Crisis Response Team

A crisis response team is a group of trained and skilled professionals responsible for intervening and coordinating efforts during a time of crisis. Crisis response teams vary in size (often 5-10 members) and include a variety of staff members such as mental health professionals, support staff, teachers, nurses, and school resource officers.

Best Practices of a Crisis Response Team

In order to be effective a crisis response team must:

Develop and maintain clearly-established and documented definitions of:
- The crisis response team itself (including members, responsibilities, roles, and training processes)
- What constitutes a crisis
- The procedures to follow in a crisis
Have a clear method for being alerted that there is a crisis, of which all staff are aware and trained to utilize
Receive significant support from and be highly valued by administration

The composition of an effective crisis response team includes:

5-10 interested staff members in various roles, such as nurses, social workers, counselors, teachers, school resource officers, and other support staff
a designated leader with the ability and authority to coordinate the team in the event of a crisis and communicate openly with school administration