The UK government’s Department for Culture, Media and Sport has published a report it commissioned looking into the above topic. Entitled ‘Literature and best practice review and assessment: identifying people’s needs in major emergencies and best practice in humanitarian response’ the report, by Dr Anne Eyre, ‘provides an independent, comprehensive review of evidence about provisions and interventions to meet the needs of people affected by emergencies as defined within the Civil Contingencies Act (2004)’.

Although mainly aimed at Category One responders the report contains much information which will be of interest to business continuity and crisis managers within the business sector, particularly in assessing what can be planned for, in terms of pre- during- and post- disaster support for employees and their families.

The report presents an assessment of people’s psycho-social needs following events such as natural disasters, terrorism and other major incidents and offers best practice guidelines based on the most effective methods of humanitarian assistance in the immediate, short-term and longer-term aftermath of major emergencies.

The executive summary states that the key findings are: ‘the fact that the psychological and social impacts on those affected by major emergencies are many and varied. As well as including grief, trauma, stress and other forms of loss-related reactions, the evidence suggests that people are generally resilient and demonstrate the ability to adapt, adjust and recover after such events. The ability to cope is related to a range of pre-disaster, within-disaster, and post-disaster risk factors. Information and activities which normalise reactions, protect social resources and signpost further sources of support are fundamental to good psycho-social response.’

‘Forms of humanitarian assistance and intervention have varied considerably over time, place and incident, reflecting in part a developing understanding of the psycho-social impacts of disasters and lessons learned about the best ways of addressing people’s needs. Proactive outreach, including personalised support for bereaved families and contact between those affected, has been found to be most helpful from the earliest stages. The emphasis on interventions should be on empowerment, that is to say drawing upon resilience and building strengths, capabilities and self-sufficiency while at the same time making available appropriate mental-health and other services that complement individual, family and community-based coping strategies. Providing psycho-social support includes facilitating opportunities for those seeking out others to have the opportunity to be in contact and meet informally as soon as possible after the event.

‘An obvious recommendation from a review such as this is for more and better planning. This report aims to go further than just suggesting the need for further humanitarian assistance planning, fundamental though this activity is. It includes a discussion of why it is often the case that lessons fail to be learned or applied in effective planning and response for psycho-social support after disasters. The reasons include the fact that emergency planners often base their efforts on myths about human behaviour and reactions during and after disaster. Other common pitfalls, such as fragmented approaches to mental health and social support, and a tendency to see disaster planning as a product rather than a process, are highlighted along with the implications for good practice to overcome such weaknesses.’

Read the report (PDF)

•Date: 27th October 2006• Region: UK •Type: Article •Topic: DR general
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