What is the Critical Incident Wellbeing Support Programme?
The aim of critical incident support is to minimise the effects of any traumatic incidents that our staff may be exposed to during the course of their shift.
A critical incident can affect any individual and have a dramatic impact on the mental wellbeing of colleagues.
The Critical Incident Wellbeing Support (CIWS) was introduced as a structured and confidential discussion facilitated by one or two trained peer CIWS Volunteers.
The session is an opportunity for the crew involved to discuss the incident in a safe, supportive and open forum and to make them aware of the support available to them. By talking through the incident, those involved may make some sense of their experience.
What will be expected of the Volunteers?
The volunteers will:
- Facilitate meetings with the involved crews and take them through a structured meeting process
- Help to drive a positive culture around mental wellbeing within the organisation
- Have the opportunity to attend regular network meetings in order to professional development and expand your knowledge as well as sharing best practice
Who can be a Volunteer?
Anyone can volunteer to join the initiative. We ask that volunteers are empathetic and are willing to be a listening ear to any colleagues who may be struggling with post incident.
What training will be provided?
Full training will be provided and will cover:
- Helping teams and individuals build resilience and adopt certain coping strategies to better psychologically manage any traumatic situation that crews may be exposed to.
- Defining vicarious trauma and help the team to identify the particular strategies and coping mechanisms that can enhance both personal and professional resilience.
- Develop a self-help and self-aware approach to managing our own mental health.
- Training individuals on how to better cope, manage and process stressful and demanding situations.
If you are interested in becoming a volunteer please contact Kirsty Thorley- Health and Wellbeing Manager with a short paragraph detailing why you would like to be involved in the programme ([email protected])
