The development of a Critical Incident Student Team

Abstract

As a response to the work I have done in the field of critical incidents in relation to young people, this paper begins with a brief discussion of resilience and the involvement of young people in decision making, particularly in this field of practice. This is followed by an overview of the ongoing development of a Critical Incident Student Team within Wanganui Collegiate. Young people’s views and opinions are integral to its functioning and as such their opinions are regularly, and often informally, gathered, analysed and acted upon. The third section is an evaluation of a formal exercise.This paper explores the development of a Critical Incident Student Team at Wanganui Collegiate in New Zealand. This school is an independent co-educational secondary school with students being aged between 12 and 18 years. There are approximately 500 students: two-thirds are boarders, two-thirds are boys and 10 percent are international students. There is a philosophy of student involvement within the school so that they are represented in a number of decision-making areas such as the Peer Support Team and the Dining Hall Committee as well as the Critical Incident Team. This is based on a belief that what the students have to offer is worth listening to, and acting upon.