Care Room Setup

Care Rooms are monitored spaces where individuals or small groups of students are able to take breaks and process their loss with trained adults.  

Purpose & Environment

Care rooms are for crisis intervention and stabilization, not for sustained therapy or counseling.  The environment should promote calmness and comfort as much as possible. 

Staffing

• Overseen by the Tragedy Response Team Leader, with additional trained Crisis Response Team members present.
• Familiar school staff should be included for student comfort and to support logistics.
• Additional staff may be called in as needed.
• Identify ground-rules for outside agencies who may be participating in the response.  
• The Response Team should work with building staff to determine when the Care Room will be available, the process for students to access the Care Room, and how long students should remain. Staff should encourage students to return to class when they feel ready.
• Responders should be mindful of lunch schedules, class transitions, start and end of day procedures.
• Be vigilant of your own needs as a responder.  Arrange breaks and alternate responsibilities with others.  

Sign-in Process

• A sign is placed on the door or nearby to clearly identify the Care Room.
• Students must log in with their name, classroom, arrival time and departure time.
• There may be a shared google sheet or other shared document used to communicate to secretary or other building staff if needed, to account for attendance and to log student whereabouts.  
• Care room staff should also keep a log or notes for students they have more sustained individual contacts with or do risk triage with. Confidentiality should be maintained at all times.  

Hydration & Snacks

• Bottled water and healthy snacks should be available.
• Responders should be prepared to bring their own food.  

Listening & Emotional Support

• Crisis Response Team members focus on listening, asking questions, and validating emotions.
• Some students may prefer talking in groups, while others need time alone.
• Discussions may extend beyond the immediate loss to other personal experiences of grief.
• When providing information about the tragedy, engage in rumor control and stick to the facts as released and cleared with the Lead.

Additional Support

• Maintain a list of students who may need further assistance and share it with the Tragedy Response Team Leader.
• Frequently evaluate needs for the Care Room supports.  Be vigilant for timing of potential “rushes” of students that often occur when teachers are on their own breaks/lunch.  
• There may be circumstances where supports are “pushed in” to a classroom to relieve a teacher or to process with a class that was particularly impacted.  

Activities for Grieving Students

• Elementary students may draw pictures, write cards, or list happy memories.
• Older students may write letters, poetry, essays, or contribute to a memory list.
• Some rooms create banners, Question Walls, or Feelings Lists.

Screening Cards & Messages

• All student-created messages and artwork are reviewed before being sent to the family.  
• Provide a centralized area to gather materials students want to share with the family, but do not allow a “pile-up” or more permanent memorial.  
• Some messages may not be appropriate and will be screened by the Response Team.

Returning to Class

• Some students who have limited trauma exposure, are spending excess time, or are being disruptive may need to be asked to return to their regularly scheduled program.  
• Students can sign out and return later in the day if needed.

Closing Care Room Protocols/Debrief

• Identify the process for response staff to check out of the building.
• Support clean-up and rearranging of Care Room for continued use or closing down.
• Provide any follow-up lists, logs or important information to the appropriate building contact and Response Lead.

Printable Version: Care Room Overview and Procedures

Sites for Care Rooms

Libraries, empty classrooms, art rooms or counseling centers may be set up as care rooms. If there are additional smaller rooms, this can be an opportunity for smaller groups or individuals to gather. All rooms must be staffed.  

Composition

A care room should be staffed ideally with at least one adult for every 5 students, and not more than 30 students depending on the size of the room. The ratio of adults to students may vary with student age, i.e., a higher proportion of students per adult at secondary level.  The building plan for how students will access the care room without overwhelming should be considered carefully.  For example, a cap on students in the care room, checking in and setting a return time, or setting criteria for a student to leave class.  

Configure the site as best as possible to create a comfortable space and avoid areas where students might end up out of sight or be able to access materials they shoudn’t.  

Responder Supplies

• Badge/Adhesive name tags
• Care room passes/Hall passes
• Laminated door signs
• Clipboard
• Method of keeping personal notes (notepad, computer/tablet, etc.)
• Care Room Responder Checklist
• Sign-in/out sheet (one for students to use, one for staff to log contacts)
• Copies of risk screener/checklist
• Crisis information sheet (appropriate details of known facts provided by response lead or administrator)
• Copies of bell schedule, map, important contacts
• Bottled water and healthy snacks available
• Extra handouts for staff on supporting students in school and classrooms
• Guidelines for care room use (will vary depending on location of response)
• Tissues, paper towels, cleaning supplies, hand sanitizer
• Resource guides (Dougy Center, grief journal, AFSP booklet, QPR booklet, Lane MH Resource list)

Printable Version: Care Room Setup

Care Room Student Materials Kits

Note: Care room materials for student use should be developmentally appropriate for a range of ages, easy to clean or pick up, and inexpensive to replenish. Not all materials should be set out at once.  Save some materials in reserve and if students ask.  

Supplies

• Blank letter size paper, lined paper
• Construction paper
• 988/SafeOregon cards
• Range of fidget toys (avoid objects that may be disruptive like noisy items or things that can be thrown)
• Packs of colored pencils/water-based pens (avoid permanent markers)
• Prepared memory cards; writing activities for grief/loss
• Glue sticks
• Scissors (child and adult)
• Tape (clear, masking)
• Regular pens and pencils
• Blocks or toys that can be assembled creatively
• Puppets, stuffed animals
• Cozy washable throws or blankets
• Scented clay/playdough 
• Multiple copies of age-range appropriate coloring sheets/mandalas (Sources strength check-in, fantasy, animals, abstract, flowers, hearts, etc.)
• Plastic bags (for garbage, storage, etc.)
• Squishy toys or other items you can give away

Printable Version: Care Room Student Kits