39467266.pdf

\n\n--- Page 1 ---\n\nSEMINOLE COUNTY SHERIFF'S OFFICE NUMBER: G - 47 GENERAL ORDER RESCINDS: SUBJECT: Peer Support Team EFFECTIVE: October 23, 2000 REVISED: October 29, 2020 Table of Contents: I. Purpose II. Scope III. Definitions IV. Selection of Team Members V. Organization VI. Responsibilities VII. Procedures VIII. Team Activation IX. Deaths or Injury Resulting from a Line of Duty Death X. Equipment and Supplies I. PURPOSE: Recognizing that Seminole County Sheriff’s Office employees, by virtue of their profession, encounter situations on a day to day basis that will affect them professionally and personally, the purpose of the Peer Support Team is to provide practical, social and emotional support to all members of the agency. The team shall assist members of the Seminole County Sheriff’s Office to understand the impact of stress and critical incidents by providing non-professional trained peer support and/or referral information. The Peer Support Team is an objective and non-judgmental resource from which Seminole Sheriff’s Office employees may voluntarily be provided support and assistance in working through personal and occupation stressors. Inclusive of the Peer Support Team is the Critical Incident Stress Management Team which assists employees in coping with stress related to traumatic events and provides support, assistance, and education regarding critical incidents. The Peer Support Team values the confidentiality of the information disclosed to the team members but this communication is not protected or considered “privileged” communication under Florida Statutes. All communication with the Peer Support is voluntary and not required by policy or practice. II. SCOPE: The Peer Support Team consists of a trained volunteer representative from each division and section of the agency. The Team is designed to assist in the identification and resolution of employee concerns, and offers assistance and appropriate resource information to employees during times of personal and professional problems which may affect an employee’s personal or professional well-being or job performance. GENERAL ORDER Peer Support Team G-47 PAGE 1 OF 8\n\n--- Page 2 ---\n\nAdditionally, the Peer Support Team will provide employees with emotional and psychological support when they have been involved in critical incidents. This assistance is also extended to immediate family members when appropriate. Assistance may be accomplished through defusings, debriefings, one-on-one peer support, education and referrals. III. DEFINITIONS: A. Confidentiality Professional or ethic duty for the Peer Support Team members to refrain from disclosing information from or about a recipient of peer support services, barring any exceptions that will be disclosed and discussed in training. B. Critical Incident: An event having the potential to cause strong emotional or psychological response or reaction. C. Debriefing: A meeting between team members and employees involved in a critical incident, traumatic event or to assist members of the Seminole County Sheriff’s resolve personal or professional problems. Debriefings are usually conducted two - three days after an incident has occurred, and serve to assist team members and mental health professionals in providing care, understanding, and educational support to affected employees. D. Defusing: An individual or group meeting between team members and employees involved in a critical incident, which is conducted shortly after an incident. It is the purpose of providing immediate on-scene support and intervention. E. Incident Commander: The person having overall responsibility and authority for a critical incident. F. Mental Health Professional: A person trained and licensed to provide mental health counseling and treatment services. G. Peer Support Team Member: A sworn, certified, civilian, or Sheriff’s Office volunteer who is a specifically trained colleague, not a counselor or therapist. The Peer Support Team member is familiar with the agencies Employee Assistance Program (EAP), in house resources, and out-of-agency services that potentially benefit the employees of the Seminole County Sheriff’s Office. The team member is trained to provide both day-to- day emotional support for agency members as well as to participate in any and all comprehensive responses to critical incidents. Team members are trained to recognize and refer cases that require professional intervention or are beyond their scope of training to licensed mental health professionals. H. Privacy The expectation of an individual that disclosure of personal information is confined to or intended for Peer Support Team purposes only. This privacy does not extend to any violations of criminal law or Seminole County Sheriff’s Office policy. IV. SELECTION OF TEAM MEMBERS: A. Applicants are advised that team participation is voluntary. GENERAL ORDER Peer Support Team GO # 47 PAGE 2 OF 6\n\n--- Page 3 ---\n\nB. Applicants must have: 1. Sworn, certified, civilian or volunteer experience with the Seminole County Sheriff’s Office and have received training in crisis intervention, confidentiality, Employee Assistance Program (EAP), community resources, and critical incident scene management; 2. Strong communication, interpersonal, and problem solving skills, including the ability to be empathetic; 3. Ability to respond on a 24-hour basis; 4. Successfully completed team training requirements, including stress-related intervention; and 5. Completed the Selection Screening Application. C. Applicants are interviewed and assessed for team suitability as part of the selection process, which may include an interview with team members. Final selection of the Peer Support Team will be approved through the Chain of Command. V. ORGANIZATION: A. Team Coordinator: The coordinator is authorized to manage the team, and has the responsibility of establishing training protocols, selection of members, holding regular team meetings, and determining the suitability of employee intervention. The coordinator will ensure that all individual and critical incident responses are handled appropriately and brief the chain of command of any areas of concern. The coordinator is chosen by the Sheriff, or his designee. B. Team Leader: Team Leaders work under the authority of the Team Coordinator, and direct the activities of members assigned to their team. A Team Leader may serve as the Team Coordinator due to the coordinator's absence. C. Team Member: Team members will promote trust, allow anonymity and preserve confidentiality for employees using the initiative. They will assist employees exhibiting signs of distress as a result of their involvement in critical incidents or the day to day stress that members of the agency incur. Team members will be resource experts in conflict resolution and be aware of community and agency supported resources that would assist employees in the time of personal or professional difficulties. Team members may be assigned to assist the Incident Commander with stress management or other issues related to an incident. D. Mental Health Professional: The team will have access to a professional mental health worker for assistance with: 1. Conducting defusings and debriefings; 2. Assessing the level of response necessary at a critical incident; 3. Training; 4. Recommending team plans and courses of action; and 5. Other assistance as necessary. GENERAL ORDER Peer Support Team GO # 47 PAGE 3 OF 8\n\n--- Page 4 ---\n\nE. Chaplains: The Team Coordinator may request the presence of Sheriff's Office Chaplains at a critical incident scene. Chaplains may be members of the team. VI. RESPONSIBILITIES: A. Team Coordinator: The Team Coordinator has the responsibility for coordinating day-to-day team functions and coordinates the Peer Support Team actions in addition to ensuring proper response to critical incidents. B. Team Leaders: The responsibilities of Team Leaders include: 1. At the scene of a crit