Crisis Communications Plans

The news is dominated by stories about things that go wrong: murders, deaths, wars and tragedies of all types make up the top news stories regardless of whether the medium is broadcast or print. Generally, the worse something is, the more attention it gets. Further, when a tragic event can be tied to a government entity in some way, the story becomes even bigger. Because tragedy is news and tragedy that can be blamed on government is, unfortunately, often deemed the most newsworthy, public child welfare agencies must be equipped with a well-conceived crisis communications plan and officials must be ready to activate it.

Crisis communications plans prepare agencies for dealing with sentinel events that can impact public confidence through concentrated and prolonged negative media coverage. While no list can be complete, examples would include: a death of a child by abuse or neglect in an open or recently closed case; a child in state care injured or sexually assaulted by a foster parent, licensed provider, or agency employee; and serious regulatory oversights or financial improprieties.

Acknowledgment of the Issue

It is important to own issues and get out in front of them. When a tragedy or other significant adverse event occurs, the worst thing a public agency can do is to not realize the newsworthiness of the event and do nothing communicatively. Public confidence is shaken when government does not recognize and acknowledge when something has gone significantly wrong. That recognition is a first step in the process toward remedying the problem and the public expects agencies to respond, investigate, acknowledge any errors and initiate remedial efforts to address any errors found. Until an agency makes an expression of acknowledgement and offers specific remedies that respond to any personnel or systems issues that underlie the event, the story is not likely to complete its normal narrative cycle, which is the point at which a story can be expected to diminish and ultimately go away.

In addition, bad news is best received when the entity that will be held responsible for it is the messenger. Being forthcoming helps maintain public confidence as the agency demonstrates accountability, openness and responsibility. In contrast, the media and the public also are more likely to view a negative incident as being covered up if sources other than the agency bring the incident to public attention. For this reason, it is in the interest of the agency to strongly consider announcing an incident of its own accord if it anticipates the incident will reach the media. This is a difficult decision to make, but it can mitigate the effects of the incident and ultimately allow agency leadership to weather the crisis.

When the agency decides to get out in front of a story, it should do so in a way that maximizes the chances that the story will conclude quickly. That means not leaving out highly controversial elements that would give the story further legs if released to the press later. This also is very challenging and made more complicated by issues of confidentiality and staff and external stakeholder relations, but illuminating as much of the whole story as possible is better than letting it drag out in bits and pieces. The latter keeps the story alive. Also, if additional damaging information comes out later, the press, the public and officials will be more likely to ask what else is not being shared and to question the agency's veracity and response to the incident.

Agency Notification

It is important to have a notification process. A critical feature of any crisis communications plan is the existence of a process for agency administration to be notified of the sentinel event. Every employee in the agency should understand that certain events trigger the responsibility to notify the administration. This can be arranged in many ways, but having a clear policy that requires notification can be very effective in spreading awareness across the agency. Some agencies may choose to have the notification go to a risk management unit within its quality improvement function and then top administrators including Communications can receive information after passing through that filter.

Communications must be in the information loop because it may be the best place to assess the importance of the sentinel event for triggering the full crisis communications plan. For example, a youth running away from a residential program might trigger a notification. But unless something especially significant occurs while the youth is AWOL – such as the commission of a serious crime – the event may not warrant a crisis response. Communications, based on a judgment of the newsworthiness of the incident, should be in the best position to tell what response is dictated. The worse the incident, the bigger the story, so those staff with experience observing the media are usually in the best position to make that judgment and advise agency leaders on the possible repercussions.

Accordingly, in situations that merit a full crisis response, Communications must have ready access to others in top agency administration in order to press leadership to convene the crisis team, core members of whom are already identified and outlined in the crisis communications plan.

Gather and Analyze Data

It is important to assemble all relevant information quickly. Assessing the situation so that an appropriate response can be made is critical and this requires a quick and thorough gathering of information. On the authority of agency leadership, a crisis team should be convened, responsible for pulling together all relevant, available facts and identifying informational gaps. At a minimum, the team should consist of a top administrator responsible for the relevant program area, the leader of the agency and the person who leads Communications. Other top-level administrators, including legal, human resources and fiscal, may be required depending upon the nature of the event and the responses that may be appropriate under the circumstances.

Action Plan

Where the situation seems likely to result in significant media coverage, an action plan can be an important guide, especially in a time when it can be expected that emotions will run high. The plan creates order in what might feel like a chaotic situation and helps maintain confidence among leadership, Communications and other involved staff.

There are many reasons to have a crisis communications plan and an action plan that are appropriately responsive to a specific event. Chief among them are to inform the agency’s governing authority about any impending crisis and to gain its support and approval regarding the agency’s handling of the crisis. The agency does not want the handling of the crisis to be another reason -- in addition to the underlying sentinel event -- for the authority to lose confidence in agency leadership. This is why performing at the highest possible level is crucial. Keeping the authority informed and satisfied that the agency leadership is acting appropriately under the circumstances is vital. In this regard, getting the authority to approve and support the response during the decision-making process is critical.

Communication

In addition to going up the chain of authority, communications likewise should flow down through the agency. During a time of crisis, staff members need to feel that they know what is going on and that leadership is being appropriately exercised. Staff members are among the most important stakeholders of the agency and the agency is best served when staff and other key stakeholders learn about the agency response to a crisis before they see and hear it on the news.

Monitoring

Monitoring coverage is just as important as keeping a log of media inquiries. Maintain a compilation of clips and tape broadcast coverage. Assess when coverage requires some level of response. It could range from a phone call to a reporter to clarify information, a request for a correction, or even a complaint to an editor. In most cases, the milder response is best under the theory that the agency will have to deal with the same reporter and media outlet in the future.


< Back to Communications Strategy Section