What Does Effective Post-Incident Support Look Like?

When an incident occurs in our settings, it can be upsetting for everyone: the individual directly involved, others in the vicinity, and staff members. Sometimes, people may have been emotionally or physically harmed, and need time, space and support to recover fully.

In order to move forward, restore damaged relationships, and make sure the outcome of the incident is ultimately positive, we need to establish effective post-incident support for anyone who needs it.

So, how can we prepare for an effective post-incident process?

1: Consider safety first

Following an incident, the immediate priority is to make sure that everyone is safe and looked after. This includes the individuals in our care and any members of staff affected.

We can monitor and support individuals, taking their needs and preferences into account. For example, while some people may respond well to positive touch for support, others may not find this helpful.

The behaviours we observe during the post-incident recovery and depression stages, as described in the Stages of Distress and Support model, can vary widely from person to person, so we need to use our knowledge of an individual to determine the best course of action.

Download our Stages of Distress and Support poster.

2: Think about timings

The post-incident process cannot be rushed, so we need to make sure we allow sufficient time for individuals to recover. Feelings of guilt, shame and low self-worth can influence the timescale, and we need to wait until everyone is ready to reflect and communicate.

It’s vital that we are patient and let individuals dictate the pace. During this time, we can continue to monitor and support them until they show signs of wanting to engage. This may take longer than anticipated.

We need to be alert to signs of recovery, as these will vary from person to person. If we miss the subtle signals, there is a risk that individuals can loop back into crisis, and the situation can quickly escalate again.

It may also be important to consider the time of day and whether basic needs have been met. If individuals are tired, hungry, or thirsty, this can adversely affect the post-incident process.