Providing care
Who uses care spaces
People coming through the care space may be there for highly diverse and unexpected reasons, and require a wide range of support. People of all different ages and backgrounds use care spaces so it is important to expect the unexpected.
“Some of the people coming into this space may be having an experience that will have a profound and long-lasting impact on their lives. Every situation is different, every person has their own history and every interaction will be unique, and should be approached with that in mind.”
— Charlie Woodward, Psy-Care Aotearoa Coordinator
You may come across people experiencing:
Mental distress that can range anywhere from mild through to severe anxiety and depression or panic attacks.
Altered states of consciousness, ranging from mild confusion through to delusions and hallucinations, as well as psychosis.
Experiences stemming from a wide variety of drug use, including various combinations, doses and routes of administration.
Physical distress that can range anywhere from mild nausea through to vomiting and urinary and bowel incontinence.
Medical situations that can range from a need for basic first aid to life threatening physical health emergencies that require intervention from emergency services, such as drug overdose or accidents resulting in serious physical trauma. Medical events should always be referred to medics if they are present on-site.
Heightened emotional states including conflict, anger, aggression, verbal and physical violence. Care space staff should not be expected to manage someone who is a danger to care space staff or other guests. Contact security immediately.
Breaches of consent and sexual harm, working with both survivors and people who have done harm.
Many other situations that may require a more nuanced approach to care than that which is traditionally taught in mental health, medical and security training!
Process for care space guests
Having a clear process for guests coming into the care space helps ensure staff are responding appropriately to the situation.
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Ensure that a guest is checked by medics if there are any concerns regarding their physical health. Assess the guest’s physical needs throughout their stay, either directly or indirectly (e.g. through observation or asking directly, such as whether they have injuries or what substances they may have taken). Request assistance from medics if required and available. First aid can be provided by a crew member that has the necessary qualifications and ability.
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This can involve welcoming them into the care space and asking how they’re feeling and what they might need.
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This is a care space staff member who will remain with the guest until they have recovered and are comfortable with leaving the space. The carer may need to swap out with another carer if the guest remains for an extended period of time. Consider language barriers and matching people with a carer who may be best suited to their demographic. In instances of sexual assault, gender choice should be enabled where possible.
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Complete any documentation used for ensuring safety and continuity of care. See our Resources page for documentation used by existing care space providers.
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These can be offered once the guest is settled and comfortable. Ask about any food allergies.
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If the guest is open to communication, this can be done either verbally or non-verbally (e.g. through writing or art). It’s important that the guest feels listened to, respected and comfortable in the space, and that their feelings are validated without judgment or criticism.
People who have experienced sexual harm may have more complex needs. Consider having someone on your team trained to deal with these situations. SoundCheck's advisory service can help provide planning and training.
This can include:
Providing care
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Sometimes, a guest might just need someone to sit with them, even if they don’t want to talk. Breathing techniques, soft toys, art supplies and other distractions or activities can be used to support them.
How much the person shares about their experience should always be led by the person seeking care.
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From only a few minutes to over ten hours. Some guests may return throughout the event. Care space staff need to be prepared to sit with someone for an extended period, but take breaks when needed. It can be a good idea to have a couple of carers tag in and out to avoid fatigue or becoming overwhelmed.
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They can offer support and advice, but need to make it clear that they are not qualified mental health or addiction practitioners. Guests can be referred to these services if necessary.
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That means care space staff should be holding curious, open-minded and receptive space for guests to safely explore and process their experience. They should not be trying to guide or direct a guest’s experience through giving unsolicited advice, probing their childhood experiences, etc.
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It's important to prepare your care space for the possibility of serious situations occurring. This could include things like suicidal ideation, abuse/neglect of children, intense psychedelic crises, sexual assault, or suspected drink spiking. More guidance on this is being developed. In the meantime, contact us here to speak with a care space provider about setting up for these kinds of situations.
Drug info & harm reduction
As well as providing care and support to people in distress, care spaces may also need to provide guests with information about different kinds of drugs, their effects and how to stay safer when using them.
This is an important function of the space as it can prevent harm before it occurs. Anecdotal experiences are useful conversation-starters and helpful when providing advice, especially when we know that people are more likely to take advice from peers.
However, be cautious when giving advice about dosage and mixing drugs, in order to protect staff and patrons alike. Drug dosage can be very different between people, so avoid advising people to take a specific dose. In general, we suggest encouraging people to:
Get their drugs checked so they know what’s in them.
Do their own research into different drugs before taking them - some resources could be thelevel.org.nz, tripsit.org or erowid.org.
Take a small dose to start with and wait an hour before deciding to take more.
Take care when mixing drugs, including alcohol and prescription medication.
Have a sober friend who can get help if needed.
Consider their mindset and where they are before taking drugs.
Take time to rest, eat, hydrate and recover the next day.
Roaming care
Care spaces may choose to have roaming care teams at an event or venue. Some events or venues may not require this, and some roaming support functions may be covered by other services, such as security or consent teams. Use our risk assessment tool to help you figure out if an event or venue may need a roaming support.
Photo by Ashlyn Hornsby
Roaming care can involve both:
walking around an event to identify and offer support to people in distress
responding to requests for support/reports of distress from other care services and bystanders.
Roaming care can also increase visibility and awareness of a care space. Points to consider include:
Roster staff so they are roaming in pairs to increase safety and to better manage situations that may arise.
Equip roaming staff with high-vis vests or other clothing that helps people identify them as care space staff. Several communities in Aotearoa use pink high-vis to identify their care teams. Pink is a visible colour that is distinct from other roles who use high-vis (e.g. security, crowd control, medical teams).
Make sure they have what they need for the elements, including water and sunscreen if it’s hot, and torches if it’s dark.
Make sure roaming staff can communicate with the care space and other support services through the use of radios and awareness of radio protocol.
Get roaming care staff to check key areas, such as the back and sides of dancefloors, smoking areas, camping areas, toilets, bushes, and site specific features such as around bodies of water, forests and nearby alleyways.
Roaming care staff should think about where someone would go if they were extremely intoxicated, overwhelmed or wanted to get away from the party.
Roaming care staff should take a relaxed, friendly and casual approach. Reassure people in distress that the care team is there to help. Be mindful that people in high-vis with torches can be intimidating!
Roaming care staff should look for people that are unconscious, sleeping outside in the cold, vomiting, walking aimlessly and staring off into space (especially if distressed or confused), stumbling and walking unsteadily, loudly yelling or crying, and sitting on their own in an isolated area.
Roaming care staff should check on people even if they are in the company of others, as intoxicated friends may be unaware of a person’s distress or unable to help.
Manage crowds of bystanders around a person in distress by loudly and firmly asking for anyone not directly involved to step back and make space.
If someone is being led away from a dancefloor or out of an event when they are clearly intoxicated, check that they are comfortable with the situation and know the person they are with. Roaming staff should keep in mind that sexual assault is often perpetrated by people known to the victim, and that they can encourage intoxicated individuals and their friends to come to the care space together.
Some organisations provide bystander intervention training that may be useful for roaming care space staff.
Checking out of the care space
Guests should be able to leave the space at any time, for any reason. If they’re feeling up for it, encourage them to return to their friends or the party. Let them know they can always come back to the care space if they need to.
If a guest wants to leave but there is concern for their safety, they can be encouraged to stay but not physically restrained or otherwise coerced. This may aggravate the guest and put them and others at risk.
Guests can be accompanied by carers or security in pairs when leaving the space, either with their consent or discreetly following at a distance if there are concerns for their wellbeing. Security and/or medics should be notified if there are serious concerns for their safety.
After a person has left the care space, any documentation relating to their stay should be completed.
Care space staff should be encouraged to take a moment to reflect on interactions with guests after they have left. This can help with care space staff wellbeing, and to identify areas for follow-up or resolution. Care space organisers should offer support to staff.
Children and young people
Even if an event is restricted to 18+, care spaces should have procedures in place to respond to children and young people who are in distress or require support. This is especially important for when children end up in the care space without supervision by a legal guardian.
Points to consider include:
If a child or young person appears to be intoxicated, immediately have them assessed by the medical team.
Familiarising care space crew with event specific policies regarding children and young people. Contact event staff if there are concerns about a child or young person, who are then responsible for escalating the situation if needed.
Having designated care space staff member/s who can provide support to children and young people who come into the care space, being mindful of experience, qualifications, and whether a Ministry of Justice criminal record check is appropriate.
Ensuring that the child or young person are never left alone with a single carer, and having an open door policy (except for toilets) to maximise safety and minimise liability.
Try to locate the child’s parents/caregivers, and record their parent/caregivers details (name, photo ID, and where they are camping if it is a festival) before handing over care.
If the parents/caregivers are too inebriated to safely care for the child, continue to care for the child until the parents/caregivers are sober.
Depending on the scope of your service, make sure your service meets all it’s legislative requirements, for example the Vulnerable Children’s Act 2014 (this may change depending on where your funding is coming from).
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Staffing care spaces
Tips to consider when recruiting, training and supporting your care space staff.
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Communication & documentation
Guidance for communication amongst staff and other teams, record keeping, reporting incidents and your legal obligations.