Community sector
organisations and
Emergency Management
August 2013
About VCOSS
The Victorian Council of Social Service (VCOSS) is the peak body of the social and community
sector in Victoria. VCOSS works to ensure that all Victorians have access to and a fair share of the
community’s resources and services, through advocating for the development of a sustainable, fair
and equitable society. VCOSS members reflect a wide diversity, with members ranging from large
charities, sector peak organisations, small community services, advocacy groups and individuals
involved in social policy debates.
Authorised by:
Carolyn Atkins, Acting Chief Executive Officer
© Copyright 2013 Victorian Council of Social Service
Victorian Council of Social Service
Level 8, 128 Exhibition Street
Melbourne, Victoria, 3000
+61 3 9654 5050
For enquiries:
Bridget Tehan
Policy Analyst - Emergency Management
E: Bridget.Tehan@vcoss.org.au
Contents
About VCOSS ................................................................................................................................................... 1
Executive summary ......................................................................................................................................... 3
Emergency management in Victoria .......................................................................................................... 5
The role of community sector organisations in emergency management ......................................... 2
Community sector organisations and planning for emergencies ......................................................... 6
Victoria’s Emergency Management reform .............................................................................................. 8
VCOSS and Emergency Management....................................................................................................... 9
Executive summary
This paper provides an overview of the current emergency management arrangements in Victoria
and the critical role that the community sector plays in emergency management.
Community sector organisations provide support and assistance to Victorians on a daily basis –
from mental health, family violence and disability services through to aged care. Community sector
organisations are also called upon to provide support to individuals and communities following an
emergency. From immediate assistance at relief and recovery centres through to long term
counselling, community sector organisations bring significant local knowledge, experience and
connections to people and communities. In addition community sector organisations remain in
their communities for the longer term, providing ongoing support.
However few community sector organisations have the resources or capacity to manage the risks
associated with emergencies such as business continuity planning, staffing, insurance and funding
certainty. In addition engagement with the community sector in emergency management
planning requires improved at the local, regional and state level.
The State Government is currently undertaking major reform of Victoria’s emergency management
arrangements. VCOSS is working with the State Government to ensure that the role of the
community sector is acknowledged and incorporated into emergency management planning at
all levels.
About VCOSS ................................................................................................................................................... 1
Executive summary ......................................................................................................................................... 2
Emergency management in Victoria .......................................................................................................... 5
The role of community sector organisations in emergency management ......................................... 2
Community sector organisations and planning for emergencies ......................................................... 6
Victoria’s Emergency Management reform .............................................................................................. 8
VCOSS and Emergency Management....................................................................................................... 9
Emergency management in Victoria
While Australia is a resilient nation, emergencies can have a significant impact on the wellbeing of
individuals and communities. Natural disasters, extreme weather events, accidents, major health
threats and acts of violence can all cause physical, financial and psychological hardship. The
impact of emergencies on disadvantaged people and communities is more severe, as they have a
reduced capacity to cope, adapt and recover.
All levels of government, community sector organisations (CSOs) and the private sector have
important roles to play to prevent, respond to and recover from emergencies. Each state and
territory in Australia faces different risks, and each operates its own Emergency Acts. The
Emergency Management Act 1986 is the governing legislation for emergency management in
Victoria. Following recommendations made by the 2009 Victorian Bushfires Royal Commission and
inquiries relating to the 2010-11 floods across Victoria, the Victorian Government is undertaking
major reform of the state's crisis and emergency management arrangements.
Victoria’s current framework for emergency management is complex and involves multiple
agencies. A range of responsibilities lies with state, regional and local governments, as well as with
community sector organisations, private organisations, and individuals. The State Government is in
the process of reforming Victoria’s emergency management arrangements and this is discussed
toward the end of this paper.
Emergency management in Victoria embraces the whole of government and whole of the
community. The Emergency Management Act 1986 describes its objective as being: ‘to ensure that
[prevention, response and recovery] are organised within a structure which facilitates planning,
preparedness, operational co-ordination and community participation.’
Phases of Emergency Management
Emergencies are recognised world-wide as operating in three main phases:
•
Prevention: the elimination or reduction of the incidence or severity of emergencies and
the mitigation of their effects.
•
Response/Relief: the combating of emergencies and the provision of rescue and
immediate relief services.
•
Recovery: the assisting of people and communities affected by emergencies to
achieve a proper and effective level of functioning.
Examples of emergency management activities and their relationships under each of these three
clusters are set out in the diagram below:
Prevention
Risk management
Legislation and regulation
Land use controls
Enforcement
Recovery
Counselling
Response/Relief
Personal support
Firefighting
Material aid
Rescue
Community programs
Flood sandbagging
Financial assistance
Searches
Examples of emergency management activities that fall within more than one of these areas
include:
Recovery and Prevention
Prevention and Response/Relief
•
Rebuilding
•
Restoration
•
•
•
Community action
•
Advocacy
Response/Relief and Recovery
•
Evacuation and/or Relief Centres
•
Temporary accommodation
•
Registration of individuals

Psychosocial supports
Warnings
Fuel reduction burning
Prevention, Response/Relief and Recovery
•
Planning
•
Preparedness
•
Community awareness
•
Training
•
Exercising
•
Finance
All levels of government, community sector organisations and the private sector play important
roles across each of these areas. Emergency management activities do not take place in any
particular sequence - the phases of Prevention, Response/Relief and Recovery do not necessarily
follow each other in order and can operate at the same time.
The Prevention phase of emergency management operates on a continuum. Following an
emergency event, Response/Relief activities commence as soon as possible, peak to full effort
quickly and often cease promptly when the physical emergency has been dealt with.
Recovery activities commence at or soon after the time of impact and peak to full effort more
gradually and often much later than response activities. Recovery activities can continue for a
considerable period of time, gradually tapering off and merging into normal community activities
some weeks, months or even years after the initial emergency impact.
Recovery is defined as the process of assisting individuals and communities to manage the reestablishment of those elements of society necessary for their wellbeing. Recovery is planned
across four environments:

social - the emotional, social, spiritual, financial and physical wellbeing of individuals and
communities

economic - the revitalisation of the economy of the community

built - the restoration of essential and physical infrastructure

natural - the rehabilitation of the environment.
The model below demonstrates the three phases of emergency management across time.
9
8
7
6
5
Response
4
Recovery
Prevention
3
2
1
0
Impact
Time
The Victorian Emergency Management Branch – a shared service of both the Victorian
Department of Human Services and the Department of Health – is currently the coordinating
agency for both emergency relief and recovery at the state and regional level.
The role of community sector organisations
in emergency management
Community sector organisations deliver a wide range of social support, community resilience and
education services across Victoria. Services include:

local community health services

mental health support

housing support

child and family services

youth services

family violence services

legal services

aged care

migrant and refugee services

disability support

financial counselling

neighbourhood houses and learning centres.
The community sector plays an important role in supporting community wellbeing and provides
vital services to disadvantaged and socially vulnerable Victorians. Support needs of communities
vary widely, and can include broad, targeted, simple or complex assistance.
Community sector organisations bring significant local knowledge, experience and connections to
their work and communities. In emergencies, community sector organisations are at the forefront of
immediate responses and remain for the ‘long haul’, providing a range of supports that
communities need to recover. At these times, their role in assisting vulnerable people and
communities is particularly critical.
For many people, these organisations are often the primary connection to the broader community
and form the basis of their resilience to everyday adversity, as well as in times of crisis. Community
sector organisations are embedded within their communities and their knowledge of local people,
history, risks and vulnerabilities, makes them best placed to understand and identify support needs.
It is not just the obvious community sector organisations, such as housing providers, that help to
ensure the safety and wellbeing of individuals and communities in emergencies. Neighbourhood
houses and learning centres, community health services, and organisations providing child and
family, financial counselling and youth support services all play important roles, providing vital
advice and information about emergency preparedness, relief and recovery over the short,
medium and longer term. Many continue their support long after formal emergency response
agencies have withdrawn their services.
Prevention
The community sector participates in a range of activities under the Prevention phase, from public
planning and preparedness activities through to internal risk management and staff training
specifically for emergency events. Community sector organisations are also involved in emergency
planning at the local government level with representation on emergency management planning
committees, including for Municipal Emergency Management Plans, and at the state level, with
representation on a number of government committees.
Response/Relief
During the immediate Response/Relief phase following an emergency event, personal support
workers from local community sector organisations can provide support at an emergency site, if it is
safe to do so, or at relief and recovery centres. Organisations are able to use their pre-established
connections within communities and with other community sector organisations to target
assistance on a needs basis and provide immediate relief through activities such as outreach. This is
particularly important for those members of the community who are vulnerable, such as those who
are socially isolated, homeless, aged, have disabilities, are newly arrived migrants or refugees,
suffer from health or mental health issues or live on low incomes. Linking people into services early
improves their ability to manage and recover from emergencies.
Recovery
Community sector organisations provide a broad range of services to individuals and communities
to assist them as part of the longer term Recovery phase. These can include organisations whose
operations are either quite specialised and/or are available mainly in a specific locality. During
Recovery all levels of government, community sector organisations, other agencies, and
communities work together to assist those affected move towards a healthy, safe and functioning
environment. Local connections within communities ensure that support is targeted, relevant and
effective.
Recovery is the longest phase in emergency management. It is the phase that places most
demand on local community sector organisations but is the least-recognised and documented in
current emergency management arrangements, not only in Victoria but throughout Australia. It is
important to note, for example, that four years after the 2009 Victorian Bushfires, significant
recovery work is still underway, with local community sector organisations playing a significant role.
The Emergency Management Branch of the Departments of Health and Human Services works in
collaboration with local government and local community sector organisations, some of which
have Memoranda of Understanding in place (with either department), for the provision of support
services following an emergency.
There is significant evidence that support services are especially important for communities and
individuals already experiencing disadvantage prior to an emergency event. Community sector
organisations are at the forefront of strengthening disaster resilience, helping local individuals and
communities to cope with, and recover from, emergencies.
Community sector relationships and services
Insight into local
communities
Established
relationships
with volunteers
Established
relationships
with local
government
Information and
understanding of
vulnerable people
Access to remote
or isolated
communities
In emergencies, community sector services
provide:
Personal support, information and advice
Psychological first aid
Emergency food and heatlh care
Outreach
Temporary accommodation
General and specialist services, including
counselling
Linking and referring people to services
Social support
Community building
Emergency management preparedness
information and education
Local emergency management planning
assistance
Established
service networks
Critical service
provision
Access to private
sector resources
Information
provision
Access to
disabilitiy
services
Local issues
responsiveness
Communication
in languages
other than
English
Community-based approaches are vital to successful emergency management. Local
communities are often the first to respond when a disaster occurs and are acutely aware of the
specific vulnerabilities, needs and demands of local communities. Local communities and the
community sector organisations that work with them have the skills, knowledge and resources to
provide support to those who need it most.
Case study: Recovery resources – Grampians Community Health Service
Grampians Community Health Service has significant experience in working with their community
around the longer term effects of emergencies, having provided support to individuals and local
communities through the 11 year drought and following the 2006 Grampians bushfires, the 2009
Victorian Bushfires and the 2010-11 Victorian floods.
Drawing on these experiences, Grampians Community Health developed a resource kit for
organisations dealing with emergency situations. The kit allows for a quick set-up of the paperwork
required to track people and information through organisational systems in an emergency
situation. It provides detailed and practical information about what to do and what will be needed
in specific situations, is available to any organisation and can be used or adapted as required.
Case study: Local networks – Whittlesea Community Futures
The Whittlesea Community Futures group provides an example of the value of local networks.
Whittlesea Community Futures is a network of over 40 human service organisations, communitybased groups and state government departments working with the City of Whittlesea to deliver
projects to increase local community capacity and resilience. Following the 2009 Victorian
Bushfires, the relationships and communication networks established through Whittlesea
Community Futures increased the effectiveness and coordinated use of local resources and
services to best meet the needs of individuals and communities affected in not just the immediate
Response phase but longer term as well.
Community sector organisations and
planning for emergencies
Local governments are responsible for the local management and delivery of recovery services for
individuals and communities affected by emergencies under the Emergency Management Act
1986. As part of this, local governments are required to establish multi-agency planning committees
to prepare and maintain Municipal Emergency Management Plans. These plans identify local
resources that can be used during emergency response, relief and recovery operations. Resources
can include:
•
local agencies that have agreed to participate in formal emergency relief and
recovery arrangements, including community sector organisations
•
local community agencies that have a capacity to assist people affected by
emergencies, including community sector organisations
•
local government-owned or controlled assets
•
local government council-employed or contracted personnel
•
private businesses and organisations with a capacity to provide emergency
response, relief and recovery services or activities.
Both local governments and community sector organisations have insight, knowledge and
understanding of their communities. They are best placed to plan for the response, relief and,
importantly, recovery following an emergency. However, engagement by local governments with
community sector organisations in emergency planning is ad-hoc and varies significantly across
Victoria. Improved coordination, partnership and communication at the local, regional and state
level is required to strengthen emergency management planning in Victoria.
A number of local government authorities have well developed Municipal Emergency
Management Plans based on strong and active engagement with local community sector
organisations to identify the services and support they will provide following an emergency. Further
work is required to ensure that all local governments adopt this best practice approach.
It is critical that relevant community sector organisations are actively engaged in local level
emergency planning to ensure coordinated emergency responses are implemented early. To
achieve this, investment in the emergency management capacity of community sector
organisations – similar to that provided to/by local government – is required. Support is also required
to develop understanding and awareness among local governments of best practice approaches
in municipal emergency management planning.
Many community sector organisations are being asked by their communities to support long-term
recovery, however most community sector organisations are not well prepared for emergencies.
Few have the resources or capacity to manage risks associated with emergencies, including
planning, staffing, insurance and funding certainty.
Whole of government approaches to emergency management are also needed which meet the
needs of the most disadvantaged in the Victorian community.
Victoria’s Emergency Management reform
The Victorian Government is undertaking major reform of the state's crisis and emergency
management arrangements and released a Green Paper to this effect in 2011. VCOSS lodged a
submission to the Green Paper highlighting the pivotal role of local community sector organisations
in emergency management.
The Victorian Emergency Management Reform White Paper, released in December 2012, makes a
number of recommendations to improve Victoria’s emergency management arrangements. It
contains the following key strategic priorities for Victoria’s emergency management:
•
A new understanding of shared responsibility and a collaborative approach
between individuals, communities, emergency services organisations, business,
industry and government in terms of emergency management.
•
A new vision for emergency management emphasising a sustainable and efficient
system that minimises the likelihood and consequences of disasters and
emergencies on the Victorian community.
•
Three underlying principles: Community, Collaboration and Capability.
A further recommendation is the creation of a new overarching control body, Emergency
Management Victoria (EMV).
VCOSS welcomed the Government highlighting the need to strengthen its partnerships with the
not-for-profit sector, community sector organisations and the private sector. The Government also
emphasises the role of local government in emergency management.
Community sector organisations provide many of the key services required throughout the relief
and recovery phases of the emergency management cycle. As key service delivery agencies, it is
critical that the community sector be included in all emergency management planning processes,
particularly at the local level. Stronger structural mechanisms are required to ensure timely delivery
of vital support services and ensure organisational capacity. Lack of capacity in the community
sector undermines the resilience and efficiency of Victoria’s overall emergency management
arrangements.
VCOSS has responded to the White Paper and will continue to work with the Victorian Government
as it undertakes reform of Victoria’s emergency management arrangements, ensuring that the role
and needs of the community sector and disadvantaged Victorians are addressed.
VCOSS and Emergency Management
VCOSS has played a role in emergency management since 2005, particularly around the long-term
drought and the 2006 bushfires in the Grampians, Gippsland and north-east Victoria. VCOSS was
also significantly involved in government planning and policy following the 2009 Victorian
heatwave and bushfires. This included community sector consultation processes and a submission
to the 2009 Victorian Bushfires Royal Commission. VCOSS was also active in the 2010-11 Victorian
floods.
VCOSS has participated in a number of government committees and reference groups, including
the:

Victorian Bushfire Psychosocial Recovery Advisory Committee

Victorian Bushfire Case Management Coordination Committee, and Evaluation Advisory
Group

Victorian Bushfire Psychosocial Recovery Plan, Child and Youth Advisory Committee

State Social, Health and Community Recovery Planning Sub Committee.
VCOSS plays an important role in communicating emergency management policy changes,
emerging directions and challenges between both government and the community sector, as well
as across diverse parts of the sector.
VCOSS is focused on improving connections and partnerships across state and local governments
and the community sector, and to foster more collaborative and coordinated approaches to
emergency management at local, regional and state levels, with a focus on disadvantaged
people and communities. VCOSS has established relationships across key state government
departments involved in emergency management, as well as a number of local governments and
local government peak bodies and, of course, a broad range of community sector organisations
throughout Victoria.
VCOSS is working to provide the community sector with information about emergency
management, and to inform State Government policy and program development for future
emergency management. In particular, VCOSS aims to complement existing emergency
management policy evaluation with perspectives from the community sector and the most socially
vulnerable by documenting experiences which will inform and improve approaches and
processes.