Critical incidents are usually defined as overwhelming events that can involve destruction of property, include injury or loss of life, affect communities and are shared by many children and families. In addition, disasters are viewed as being out of the realm of `normal’ human experience and as such are experienced as traumatic, meaning that they can lead to or result in stress reactions. This can be extended to events that also receive considerable attention in the media and include motor vehicle accidents, residential fires and community violence.

Preparation

This section contains information and resources to help establishments to be prepared for a critical event.

• Click here to download supporting document for preparation

Impact

This section contains information and resources to guide the actions that should be taken directly following an incident or critical event.

• Guidance on the actions that should be taken directly following an incident.

Post Impact

This section contains information and resources suitable for use in the days following the events that includes marking the incident and communicating with pupils.

• Post impact response

• A strategy for schools 2011

Recovery

This section contains information and resources suitable for the stage during which the people affected will be assimilating the event and readjusting to the normal routines of life. This can vary from a matter of days to months depending on a number of factors.

• Recovery Guidance

• Dealing with bereavement in a school community

• Schools Recovery Information – Winston’s Wish

Further resources

Practical advice and resources for use with pupils, staff members, parents and carers.

• A Whole School Approach To Supporting Loss and Bereavement

• Coping with trauma and loss

• Helping Traumatized Children – Overview for caregivers Bruce Perry

• Helping children deal with difficult events

• Learning disability and bereavement pack – See Saw

• Supporting Children Through Grief

Child development and trauma – information relating to specific stages of development

• Child development and trauma guide – Introduction

• Child development and trauma guide 0-12 months

• Child development and trauma guide 12months-3years

• Child development and trauma guide 3-5years

• Child development and trauma guide 5-7years

• Child development and trauma guide 9-12years

• Child development and trauma guide12-18years

This document provides guidance for schools on working together with the Educational Psychology Service.

This document provides guidance for partner agencies on working together with the Educational Psychology Service.

This document provides guidance on allocating time to schools from the Educational Psychology Service.

The Argyll and Bute Educational Psychology Service includes a Principal Educational Psychologist and 5.8 full time equivalent educational psychologists delivering services to 80 schools and responding to needs arising for children in Early Learning and Childcare settings. Psychologists can also have responsibility for any children or young people from their area who are placed in day and residential provision outwith Argyll and Bute, including children and young people living with foster families, where intervention is required. 

Covid-19 has caused us to adapt how we working with young, their families and other professionals to ensure a continuous service can be provided. The leaflet below outlines how we plan to deliver this service through the support of remote technology.

As we emerge from lockdown we are keen to involve young people, their families and other professionals in our evaluation of which parts of remote practice we should maintain.

In Argyll and Bute there are three stages of staged intervention. Children may move between the stages as appropriate. At all stages of intervention, there are five questions education practitioners need to ask themselves when they are concerned about a child:

• What is getting in the way of this child or young person's learning and achievement / well-being?

• Do I have all the information I need to help this child or young person?

• What can I do now to help this child or young person?

• What can my agency do to help this child or young person?

• What additional help, if any, may be needed from others?

Argyll & Bute Council are committed to raising attainment and achievement for all through high quality learning and teaching that addresses the needs of all learners. This requires that the right support at the right time is provided to meet each individual’s needs in line with the Curriculum for Excellence, GIRFEC guidelines and the Staged Intervention Framework. 

This paper is intended to support the development of a consistent approach to supporting dyslexia/literacy difficulties across the authority.

Literacy

Literacy is defined in Curriculum for Excellence as ‘the set of skills which allows an individual to engage fully in society and learning, through the different forms of language, and the range of texts, which society values and finds useful’.

Dyslexia

Dyslexia can be described as a continuum of difficulties in learning to read, write and/or spell, which persist despite the provision of appropriate learning opportunities. These difficulties often do not reflect an individual's cognitive abilities and may not be typical of performance in other areas.

The impact of dyslexia as a barrier to learning varies in degree according to the learning and teaching environment, as there are often associated difficulties such as:

• Auditory and/or visual processing of language-based information

• Phonological awareness

• Oral language skills and reading fluency

• Short-term and working memory

• Sequencing and directionality

• Number skills

• Organisational ability

This definition reflected current good practice and reflects a significant move away from an earlier period where dyslexia was viewed as a medical diagnosis rather than a more widespread educational difficulty identified by schools themselves.

Cruse Scotland is the nation's leading bereavement charity and are highly  skilled and experienced in dealing with grief following suicide. We are here to help you and your colleagues process what has happened and find a way to cope.

135 delegates attended in person at the Queen’s Hall in Dunoon. Following the conference, delegates were asked to reflect on their experience and support the evaluation of the event. The audience represented the diversity of Argyll and Bute and those working towards trauma-informed practice, including young people, caregivers, and professionals working across the health and social care partnership. Significant numbers attended from within education, health, social work, and third sector organisations.

Argyll and Bute Community Planning Partnership is committed to improving the lives and life chances of all our children and young people. One of the key priorities of our Single Outcome Agreement is that we want the rights and views of children and young people to influence and shape the development and delivery of services they use in Argyll and Bute. This plan sets the direction and identifies the actions that all partners are committed to deliver in order to ensure that children and young people living in Argyll and Bute get the best possible start in life.  It sets out how we will work together to achieve the best for children, young people and families.