Advice ShopWhen a crisis comes what can you do? Anthony Douglas offers a five-stage plan to manage those crisis situations which strike most social services organisations at some time

No one in social services is fireproof these days. When a crisis comes, as it always does, the wheels can come off the most mature organisation. The phrase "golden hour" refers to the hour immediately after a major accident in which lives are saved or lost. It is when the emergency services have to get it right. A social services crisis typically lasts longer but the principle is the same.

A crisis can be a terrible inspection report, a serious allegation against a key member of staff, or a suggestion that the agency has so mishandled a situation that a service user has died or been seriously injured.

Jobs or political careers are suddenly on the line and this can obviously influence how the crisis is handled. Panic can set in. Trust between colleagues can break down irretrievably. Suspicion and paranoia can seem quite normal. The agency can turn into a sinking ship with more passengers than places on the lifeboats. The mildest mannered people will sometimes do anything to save themselves by blaming or dumping others.

Managing a crisis by minimising agency implosion is vital because, although there may well have been a failure of accountability in one case, the agency has to go on providing decent services to countless other people. In other words, life goes on. The agency simply cannot afford to disintegrate.

There are no easy answers but taking five clear steps to manage a crisis can help.

· The first step is to be clear about who is in charge. It has to be the right person, either through seniority, independence or through possession of the right mix of skills.

· Second, do nothing until the facts are clear, but get hold of the facts quickly. This usually means forming an immediate task group to review documents and to interview all the players. One reason it is so difficult to manage a crisis is that other crises are being managed simultaneously. Events move and change very fast inside public services, often daily. Staff have to be released from what they are doing to give a crisis full and sustained attention. It cannot be managed on a part-time basis.

· Third, consult with the right people, perhaps an expert or senior managers, local politicians and government officials who have a need to know or who by being told can help to manage their part of the system.

· Next, difficult and far-reaching decisions may have to be taken. A cool head is essential. Sometimes, one person can do this most effectively. But group decision making by those most closely involved and those who have been carrying out the review leads to decisions that are more likely to be owned and implemented. Too little attention is paid to the implementation of decisions, which is the most important aspect if the organisation needs to change. It will not change by itself.

· Finally, every serious crisis will probably become a public issue at some stage. A media strategy has to involve either spoiling tactics, whereby a proactive attempt is made to define the crisis in its context, or making a full and honest response to all enquiries. Transparency is advisable. The story will get leaked anyway, and accusations of a cover-up are avoided by instantly assuming responsibility. An accountability test has to be applied in which service users and their families need to be told the truth and offered advice and support if the findings of a review are distressing.

Crisis management is uncomfortable for everyone. It deserves more attention than it gets in management development programmes and staff selection processes.

Anthony Douglas is director of community services, London Borough of Havering