Children often do not receive the support they need immediately following tragic events. The reasons include:

• Parents are unable to provide support because they are physically or emotionally injured.

• Parents are taken into custody by law enforcement.

• Children don’t express their need for assistance.

• Emergency responders are preoccupied with the emergency situation.

• Three small children are emotionally traumatized in a hospital emergency room after an auto accident in which their mother is killed.

• Four children are left alone when their parents are taken into custody after a drug raid.

• Two children witness a third child killed by a speeding Amtrak train.

• Fifteen children witness a man intentionally drive into their day care center killing two.

• An 8-year old child discovers his father died of a drug overdose.

• Thirty children witness a child crushed by a park bench at a YMCA park.

• Provide emotional comfort and support

• Protect from on-scene dangers (traffic, gruesome sights, etc.)

• Provide “comfort bears,” coloring books, and other comforting and reassuring materials

• Explain emergency procedures in simple terms

• Reassure traumatized parents or caregivers that their children are being cared for

• Provide education and written materials explaining how to help children after a tragic event

• Provide local referrals for follow-up child and family counseling