Reunification Planning
Reunification of children with the appropriate family members following an emergency or disaster is a high priority. To be successful, the reunification process needs to be simple and consistent across all types of schools and businesses. This consistency allows all responders to learn a single process and provides predictability for how reunification will occur.
Workbook
The following entities have spent extensive time developing a workbook to guide reunification planning efforts:
- Polk County Emergency Management
- 2-1-1
- Heartland Area Education Agency (AEA)
- Iowa Department of Education
- Iowa Department of Public Health
- Marion County Emergency Management
- National Center for Missing and Exploited Children
- Polk County Community, Family & Youth Services
- Polk County Medical Examiner’s Office
- Story County Emergency Management
- Unity Point Hospitals
Polk County Emergency Management will continue to enhance reunification efforts through:
- Establishment of regional reunification centers
- Training
- Responders
- Schools
- Businesses
- Collaborating with the Heartland Area Education Agency to develop a reunification team to assist with reunification efforts
Action Steps
- Read and become familiar with the reunification workbook and process
- Schools outside of Polk County – Utilize the workbook to develop the reunification annex of your local school district emergency operations plan in cooperation with your local emergency management agency
- Reunification plans should be regional in approach to improve consistency and collaboration between response agencies
- Consider supporting development of response teams within your AEA region or in locally capable businesses or agencies
- Schools within Polk County – Polk County Emergency Management will be working with Superintendents this fall to develop a regional reunification plan and establishment of a reunification team in cooperation with the AEA