpful, but clear
lines of confidentiality need to be observed, with the permission of
parents.
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