The mission of the Keystone Crisis Intervention Team (KCIT) is to facilitate crisis intervention services to crime victims and their communities in the aftermath of a traumatic event in Pennsylvania. Interventions include but are not limited to: assessing the impact of the event on the community; developing intervention plans; and providing individual and group crisis intervention. The Keystone Team is available to provide support to agencies and other community crisis teams upon request.

The concept of the Keystone Crisis Intervention Team (KCIT) was created when a group of professionals from across the Commonwealth joined together to comprise the Crisis Response Organizational Subcommittee. This subcommittee is under the auspices of the Pennsylvania Commission on Crime and Delinquency’s (PCCD) Victim Services Advisory Committee (VSAC). The VSAC was established in 1995 to insure that the voices, needs and perspectives of all crime victims are considered in the development of services, standards, policies, funding priorities and outcomes. The VSAC identified the need to explore the creation of a statewide crisis response capability to communities affected by a crime that produces multiple victims. The Crisis Response Organizational Subcommittee was formed and developed the concept of KCIT as one of the means to increase the statewide crisis response capability.

When will the Team respond?

The KCIT provides trained teams of professionals upon request, to serve any community within the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania where a crime has taken place. Examples of such crime would be: criminal incidents of a nature that the entire community is thrust into grief; crimes affecting children, such as school shootings; cluster suicides; or multiple deaths from any criminal activity.

How is the Team requested?

The KCIT can be accessed 24 hours a day through the Office of the Victim Advocate. An official request or invitation should come from someone with authority at the site of the criminal incident. Generally, team members can respond within 24 hours. The individual or agency requesting the KCIT may be asked to assist the team leader in arranging overnight accommodations. In addition, the KCIT will require assistance in locating a private area in a public building to provide training to local community members and to hold group crisis intervention sessions for crime victims.

The KCIT will help local decision makers to identify the groups at risk of experiencing trauma. The KCIT members will lead one or more group crisis intervention sessions to demonstrate how these private meetings can help victims begin to talk about their reactions to the trauma and cope. Training will be provided to the community care-givers to assist them in meeting the ongoing community needs.

When appropriate, the KCIT will assist the local community in requesting a National Crisis Response Team from the National Organization for Victim Assistance. The National Team may be called upon when the scope of the traumatic event is extensive or when national attention falls upon the community. The KCIT will serve as an intermediary between the local individual responsible for inviting the NOVA team and the NOVA staff arranging the national team response. In addition, the KCIT will coordinate with other crisis response teams. This serves to ensure comprehensive community-wide services and seeks to avoid duplication of services.

There is no fee for the Keystone Crisis Intervention Team services, however, local community organizations may provide support. If local businesses are able to provide accommodations or meals, for example, this helps reduce team members’ out-of-pocket expenses.

Whole communities, like individuals, may suffer trauma in the aftermath of a criminal event. The community may suffer from an effect similar to paralysis. While almost everyone is in shock, individual reactions may vary. Individuals may experience a wide variety of unexpected emotions.

The experienced crisis responders in the community who would normally be called upon to help, may have also been involved in the crisis as members of the community. For this reason, it often helps to have outsiders come for a short period of time to offer information and suggestions on how to prepare to respond to the community’s distress.