Introduction to the incident preparedness course

About this course

The aim of this course is to provide services with an understanding about what to consider when preparing responders to effectively support children, young people and adults who experience a major incident. The course focuses on psychological skills that we know are helpful including meeting the basic survival needs of those affected through a humane, supportive, respectful and caring approach.

The impact of survivors of different types of incidents, such as natural disasters and those of human cause are also considered. Some common myths about people’s behaviour in disaster situations are also considered. The goal of this course is to promote the resilience of survivors and responders.

The course also provides a link to a ‘Psychological First Aid Field Guide’ providing step-by-step information and resources specifically designed for use in the event of a major incident and to aid pre-incident preparedness.

Course aims

1. To explore some of the initial psychosocial responses there might be.
2. To discover ways to contact and engage with survivors.
3. To learn about how to meet adult, children and young people’s needs for safety, comfort and security.
4. To explore ways of creating feelings of stability and how to gather information.
5. To find out more about providing practical aid and how to link survivors with social support.
6. To consider the differences between natural and human causes of disaster.