Chaplains’ post-incident support

Chaplains’ post-incident support for rail staff

Ongoing support for first responders and rail staff who witness or deal with tragedies on the railways is of paramount importance to staff and officers alike. It’s a sad fact that every year between three and four hundred people seek to take their lives on the railways of England, Scotland and Wales. Railway Mission is strongly involved with other agencies in suicide prevention and intervention, but we have also made ourselves key to the support of rail staff following incidents. Whilst we’ve had an excellent track record of supporting rail staff following incidents historically, two years ago we set out with the purpose of following up on every incident recorded in a British Transport Police (BTP) proforma to ensure that all staff are reached with an offer of support following serious incidents. During the year from April 1, 2020 to March 31, 2021, Railway Mission chaplains gave support to staff with a direct or indirect connection to every BTP recorded rail incident. This was a major achievement because there are so many rail staff involved during and following a person’s attempted self-harm on the railways. A typical incident could include the train driver, onboard crew, station staff, and first responders such as Network Rail Mobile Operation Managers and BTP officers,

Railway Mission is strongly involved with other agencies in suicide prevention and intervention, but we have also made ourselves key to the support of rail staff following incidents.

including medical and investigation teams. Then there are signallers who are aware of the incident, of course, and the management teams of those who are directly involved. We work hard to contact them all through their management teams to offer and give support. Chaplains also follow up on sudden deaths at stations or on trains, and where there are accidents involving rail staff or passengers, again to support staff whenever there has been a potentially traumatic occurrence on the railways. We are occasionally requested by the coroner’s office to support friends and relatives of those who have lost their lives on the railways. Sometimes we are asked to support those travelling members of the public who witness an incident. During the lockdown we continued offering and giving support, mostly using electronic means. Again we were 100% effective in offering support. Now that we are able to work on site we can visit staff where they work, which has always been our preferred option, but we can make the primary electronic contact which has added to our effectiveness as a post-incident support team. Chaplains have many conversations with rail staff following incidents, and staff are always appreciative of the contact, many saying they’re glad that there is someone there who cares. Often the conversation shifts to previous incidents staff members were involved in. Being available to rail staff is part of the recovery process from potentially traumatic events that they have witnessed or worked on. Railway Mission will continue to support rail staff and officers following incidents. If you’re a rail worker and have been troubled in any way by an incident you witnessed or dealt with, please get in touch with your local chaplain. You can find chaplains at our website.