CASA PROGRAM
CRISIS COMMUNICATION PLAN
A crisis is any event – human or natural – which threatens the operations and/or reputation of an organization.
Examples of types of crises:
a. A volunteer or staff member has to be terminated because of allegations of inappropriate conduct.
b. A child who is or has been served by CASA is injured or dies.
c. A professional (client/personnel) in the court or child welfare system (a social worker or attorney) publicly criticizes the CASA program.
d. A messy firing or resignation results in a staff member or volunteer going to the media.
e. Money is used inappropriately.
f. A natural or human disaster occurs (fire, tornado, broken plumbing, hurricane, floods, vandalism).
g. A bomb threat or other threat is made against the agency.
The procedures outlined in this plan will be used to enhance the protection of the CASA program and the CASA community through the appropriate response and effective use of its resources. This plan is designed to assist in coping with and communicating during a crisis. To ensure a spokesperson is always available and a thoughtful process is always employed, a “team” will be formed consisting of at least the Executive Director (ED) and Board president with two other members identified from the Board, staff and/ or the community – unless the party responsible for the crisis is one of those named.
Texas CASA recommends that the program staff and board think through how they might respond if each of the examples of crises listed above were to occur.
Policy
The CASA program’s policy is that upon the occurrence of a crisis or other unusual event affecting the CASA program, only the spokesperson designated by the Crisis Communication Team (consisting of the individuals listed below) is authorized to provide information to the media and others. The team’s job is to come up with a plan of action, decide who will be the spokesperson and decide upon the message. Texas CASA should also be notified within 24 hours of the crisis. Texas CASA can assist your program in dealing with a crisis.
Crisis Communications Team:
1) ED 3)
2) Board President 4)
Steps
1. Contact
Contact the ED as soon as the problem surfaces. When the ED is unavailable, see Appendix A-Contact List.
2. Meet
The Crisis Communication Team will meet to:
· Identify and define the crisis (see Appendix B);
· List people involved and affected by the issue;
· Discuss relevant history, motives and possible perceptions; and
· Request information from police, local authorities or other relevant parties, if warranted.
3. Define a course of action
The Crisis Communication Team will consider:
· Facts known and/or determined by an internal investigation;
· Potential allies and detractors;
· Which stakeholders (staff, board, volunteers, judges) should be briefed on what is happening and how the program is responding and how will you inform them (phone call, personal visit, letter, email blast, social media post);
· Who in the media is covering the story;
· Who the media has talked with, who is speaking out on this situation and what is being said; and
· How is the story being reported (is it complete, are details missing, is the story positive, negative or misleading?).
The Team will draft talking points or a media statement (refer to Appendix B), or prepare other response or actions deemed necessary.
4. Implement procedures within office
· Inform the staff, board and volunteers that any inquiries from the media or others should be directed to the designated spokesperson.
· Be transparent and consistent with the messaging. Don’t email your volunteers one version and tell the media another.
· If media interviews or press briefings are warranted, the Crisis Communications Team will decide the time and location for these events.
· Never respond to media inquiries with “no comment” (refer to Appendix B).
Appendix A
Contact List
1. ED______
Home ______Work ______
Cell ______Email ______
When ED is unavailable, contact:
2.______
Home ______Work ______
Cell ______Email ______
3.______
Home ______Work ______
Cell ______Email ______
4.______
Home ______Work ______
Cell ______Email ______
Appendix B
Media Statement
The first media statement should include at a minimum who, what, when, where, why and how of the situation. As the crisis progresses and new information becomes available, develop prepared statements or talking points to be made by the spokesperson at the onset of any media interview, briefing or news conference. Information brochures or fact sheets about your CASA program are helpful in informing the reporters or anyone else seeking information about the CASA.
Following is information your program should gather. You don’t necessarily have to share all the information.
· Who – is involved, who has been affected (remember not to disclose confidential information), who is responsible for what has happened?
· What – happened, what is being done to resolve the crisis, what steps has the program taken, what steps is the program taking to ensure this crisis doesn’t happen again or to minimize the impact on the program?
· When – did the crisis occur, when did the program know about it, when will something be done to resolve the crisis?
· Where – where did the event occur?
· Why – did this happen, why wasn’t it prevented?
· How – did this happen, how will the program take steps to ensure this doesn’t occur again, how will the program recover?
When dealing with the media:
· Never say “no comment.”
· Never lie. If you don’t want to answer a question, say you can’t answer right now.
· You are always “on the record.” Everything you say can and may be used.
· Respond promptly to media contacts. If you don’t respond, someone else will tell their version of the story.
· Remember, your words matter. Use “allegations” and “investigation” when talking about possible criminal wrongdoing. Until the person is convicted of a crime, avoid saying that the person committed a crime.
· When appropriate, talk about the positive difference CASA makes in the lives of children in care and share your program’s website and phone number.
The Texas CASA Communications Department can assist you in the event of a crisis.