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FAMILY ASSISTANCE CENTER: A suggested framework. 2019. PURPOSE. The Family Assistance Center is to provide a safe and private place for survivors and families to grieve and/or await information regarding their unaccounted for loved ones. Increased Violence in Schools.
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PURPOSE • The Family Assistance Center is to provide a safe and private place for survivors and families to grieve and/or await information regarding their unaccounted for loved ones.
How would you pull other resources to assist if your local response capability was overtaxed? • Who has a Family Assistance Center Plan/Mass Fatality Plan? • What are your weaknesses if a Mass Casualty/ Mass Fatality Event were to occur in your Community? • What are your strengths if a Mass Casualty/ Mass Fatality Event were to occur in your Community? • Do you have partnerships with other agencies established if the WORST happens?
Who’s in Charge? • Starts local and ends local • Criminal: FBI • Transportation: NTSB • Natural: FEMA
Family Assistance Center • Agencies and organizations likely to be involved: • Coroner • Funeral Directors for assistance at FAC • Volunteers from Public Health Reserve Corp • CERT Members • Red Cross Volunteers (VOAD) • Chaplains • Behavioral Health • Emergency Management
Although coroners’ primary responsibility is to manage the deceased in a mass fatality incident, the coroner plays an enormous role in working with the survivors, the family of the ones who have died. The grief and requests of the families must be respected and coroners must be sensitive to the religious beliefs and death practices of the families that remain behind. Establishing a FAC • Call Center • Location (pre-identified if possible minimum of 2 locations per community) • Areas: security, registration, interview/intake, logistics, spiritual, behavioral, briefing room, notification, restorative • Staff (Trained Volunteers) No one wants untrained personnel dealing with the families of victims!!! • Supplies • Outside Assistance (other agencies outside your region or the State)
FAMILY ASSISTANCE CENTER • The FAC is a critical piece in the support provided to family members. • The manner in which victims and families are treated and supported during this acute phase may impact both their coping ability and capacity to trust. • The FAC provides a safe, protected and supportive environment for families.
RECOMMENDED TRAINING • IS 100 (Introduction to Incident Command) • Psychological First Aid • IS 700 (National Incident Management System) • Crisis Intervention
OUR TRAINING METHOD No one wants untrained personnel dealing with the families of victims!! We used local Subject Matter Experts • Call Center (Jimmy Fellers, Mental Health America, Richard LaPratt, VP of call centers for United Way) • Interview and Intake (Dale Downey, Commander NDMS/DMORT) • Case Management (Pam Gregory, Victim Specialist FBI) • Behavioral Health (Tracy Richardson, Community Services Manager, Mental Health) • Pastoral Care (Rev. Deacon Fergie Horvath, Deacon who serves 8 churches)
ATTRIBUTES OF RESPONDERS • Compassionate presence • Empathetic • General understanding of Coroner’s death investigation process • Understanding of Incident Command System • Understanding of family member and survivors’ reaction to trauma/crisis • Awareness of cultural diversity & sensitive to differences • Genuineness • Attention to detail • Respectful
FIRST STEP WHEN INITIATING AN FAC • Establishing a Call Center: • Crucial to get information to the public/families as soon as possible before and FAC is established • Portable PSAP • United Way 211 • Behavioral Health (Existing Crisis Line Infrastructure)
FAMILY REGISTRATION • The Family Registration Area is the location where arriving family members are registered, and have Liaisons appointed to assist them. • Family Registration is the beginning process and the most important for families, it sets the standard of how families expect to be treated and will be treated throughout their time at the FAC.
FAMILY REGISTRATION • FAC is only for families, friends and loved ones of anticipated victims and pre-approved guests. • Families and visitors may include: • Those whose loved ones are “known missing” or “possible missing” • Those who have already been interviewed by law enforcement.
FAMILY REGISTRATION LEADER RESPONSIBILITIES • Coordinates registration of family members at the FAC in accordance with established guidelines/procedures. • Assigns staff to registration duties at FAC • Provides Supervision and daily briefings of FAC Registration Staff
FAMILY REGISTRATION RESPONSIBILITIES • Affiliate the family name with the names of potential victims • Create a case file number of the family/potential victim; the case file number will be used by the FAC team throughout the process and by the family when calling for information or requesting additional assistance. • Verify family member identity by photo identification. • Identify legal next of kin and immediate family members
FAMILY REGISTRATION RESPONSIBILITIES • Complete the registration form • Complete the family member statement of health form. • Complete the family authorization form listing family members. • Create a photo ID badge for identification of each family member/friend with the family case number on the ID; family ID badges will be a different color from staff.
FAMILY REGISTRATION RESPONSIBILITIES • Assign the family a FAC Family Liaison • Assess emergency and non-emergency needs of family members. • Inform the family members of the Family Member Sign-in/Sign-out log for purposes of security and timely delivery of information; families must sign in and out of FAC daily. • Handout Family Resource Packets
STAFF REGISTRATION • Staff Registration is the location where arriving staff members for the FAC are registered, receive badging, sign staff paperwork, receive information on the Command structure, and receive their assignments. • Staff will be receive a packet of information about the FAC and signed acknowledgement forms stating that they are in understanding regarding policies and procedures.
STAFF REGISTRATION • Staff assigned to the FAC shall register daily at the FAC Security Office. • Security badges with photo identification will be issued. • All staff shall attend a daily briefing on the status of the disaster operations. • At the conclusion of the daily work shift, all staff shall register their departure with security, indicating the number of hours worked and area to which they were assigned.
Primary concerns of family members • What happened? • My loved one: where are they? When will I see them? • Factual Information • Personal effects • Respect • Validation of their traumatic experience • Resources
Role of Family Liaison • Accompany individual families as they navigate the FAC • Direct families to necessary resources within FAC: • physical needs (food, medical) • informational resources (time of family briefings, contact information for social services, emotional support) • Provide support to families during and/or following antemortem interview process and large briefings
FAMILY LIAISON • To provide families an individual that will be able to address their needs. • 1:1 relationship between family liaison and family unit • Family liaison assigned to same family for each shift you work • Potential to work with multiple families sequentially for the duration of the FAC
Family Liaison: initial responsibilites • Family liaison assigned at Registration (if not done so at the Reunification site) • Family liaison will go over Family Resource Packet with the family and answer any questions the family may have • Family liaison will show the family around the FAC
FAC Interview • Collect data through interviews which can assist in positively identifying persons reported missing as victims of a mass fatality incident
FAC Interview • Roughly two hours per interview should be allowed, and the families should be given as much time as they need to answer the questions • Some families may be resistant to participate because they view the antemortem interview process as giving up hope to find their loved one (Many personal and invasive questions ) • Explain to the families why this information is important • Next-of-kin status should be established and the family’s death notification preference should be discussed • All information provided by the families must remain confidential
FAC Interview Considerations • Within the FAC, a “case” is defined as a family unit of the missing or presumed dead family member.
FAC Case Management • The Case Management unit of the Family Assistance Center response team is primarily in charge of linking families to any services within the community that they may need, as they wait for news of their missing loved one.
FAC Case Management • Coordination of services may include • Advocacy for the family • Referrals for care and services • Treatment planning • Patient education
The assessment process • Through the interview process, and in conjunction with data collected by the Family Liaison, information will be given to the case management team regarding resource needs • The case management team will then coordinate with area resources to meet these needs • Linking with resources for the family will be coordinated through the Family Liaison for that family unit
Possible resource needs • Out of town families in need of lodging • Coordination of transportation to and from the hospital or other identified sites • Communicating with additional family members • Acquisition of supplies needed for daily living (personal hygiene, medications, etc.) • Activities to relieve stress (local parks, exercise facilities, etc.) • Directions to the local Wal-Mart
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS • How long will the recovery process take? • What will happen with the personal effects? • When will death certificates be issued? • When will we be able to visit the incident site? • Who will pay for funeral expenses? • Who will pay for our living expenses? • What benefits will be provided to us?
Conclusion • The aim of the Family Assistance Center Plan is to provide trained responders and/or registered volunteers who are ready to fulfill pre-identified roles in a Family Assistance Center. • Working within a FAC provides a wide variety of challenges requiring flexibility and an understanding of the goals of each function. • Practice self-care, make sure your mask is on before putting a mask on others.
