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Recovery Guidance - Humanitarian Aspects

Community Engagement

Background and Context

Experience has shown that it is vital for responders to involve the community affected in the recovery process from the outset of any emergency, and that this can help enable an efficient and rapid return as possible to normality.

For example, an early public meeting can allow people to air their concerns and opinions; help the community to come to terms with the consequences of the emergency; and empower people to influence the scope and order of priorities in the recovery process. Depending on the nature of the incident, the inclusion of representatives from local faith communities and other relevant groups should be considered, as they can often be the key link to minority groups, especially where there are language difficulties and sensitivity issues.

It is also vital, for economic and social reasons, to establish a pro-active and integrated framework of support to businesses in the affected area.

The elected members of the community affected have a duty as community representatives to act as a conduit for information between their communities and local responders. As civic leaders, they are involved with many aspects of community life and can provide a focus for gathering community concerns, as well as providing a mechanism for responders to get information out to the public. Therefore, their inclusion in any community discussion is essential.

The benefits of a perceived ‘good’ response can be undermined by poor recovery management. The reconstruction and restoration of amenities and normal services needs to be managed effectively and transparently with due consideration given to the wishes of the community.

Policy and Guidance

England

Recovery:  An Emergency Management Guide, Home Office, October 2000.

Humanitarian Assistance in Emergencies: Guidance on Establishing Humanitarian Assistance Centres, published by Government / ACPO in October 2006.

Data Protection and Sharing – Guidance for Emergency Planners and Responders, Cabinet Office.

Evacuation and Shelter Guidance: Non-statutory guidance to complement Emergency Preparedness and Emergency Response & Recovery, Cabinet Office.

Wales

[TBC]

Scotland

[TBC]

Northern Ireland

[TBC]

Roles and Responsibilities

Local and Regional

The Civil Contingencies Act 2004 places a duty on Category 1 Responders to supply information to the public before, during, and after an emergency, and as lead responders, Local Authorities should engage fully with the community and elected members at all levels in the recovery process.

The public will accept and make allowances for a period of disruption for a short time only, and Local Authorities will be under pressure to restore any services interrupted by the incident. Expectations will rise as time progresses and the Authority will need to demonstrate that it is coping, enhancing public confidence.

The formation of a non-executive Community Recovery Committee that will reflect community concerns and feelings is considered to be essential in bringing these to the attention of the Recovery Co-ordinating Group. Further information, including a suggested Terms of Reference for this group, can be found in the Recovery Plan Guidance Template (contained within the  Recovery Structures and Processes topic sheet).

A public meeting should be considered at an early stage. Experience shows that having separate meetings for affected residents and businesses can be particularly useful, bearing in mind their differing information requirements. Any meeting should be as structured as possible; include presentations on the situation at that time; and involve senior representatives from all the agencies involved who need to be able to answer questions authoritatively. These senior representatives should preferably be members of the Recovery Co-ordinating Group, and be clear about the agreed multi-agency strategy, actions and messages.

Other effective methods for engaging the community during the recovery phase which should be instigated immediately include:

1. Working with the media, who can be very helpful in putting out public information (as they are during the emergency phase). The Communications Group needs to keep in close contact with all parts of the media. Further advice on this area can be found in the Working with the Media topic sheet.
2. Establishing neighbourhood forums/drop in points to allow members of the public access to information and assistance on the whole range of problems that they may be experiencing. Focal points for assistance may be based in the communities that have been affected and/or where they have been relocated. Consideration should be given to the use of mobile units if other facilities are rendered unusable. In a wide area incident a central location easily accessible by public transport might be established as a one-stop-shop. Staff from a range of different agencies should be available (either by being present or by being contactable and involved) to answer questions and advise.
   
   Issues may include:
   • Information specific to the emergency
   • Housing
   • Financial
   • Health concerns
   • Transport
   • Employment
   • Benefits
   • Educational
   • Spiritual
   • Insurance claims, and
   • Welfare issues.
   One of the most important facilities to provide will be to enable people to talk about their experiences. There are many organisations able to assist in this regard, in addition to local authority staff, namely; British Red Cross; WRVS; Churches; Primary Care Trusts; Citizens Advice Bureaux; Community Law Centres; Crime & Disorder Reduction Partnerships; youth workers; Mind; Age Concern and so on, many of which will be acting on a voluntary basis.
3. Workshops or facilitating self-help or interest groups to address individual or collective issues, ideally held in community facilities, can also be helpful.  This might involve specialist agencies to deal with those issues identified above.
4. Pre-prepared statements can be used to put across information and facts to the media and the public.
5. If communities have been relocated, action plans will need to be drawn up for the period that they have been relocated and also as reoccupation takes place. Those affected should be involved in the process of drawing up these action plans. Children and older people are particularly affected by relocation. Older people lose their support mechanisms such as their neighbours and young people lose access to their local friendship groups.
6. It is important that spokespersons have the trust of the target audience. Using trusted members of the community and nationally respected individuals can assist in communicating in an effective manner.

Much work can be undertaken before the event. This must ensure that the public, in the broadest sense of the word, are informed not only about the emergency planning and recovery arrangements in place in their area, but also about specific sites or risks that may affect them. Indeed, this is a requirement of the Civil Contingencies Act 2004, which places a duty on Category 1 Responders to supply information to the public before during and after an emergency.

Lead Government Department

There is no specific Lead Government Department for community engagement, although clearly many departments will have an interest. The Government Office will normally provide the conduit for communication with central Government departments with a role to assist in community recovery.

Devolved Administrations

Wales

[TBC]

Scotland

[TBC]

Northern Ireland

[TBC]

Funding

Initial funding will come from lead and partner agencies, especially for staff time and resources. As action plans are drawn up, project funding may be the subject of a bid to government or other organisation / funding programme. Contact should be established with Government Offices as soon as possible in order that they can facilitate this process by liaising with all relevant government departments.

Experience has demonstrated that a series of support mechanisms can be established for businesses. There are established and tested routes for funding bids.  See the  Economic and Business Recovery topic sheet for more information.

The potential length of the recovery process is significant and this should be appreciated by responding agencies. When seeking funding to establish and maintain the support facilities and staffing mentioned in this guidance, experience strongly recommends that it is sought for at least a full year, initially, so that staff involved and the communities affected are secure in the knowledge of that support.

Devolved Administrations

Wales

[TBC]

Scotland

[TBC]

Northern Ireland

[TBC]

Links to Other Topic Sheets

• Working with the media 
• VIP visits and involvement 
• Needs of people – health 
• Needs of people – non-health 
• Economic and business recovery 
• Displaced communities 
• Foreign nationals 
• Commemoration 
• Recovery evaluation and lessons identified processes 

Case Studies (Incidents and Exercises)

Boscastle flooding: 16 August 2004

Buncefield: 11 December 2005

Lewes flooding: 12 October 2000

Manchester Bombing: 15 June 1996

Other Documents

Recovery – A Guidance Document for Cumbria

Literature and best practice review – identifying people’s needs in major emergencies and best practice in humanitarian response, Dr Anne Eyre for DCMS, August 2006

Humanitarian Assistance in the UK: Current Capability and the Development of Best Practice, Dr Anne Eyre, Viv Brunsden & Jamie Murphy for DCMS, October 2007

Disastrous Uncertainty: How Government Disaster Policy Undermines Community Rebound, Mercatus Policy Series, January 2007

List of Contacts

[TBC]