SUPPORT:A DROP-IN centre staffed by counsellors has been set up by the HSE in Ballycotton, Co Cork, to support those affected by Tuesday's tragedy.
The centre will be open at the Bayview Hotel from 10am to 4pm for the next few days. “People can call in and have a chat with a counsellor about what’s happened,” a HSE spokeswoman said. “We will monitor it and see if there is anything additional we need to do and will review it again on Saturday,” she added.
The National Educational Psychological Service (NEPS), which supports schools at times of critical incidents, had three psychologists working in the Cork area yesterday supporting children attending the school in Ballycotton as well as other schools in the area.
Maureen Costello, director of the service, said guidelines for schools dealing with critical incidents, including violent death and suicide, were on the Department of Education website. They would be of assistance to parents all over the country concerned about how to talk to their children about the events in Ballycotton and also in Newcastle West, Co Limerick.
Giving accurate information but not more than a child could cope with was important, Ms Costello said. She advised parents to keep it simple and warned “you can’t deny its happened” if children had already heard the facts or had seen the news.
“We say to people to be as you normally would be with your child. Make sure you can keep things normal if at all possible. Routine is important. This is why we advise against keeping children home from school. A parent could say we don’t know why the event happened, that it is being investigated, that sometimes very sad things happen but that they don’t happen often and it’s not going to happen to you,” she added.
“Rather than jumping ahead and thinking you have to tell them things they haven’t even thought about, wait and see what they want to know,” she said.
The NEPSguidelines can be found at www.education.ie;
The Consolenational 24 hour helpline: 1800 201 890;
The ISPCCChildline listening service can be reached on 1800 666666.