Child Respite Care

Unit Manual

LOUISIANA BAPTIST DISASTER RELIEF

Dr. Gibbie McMillan

LBC Disaster Relief Director

Child Respite Care Contents

(CRC)

  1. Introduction
  1. Glossary………………………………………………………………..……..3
  2. Temporary Child Respite Care Beginnings……………………………..…3
  1. Ministry and Vision Statements
  1. Ministry Statement………………………………………………………….4
  2. Vision Statement……………………………………………………...…..…4
  1. Organization of CRC
  1. General………………………………………………….………………….…6
  2. Chain of Command…………………………………….………………….…7
  3. CRC Unit Organization……………………………….…………………...... 7
  4. Protocol: Agreement and Call-Out…………………………………...…….8
  1. Training Requirements and Equipment
  1. Training Requirements……………………………….…………………....10
  2. The Unit………………………………………………………….………….13
  1. Being a Team Member
  1. Qualities and Characteristics………………………………..…..…………16
  2. Responsibilities……………………………………………………….……..17
  3. Circumstances to Avoid………………..………………………..…………20
  1. Protection of Children During Child Respite Care
  1. Security……………………………………………………………..….……21
  2. Registration and Release of Children…………………………….….……22
  3. Sanitation Procedures and Guidelines.………………………………..…..23
  4. Health Concerns…………………………………………………………....25
  1. Characteristics of Children
  1. Birth to Three Years Old…………………...……………………………...26
  2. Four to Five Years Old………………………………………………….….27
  3. Six to Seven Years Old……………………………………………………..28
  1. Ministering to Child Survivors
  1. How Children Are Impacted by Disasters…………………………….…..29
  2. How Children React to Disasters……………………………………..……29
  3. Leading Children to Cope with Disasters……………….…………….…..30
  1. Room Arrangements and Schedules
  1. Room Arrangements………………………………………...….……….….31
  2. Suggested Schedules……………………………………....………………..32
  3. Sample Daily Schedule for Volunteers……………….…………………...33
  1. Child Respite Care Forms and Resources
  1. Disaster Relief Volunteer Information Form……………..………………35
  2. Volunteer Medical Information……………………………….…………..36
  3. Information Required for all Workers with Children and Youth….…...37
  4. Reference Form………………………………………………….…………38
  5. CRC Registration Form……………………………………….…….…….39
  6. Sample Release (Pick-up Form)……………………………….……….….41
  7. Injury Report…………………………………………………….…………42
  8. Disaster Relief Incident Report………………………………….……..….43
  9. Disaster Relief CRC News Release……………………………….…….….44
  10. Summary of Daily Child Care Registration and Attendance….…..…….45
  11. Trailer Pre-Trip Check List……………………………………….…….…46
  1. Resources………………………………………………………………..….……….….47
  1. Things to Ponder…………………………………………………………………....49
  1. INTRODUCTION

Glossary

ARCAmerican Red Cross

CambroFood Service transport container

CanteenMobile Food Delivery unit

CRCChild Respite Care

DOCDisaster Operations Center (NAMB)

DROPDisaster Relief Operations Procedures

EOCEmergency Operations Center

ERVEmergency Response Vehicle

ESFEmergency Service Function

FEMAFederal Emergency Management Agency

HatsAlso called “caps” identify volunteer positions

ICSIncident Command Center

In-Kind DonationsNon-Monetary donations

NAMBNorth American Mission Board

NVOADNational Voluntary Organizations Active in Disaster

SBCSouthern Baptist Convention

TSAThe Salvation Army

Service CenterLocation within the disaster area where agencies give monetary aid vouchers to disaster victims

UnitGroup of trained Southern Baptist volunteers who operate the ERCC

VOADVoluntary Organizations Active in Disaster

Temporary Child Respite Care Beginnings

In 1979, the Texas Men’s disaster relief unit set up a Temporary Emergency Child Care

(TECC) response ministry in Wichita Falls, Texas as a result of a devastating killer tornado. Karl Bozeman developed four teams of TECC across Texas and published a book describing in the clearest details how to build equipment and resource modules for several age groups; how to train volunteers in child care ministry; and how to build and equip the response trailer. Chris Shelby was the site coordinator of the first TECC response team at Wichita Falls. Her diary has been a part of over a dozen state Baptist convention’s premiere TECC and program development of women and men. Since the Texas beginning and over 20 years later, there are 16 state TECC units on line.

The multi-state response of TECC in 1994 during a flood in Albany, Georgia and the Red River Valley flood in North Dakota/Minnesota in 1997 led to development of Temporary Emergency Child Care Manual as part of the Southern Baptist Convention (SBC) Disaster Relief Operational Procedures (DROP) Manual. It was also important to correlate temporary emergency child care with the other Baptist disaster relief ministries being performed at each disaster. Therefore, a meeting was called by Mickey Caison on November 11-13, 1997, for the purpose of developing the manual. This ministry is a tremendous channel of God’s love to a community that is trying to recover to an ordered lifestyle following the disruption from a disaster. Like the other Baptist disaster responses, the TECC ministry deals with the recovery and reordering (rebuilding) phase of the disaster.

It is from this beginning that the Louisiana Baptist Convention (LBC) Disaster Relief CRC unit is continuing the tradition of service to children who have been impacted by disasters. This will be the first such unit in the state of Louisiana and is a result of the combined efforts and concern of Dr. Stan Statham, Director of Mission (DOM) for the Baptist Associations of Southeast Louisiana (BASELA) and Rev. Joseph Kelley and his wife Sharon who serve as Disaster Relief Coordinators for BASELA, in cooperation with Dr. Gibbie McMillan, Director of LBC Disaster Relief. Pat Vendercook (Unit Director) along with her husband Charlie, labored to see Louisiana’s vision to have a Child Respite Care Unit come to reality.

  1. MINISTRY AND VISION STATEMENTS

MinistryStatement

Child Respite Care provided care for children who have been impacted by disaster. This is a ministry where children and parents are shown the love of Jesus during a time when care and attention are desperately needed in their lives. The CRC is a tremendous source of God’s love to a community trying to recover and return itself to a normal lifestyle following a life altering disaster. Disasters can affect a single family or an entire community. However, all disasters are personal in nature.

Vision Statement

Children affected by disaster will need:

  • Love—Loving, compassionate volunteers help children through a difficult time of adjustment.
  • Continuity—Bringing order and continuity to children whose needs have only been met partially, and erratically at best.
  • Safety—A safe environment while parents attend to necessary recovery assistance activities,
  • Schedule—A normal routine of care, meals, rest, play, and attention.
  • Cleanliness—Provision and maintenance of a clean and sanitary temporary care environment.
  • Acceptance—children must be accepted as they are and provided with a feeling of well-being.
  • Calm atmosphere—Volunteers should display a calm demeanor and provide a calm atmosphere for children in their care.

Providing a ministry to families in the aftermath of a disaster with the following:

  • Relief—Providing temporary child care so parents are free to deal with many circumstances needing attention, including disaster services assistance for the home.
  • Understanding—Accept others without judgment or criticism.
  • Compassion—A friendly smile, a listening ear, and a sense of caring.
  • Love—Modeling the love of Jesus.
  • Referrals—Help provide the parents with the information and types of disaster assistance available.
  • Sharing the Gospel—Giving a verbal presentation of the gospel.

Coordination of CRC with other relief organizations

  • Cooperation—Working simultaneously with other Southern Baptist disaster relief ministries.
  • Communication—Ongoing consultation with the Southern Baptist Convention (SBC), Louisiana Baptist Convention (LBC), Baptist Associations of Southeast Louisiana (BASELA), local church ministries, and other disaster relief agencies.
  • Adaptability—Be flexible in meeting the changing demands and needs in a disaster.

Mission Opportunities for the local church and association, including evangelism and follow-up ministries.

  • Sensitivity—Realize that CRC volunteers are “ambassadors for Christ…” and as representatives of the local church and association can assist in the creation of a caring atmosphere and reputation.
  • Missions in action—Awareness, and provision of information on missions opportunities to local churches and associations.
  1. ORGANIZATION

General

The North American Mission Board and state Baptist conventions are responsible for the organization and administration of the Southern Baptist Disaster Relief ministry within their jurisdiction. Child Respite Care (CRC) is part of the program the LBC has chosen to develop and support as a part of the state convention ministry. The LBC is solely responsible for the recruitment and enlistment of their CRC volunteers. The credentials as well as background checks of the volunteers is the responsibility of the LBC Disaster Relief Director.

The updates briefings and debriefings of CRC volunteers to include travel and maintenance costs to the volunteers, are negotiated between the LBC and their volunteers.

The CRC unit is owned by BASELA and operated by the trained volunteers and will follow the guidelines listed elsewhere in this document. The purchase of the unit, equipment, and supplies is the sole responsibility of the church that owns and/or operates the unit. However, the protocol of the LBCDR will be followed in the use of this unit. The cost of transportation, maintenance, insurance, and additional equipment is handled by the entity that owns/operates the unit. The LBC will provide, by the best means possible, the equipment, supplies, and training which meets the industry standard in an atmosphere based on mobility and lack of critical services.

The CRC will coordinate with other relief organizations through cooperation with other Southern Baptist disaster relief ministries and their partners. The CRC will continue to communicate with NAMB, LBC, other state conventions, BASELA, other Baptist associations, local church ministries, and other disaster relief agencies. We will remain flexible to ensure adaptability to the changing needs of a disaster.

Opportunities for associations, churches, and disaster relief volunteers include evangelism and follow-up ministries. Representatives of local churches and associations can create an atmosphere of caring, and Christian love within the community.

Chain of Command

  1. National Leadership
  1. Off-site coordinator
  2. On-site coordinator
  3. State area coordinators
  1. State Leadership
  1. State disaster relief director
  2. Off-site coordinator
  3. White Hat Incident Commander
  4. Blue Hat(s)

Organizational structure; for the SBC National Disaster Relief Program including CRC.

  1. Leaders: Blue Caps
  1. On-site coordinator
  2. Unit director
  1. Staffing Personnel
  1. Minimum staff to child ratios should not exceed the recommended ratios.
  2. Always have a minimum of two trained workers for each age group.
  3. Preferred ratio for multiple groups:
  • One adult to three children – two-years olds and under
  • One adult to five children- three to five year olds
  • One adult to eight- elementary school children
  1. Ethnic/bilingual team members.
  1. Availability Schedule
  1. Prepare to remain up to seven days.
  2. Plan 24 hour overlap for transition between teams.

Multi-Unit Response

  1. Chain of Command
  1. White cap- coordinates all respite child care units
  2. Blue cap- director of individual unit
  3. Yellow cap- trained DR volunteers
  1. Options Involving Interstate Relationships: Unit and Staff (Teams)
  1. Original on-site unit remain, to be staffed with trained CRC volunteers from other states.
  2. Replacement unit(s) are brought in as necessary and are available when previous unit(s) depart. Overlap and coordination are expected.
  3. Use of local facilities with child care equipment in place. This provides both an initial stage and a possible long range provision for continuing child care (following the departure of CRC units).

Protocol: Agreements and Call-Out

The Southern Baptist Convention has a formal agreement with the American Red Cross (ARC) that states, “Both organizations will work in cooperation to render maximum effective services to individuals in times of disaster.” (August 31, 1994, Elizabeth Dole, president, ARC with the SBC)

Major Disaster: Multi-State Response

The call-out process is explained in Involving Southern Baptists in Disaster Relief, page 19. This process provides for a multi-state call-out originating with the National Disaster Relief Director as communicated through the State Disaster Relief Director and their notification system which consists of the following stages:

  1. Alert
  1. Are you able to respond?
  2. This stage is updated approximately every 12 hours.
  3. Volunteers are notified by their system.
  1. Standby
  1. A unit on standby should be able to respond upon notification.
  2. This stage is updated approximately every six hours.
  3. If the unit is unable to respond within 24 hours, they will be returned to alert status or be removed from potential response status.
  4. Volunteers are notified by their state system.
  1. Go
  1. Response is certain,
  2. Unit departure will be in six hours or less.
  3. Response information receive will include type of disaster, circumstances, location, contact information, appropriate data, directions and other required information.
  4. Volunteers are notified by their state system.
  1. No Go
  1. Unit status may be downgraded to standby, alert, or removal from potential response plan as appropriate.
  2. Volunteers are notified by their state system.

Major Disaster: Single State Response

State Disaster Relief units (CRC units, feeding units, clean-up units, etc.) may be activated by:

  1. Southern Baptist Disaster Relief
  1. National Disaster Relief Director responds at the request of affected State Director
  2. State Disaster Relief Director—White Cap, Incident Commander
  3. Other State Disaster Relief Director (as required or appropriate)
  1. Chapter, State, Regional, or National ARC or Other Civil Organizations
  1. The BASELA Director of Missions (DOM) will be notified concerning status of requests for assistance.
  2. The National Disaster Relief Director will be provided with updates as necessary.
  1. Director of Missions
  1. The Regional or State American Red Cross (ARC) Chapter, appropriate civil, VOAD agencies and the Governor’s office will be informed.
  2. The National Disaster Relief Director will be provided with necessary updates.

Local Disaster—Church or Associational Response

  1. Activating the State Units
  1. Only the LBC Disaster Relief Director may activate state disaster relief units.
  2. The BASELA DOM/Disaster Relief Coordinators will contact State Disaster Relief Director prior to activating affected Disaster Units including the CRC unit.
  1. Activating Church/Associational Units
  1. Trained SBC church/association assigned volunteer units are not to respond until notified by the DOM/Disaster Relief Coordinator.
  2. The Director of Missions/Disaster Relief Coordinator should notify the State Disaster Relief Director when a local deployment occurs.
  3. It is always a good idea to quickly coordinate any response with state systems, local police, the ARC, the local emergency services officers, and The Salvation Army. These agencies can be helpful in securing food and supplies.
  4. Trained volunteers are advised to cautiously display the disaster relief logo and the proper identification badges and secure them when not in use.
  1. TRAINING REQUIREMENTS & EQUIPMENT

Southern Baptists must complete the following for acceptance as trained CRC volunteers. Trained volunteers are allowed to wear the official disaster relief logo and clothing to official disaster responses or official functions.

  1. Required Training
  1. Involving Southern Baptists in Disaster Relief
  2. Yellow Cap Training
  3. Child Respite Care training material
  4. Hands-on introduction to Child Respite Care unit
  5. The LBC may establish other requirements for CRC Unit members

Optional Training

  1. The LBC, BASELA, and local training events that focus on teaching and care for preschoolers and children.
  2. Study the SBC’s current children and preschool publications
  3. Other disaster relief courses such as stress management, safety and sanitation, food sanitation, etc., usually available at the state disaster relief training events
  4. Workshops offered by regional child care resources.
  5. First aid & CPR
  6. OSFA Operational Stress First Aide

Training Updates

  1. Retraining will be required on a three-year minimum cycle.
  2. A response to a disaster may be considered as “hands-on training.”
  1. Blue Cap Training

Required Training

  1. Complete the yellow cap minimum training
  2. Complete the blue cap training
  3. Be taught by the state or national disaster relief director or representative
  4. Use SBC blue cap training material
  5. Trainees are selected by invitation only.
  6. OSFA training.
  7. Additional requirements may be established by the LBC.

Elective SBC or ARC Disaster Relief Courses

  1. Stress Management OSFA
  2. Serving a Diverse Community
  3. Advanced Child Care Teaching Skills
  4. Food Sanitation and Safety

Apprentice Training

Unit directors should have several hours of blue cap apprentice training at a real or simulated disaster. The LBC may partner with an experienced state CRC unit for on-site “hands-on experience.”

Blue Cap Appointments

A blue cap appointment is not automatic nor is it guaranteed upon the completion of any or all of the above training. The LBC reserves the right to review all potential blue cap appointments. These are not lifetime appointment. In addition, successful blue cap recipients are not always assigned a director’s position on each outing.

  1. White Cap Training

Definition

The white cap directs the ministry of multi-state units of the same relief ministry (i.e., child respite care) and/or one or more units in each of the responses such as a feeding unit; a temporary child respite care unit, clean up unit, etc.

For a State Response

In the case of a single state responding to a disaster with its own multiple units, the state director usually serves as the white cap, and the training is by the nature of the office or by his/her appointment. In this case, the white cap will also bear the name of the state, as do the blue caps and unit and on-site coordinators. (Recall that some state structures include both an overall on-site coordinator as well as unit directors for the units responding to the disaster.)

For a Multi-state Response

In the case of a multi-state, same ministry response (i.e., a multi-state CRC response), the white cap is appointed by the affected State Director and the National Disaster Relief Director.