Adam Johnson
5th Nov 2023
Adam Johnson
We know that 8000 people attended the ice hockey match last week between the Sheffield Steelers and Nottingham Panthers during which the ice hockey player, Adam Johnson, sustained a fatal injury. Within this crowd were many children who attended with their families, including a few families from our own school. Without doubt this was a traumatic event for all those who were present. As a community we are supporting the children and the families that we know were present, and this support will be ongoing because we understand that traumatic events like this need time to be processed.
Our approach is in line with guidance issued in the aftermath of last week’s tragic event by the Sheffield Healthy Minds Team, who already work closely with us supporting our Healthy Minds Champions and a number of SJF children on a one-to-one basis.
Their advice confirms that normal routines and relationships can be key to helping a child process and adjust whilst also keeping in mind any particular and additional care and attention that they might also require. Everyone is different so any response needs to be timely and tailored to individual needs.
As a community we have remained alert to the needs of those we know were present and vigilant to the possibility that others were present that we do not know about, or that children might be affected because of what they themselves have seen or heard on the news or from other people they have overheard talking.
Our response has therefore been deliberately gentle, as we have been careful not to inadvertently traumatise children with a ill-judged interventions. The advice is absolutely clear; that forcing a debrief e.g. an assembly or a specific conversation focused on the event – however well-intentioned – can prolong PTSD symptoms.
We have therefore, simply, re-emphasised our key “happy, safe and loved” and “Tell! Tell! Tell!” messages, especially as it has also been ‘Be Safe Be Happy Week’ and made sure that we were (and are) all available, all the time. We will not make any assumptions about the impact of this event, because we know that trauma can manifest itself in unexpected ways. We will simply remain alert and aim to respond sensitively whenever required, using the Healthy Minds Team and the Sheffield Educational Psychology Service if we need support.
For parents and carers too, the advice is that they should contact their GP to seek support if they are struggling with persistent symptoms of PTSD that are impacting their day-to-day lives. Doing this is an important first step.
Further Advice
- NHS - Coping with stress following a major incident (click here)
- BBC Bitesize - Is my child showing signs of Trauma? (click here)
- Child Mind Institute Helping Children Cope after a Traumatic Event (click here)
- Sheffield Mental Health Guide (click here)
- Sheffield Child and Adolescent Mental Health Service - CAMHS (click here)
- Door 43 - information, advice, counselling and support for 13–25-year-olds (click here)
- Rethink - helpline for under 18s experiencing difficulties with their mental health 08088010612 (click here)
- Hope Again - low intensity CBT for 18+ years | 08088081677 | Monday-Friday | 30am-5.00pm (click here)
We, of course, pray for the repose of the soul of Adam Johnson and for the intentions of his loved ones.
