Child Safety & Reunification Team

It is the mission of the Child Safety & Reunification Team to assist island residents and organizations to plan for 24/7 care for unaccompanied minor children before, during, and after an emergency or disaster. Our goal is for all Island youth-serving organizations to be involved in this effort, as well as parents and guardians as they complete school documents and develop family reunification plans.

To ensure the safety of our children, Bainbridge Prepares is working towards the development of a Child Reunification Center on the campus of Bainbridge High School (thank you BISD!) that would be utilized in the event of an Island emergency or disaster. Bainbridge Prepares Child Reunification Plan

Special COVID-19 information for parents

Child Safety

We are an Island of caring community members, no doubt. In the case of an emergency or disaster, we have a plan in place to care for our children until such time as family reunification can take place.

  • Event + 24 hours: We ask that you pick up your children, using the appropriate emergency policies in place at your child’s school.
  • Event+ 25-48 hours: We ask that you go back to school and, if you are able, take any child that has not yet been picked up by their parent/guardian for which you are identified on their parent’s Top Ten list.
  • Event +48 hours and beyond: All unaccompanied minors will be transferred to the Bainbridge High School where a Child Reunification Center will be established to ensure the safety of children. This Child Reunification Center will be staffed with background checked professionals and volunteers.

When registering your child for extra-curricular activities, please be proactive and ask what their procedures are in case of an emergency or disaster.

Child Reunification

This is a crucial piece of your emergency preparedness efforts, but it can also be one of the most difficult. No one wants to ponder what happens when the BIG ONE happens. This plan is far more likely to be put into play for a power outage or snowstorm during the school day, a house fire or other time when parents and guardians are not home. Think about your daily routines. Are you on the Island every day? Or do you commute off-Island to Seattle or the Kitsap Peninsula?

Next Steps

  • Bainbridge Prepares Family Reunification PlanMake your family’s favorite dinner and set time aside for a long meal with a discussion
  • Ask your child(ren) where they think your meeting spot should be, if you had to leave your home
  • Build a birds-eye view of your home and mark all the exits and your meeting spot
  • Make a list of who your child(ren) should call if you are unavailable
  • When filling out emergency contact information, please make sure the person(s) you are choosing are:
  • Notified that they are your go-to person
  • On all the documents (i.e. School Top 10 list)
  • Close to where your children are located (ie. Home or school)
  • Person(s) that your children are comfortable with
  • Fill out the Family Reunification Form that can be found here: Family Reunification form (PDF)
  • Have cup of coffee, tea, or wine and enjoy the peace of mind that comes with knowing that you and your family have a plan!

More Resources

  • View the presentation given at Kitsap Regional Library.
  • Raising Resilience has archived all their videos for parents.
  • Connections Cafe is a free virtual Cafe hosted by Raising Resilience “to help our parenting community come together (while keeping their distance) to process and implement the shift in our daily lives.”

If you are interested in being part of the Child Safety & Reunification Team or staffing the Child Reunification Center during a disaster, please contact team leads Kari Murphy and Shannon Fitzgerald.