Latest Approval Date: August 2026

1. Purpose

1.1. This policy and its associated procedures outline the College’s response to critical incidents, including:

• Immediate response procedures;
• Appropriate support and counselling services available;
• Management of long-term consequences;
• Provisions for incidents involving international students.

2. Definitions

2.1. For the purpose of this policy, the following definitions apply:

Critical Incident means a traumatic event, or the threat of such (within or outside Australia) which causes extreme physical and/or emotional distress. Critical incidents are not limited to, but could include:

• Sexual assault, or assault of any other kind;
• sexual harassment, or harassment of any other kind;
• missing persons;
• severe verbal or psychological aggression;
• kidnapping or attempted kidnapping:
• death;
• serious injury;
• attempted murder or suicide;
• fire, explosion, bomb threat or toxic chemical release;
• cyberattack or sensitive data breach
• natural disasters;
• domestic violence;
• robbery;
• drug or alcohol abuse

Nb. Non-life threatening events may still qualify as critical incidents.

Critical Incident Management Team means the senior staff responsible for managing the incident after it has been reported by the Contact Person.

Contact Person means the individual(s) available at all times with immediate responsibility for controlling the situation and documenting details of the incident to report to the Critical Incident Management Team.

International Student means a person who is legitimately enrolled at Campion in an academic program and who is not a citizen of Australia or New Zealand and who does not hold Permanent Residency status in Australia.

Staff Member means any staff member of Campion whether full-time, part-time, casual or sessional.

Student means a person who is legitimately enrolled at Campion in an academic program (including overseas students).

3. Scope

3.1. This policy and its associate procedures apply to all students, staff, contractors, volunteers, and visitors—on and off campus while participating in College activities, including locally and overseas.

3.2. This policy and the procedures do not apply to minor injuries or accidents that affect an individual or isolated area(s) and do not pose and additional threat or risk to students, staff, contractors, volunteers, visitors, property, or affect the College’s operations and/or reputation. Such minor incidents are managed under the College’s Workplace Health & Safety Policy and Procedures.

4. Principles

4.1. Campion is committed to implementing appropriate procedures to respond to critical incidents in order to provide for the safety and security of students, staff, contractors, volunteers, and visitors. Appropriate management of a critical incident may also mitigate the impact of an incident upon the College’s operations.

4.2. Campion acknowledges that international students studying in Australia have special needs due to distance from family, language and cultural issues and lack of familiarity with government and community support systems. The College has specific obligations relating to critical incidents involving international students under the ESOS legislation.

5. Policy

5.1. Campion College’s approach to Critical Incident Management incorporates the following key components:

• Implementing the Critical Incident Management Procedures as outlined in Item 6, below.
• Providing guidelines for the immediate response to incidents and subsequent monitoring of the situation;
• Allowing for individuals impacted by a critical incident to access external emergency services and follow-up care;
• Reviewing the procedures annually or after every incident.
• Notifying all students and staff of the Critical Incident Management Procedures.
• Providing training, when needed, for staff and students with designated responsibilities.

6. Procedures

6.1 Contact Persons

6.1.1. Campion has designated Contact Persons in the event of a critical incident. Individuals involved in a critical incident may telephone a Contact Person at any time (24 hours a day, seven days a week, with the exception of the Receptionist during business hours). Contact details are provided to staff at the point of induction and to students at Orientation. Students are also provided with details of local emergency services and health providers in the Student Handbook.

6.1.2 The current Contact Persons are:

• Campus Manager (Primary Contact Person) – First Aid Officer (Office: 9896 9313; Mobile: 0430 514 392)
• Student Life Manager – SASH Contact Officer (0401 364 335)
• Administration Assistant – SASH Contact Officer (0412 971 701)
• Receptionist—First Aid Officer (9896 9300)

6.1.3 The names and phone numbers of the Contact Persons are available on the student noticeboard and Student Handbook.

6.1.4. Contact Persons will inform students of the existence of support services (Appendix A) and how to access them.

6.2 Critical Incident Reporting

6.2.1. Any staff member or student who becomes aware of a critical incident involving threat to life to a student, staff member, contractors, volunteers, visitors, or property, must immediately notify the Emergency Services by calling 000.

6.2.2. Any staff member or student who is notified of a critical incident or receives a report of a critical incident involving a student, staff member or visitor to Campion must immediately:

• during business hours (9am – 4pm weekdays) notify Reception (9896 9300) or the CampusManager (Office: 9896 9313; Mobile: 0430 514 392) in person or by telephone.
• at other times notify any one of the Contact Persons listed above. (refer to the phone numbers above).

6.2.3. The Contact Person will:

• Attend the location and assess the situation;
• Offer immediate assistance to persons involved in the incident;
• Organise any additional support required;
• Remain at the location to liaise with Police or other emergency services as necessary;
• Document details of the incident
• Inform members of the Critical Incident Management Team and provide them with a report.

6.3. The Critical Incident Management Team (CIMT)

6.3.1. The Critical Incident Management Team comprises:

• The President
• The Dean of Studies
• The Director of Operations
• Campus Manager
• Other specialists asked to join the CIMT for a particular incident relevant to their area

6.3.2. Other personnel that may need to be advised and be required to respond include:

• Student Life Manager
• The SASH Contact Officer in cases of sexual assault and sexual harassment
• The Chairman of the Board of Trustees

6.3.3 If a critical incident occurs, upon notification of the incident by the Contact Person and depending on the scope of the incident, the CIMT will be required to:

• If required, co-ordinate emergency evacuation procedures.
• Access student or staff records to verify family information and contact details, and contact family if necessary.
• Make an assessment as to whether the circumstances are such as to warrant any further immediate action.
• Liaise with emergency services to ensure effective ongoing management of the incident and recovery.
• Formulate and implement a critical incident action plan, addressing risks and response actions, including liaison with external emergency services or support agencies.
• Notify TEQSA if required.
• Notify, if international students are affected, the Department of Home Affairs and/or the student’s next of kin.
• Notify, if international underage students are affected, the parents or legal guardians of that student, as well as the government institutions mentioned above.
• Formulate and implement a communication plan, including with students’ relatives, carers, foreign embassies and the media.
• Formulate a plan for appropriate after-incident care (including counselling) for those directly and indirectly affected by the incident and define personnel, resources and timelines for its implementation.
• Ensure the effective implementation of after-incident responses (including effective communication to the College community and, where appropriate, the wider community).
• Complete a Critical Incident Report.
• Review and update these procedures as soon as practicable following any incident; or in accordance with the regular policy review cycle.

6.3.4. Where a critical incident involves an international underage student, disrupts the accommodation and welfare of that student, any change to those arrangements must be reported on PRISMS and the parents/guardians must be notified (see also Underage Management Policy).

6.3.4 Where a critical incident involves an international underage student, disrupts the accommodation and welfare of that student, any change to those arrangements must be reported on PRISMS and the parents/guardians must be notified (see also Underage Management Policy).

7. Roles and Responsibilities

7.1. All students and staff must be aware of this policy and the procedures for managing a Critical Incident and the contact details of the designated Contact Persons.

7.2. As members of the CIMT, the Campion Executive is responsible for the implementation and regular review of these procedures, including providing any Critical Incident Reports to the Institute Board.

7.3. The Campus Manager will chair the Critical Incident Management Team.

7.4. The Student Life Manager is responsible for taking part in the CIMT’s actions and responsibilities during the management of a critical incident, including the review of the procedures.

7.5. The Student Wellbeing Team is responsible for monitoring the ongoing health and wellbeing of students affected by a critical incident, reporting any concerns to the Campion Executive Committee, and making recommendations for the management of such incidents in the future.

8. References

8.1. This policy was benchmarked against:

8.1.1. Critical Incident Management Procedure, University of Notre Dame Australia

8.1.2. Management of Critical Incidents Policy, University of Notre Dame Australia

8.1.3. Critical Incident Management Policy, Australian Catholic University

8.2. TEQSA Guidance Note: Wellbeing and Safety (8 January 2018)

Appendix A

Police, Ambulance, Fire	000
Police Assistance Line Report Non-Emergency Crime	131 444
Crime Stoppers Report actual or suspected criminal information	1800 333 000
Wentworthville Police Station 81 Wentworth Ave (Cnr Wentworth Ave and Railway St) Wentworthville	02 9688 8499
Seven Hills Fire Station 10 Leabons Lane, Seven Hills	02 9493 1043
Westmead Hospital Corner of Darcy and Hawkesbury Rds, Westmead	02 9845 5555
NSW SES Metro Zone NSW SES Parramatta Unit 73C O’Connell Street, North Parramatta	Flood, Storm, Tsunami: 132 500 General Enquiries: 138 737
Medical Centres: Fitzwilliam Road Medical Centre, Shop 14/62 Fitzwilliam Rd, Old Toongabbie (shopping centre near Fitzwilliam IGA) 8am - 6pm Mon-Friday, 8am - 12pm Saturday, 9am-2pm Sunday	02 9873 0085
Toongabbie Family Practice, 52 Aurelia St, Toongabbie (shops side of train station) 8.30am – 5.30pm Mon-Fri; 8.30am - 12pm Sat	02 9636 2337
Wentworthville Medical Centre, 122-128 Station St, Wentworthville 7am - 10pm Mon-Fri; 8am - 10pm Sat/Sun	02 8868 3800
Winston Hills Medical Centre Shop 68, Winston Hills Shopping Centre, 180 Caroline Chisholm Dr (access is from outside the centre on the Caroline Chisholm Dr side, near Winston Gardens Chinese Restaurant) 9am - 7pm weekdays, 9am - 1pm Sat; 10am - 1pm - Sun	02 9838 4800
Jennifer Rahme-Edwards On-site Counsellor	j.edwards@campion.edu.au
CatholicCare Parramatta Free counselling appointments (service agreement with Campion by appointment on campus) or 181 Mamre Rd, Orchard Hills	(02) 8843 2500
Lifeline Australia 24hr Crisis Support & Suicide Prevention	13 11 14
Mission Australia Financial and Mental Health Support	1800 951 123
National Sexual Assault, Domestic Family Violence Counselling Service	1800 737 732 www.1800respect.org.au