Volunteer Advocacy folder

‘‘...Remember that even small measures can have a big impact’’

Who is this information for?

This information is for National Society staff and volunteers at all levels. According to the PS Reference Centre report (2009), a number of National Societies stated that even where psychosocial support strategies and guidelines were in place, not all volunteers and staff were aware of them or knew how to access support when they wanted it. In order to help volunteers access available care, ensure that everyone is informed.

• Senior managers of National Societies

As they can help to integrate volunteer psychosocial support into policies, procedures and the culture of the National Society. The report clearly shows that psychosocial support for volunteers is much more likely to happen and be effective if it is institutionalised in policies and strategies

• Volunteer line managers and emergency response team leaders

Because they know the volunteers and what they are exposed to first-hand. They are in the position to develop practical, simple approaches for individual and team care relevant for volunteers. Their understanding and acceptance of psychosocial well-being is both useful and powerful in helping volunteers overcome fear or stigma in seeking support.

• Volunteers, as individuals and teams

In order to be effective and equally responsible in taking care of themselves, volunteers need to understand the emergency environment, their role in relation to beneficiaries and their team, the risks they take on, and their own strengths, limits and vulnerabilities.

A Toolkit to help you help volunteers

The IFRC PS Reference Centre is preparing a small toolkit about psychosocial support to volunteers in emergencies. This will complement the more general and new manual about volunteers in emergencies issued by the IFRC.

• Psychosocial Support guideline template

• How to develop contingency plans

• How to set up referral systems

• How and when to include work of professionals

• Recruiting and screening mechanisms

• Explanation of rotation principles

• Psychological first aid

• Peer support – and regular follow-up-training

The Toolkit will be available in late 2011/early 2012 through the IFRC Psychosocial Reference Centre:

IFRC Psychosocial Reference Centre

C/o Danish Red Cross

Blegdamsvej 27 2100 Copenhagen Ø Denmark

www.ifrc.org/psychosocial email: psychosocial.centre@ifrc.org

• Micro-support on the spot

• Supervisions and rituals and acknowledgements

• Hand-out for volunteers

• Stigma

• Cultural adaption

The toolkit will also contain examples from around the world.

Support volunteers in emergencies

Thousands of volunteers are deployed to assist in emergencies almost every day around the globe. Volunteers both impact the emergency sitution, and are impacted by it, as they are exposed to trauma, loss and devastation.

As part of the emergency response, they also become actors in the process of recovery – including psychosocial recovery. For this, volunteers need skills and knowledge not only to help others, but also to help themselves.

They need to know how to sustain their well-being and how to care for their team members. Likewise it is important for management to understand and support volunteers in emergencies.

A recent report from the Reference Centre for Psychosocial Support shows that more and more National Societies recognise the importance of formalising psychosocial support guidelines for volunteers in emergencies.

National Societies in all regions are implementing strategies that include policies, written information, training, professional and peer support, on-going and follow-up support. Yet, there are still many who do not have guidelines or preparations in place.

Why this is important

The role of volunteers in emergencies is increasingly complex. The people to whom they provide care are often facing situations of devastating loss.

Volunteers may find themselves comforting survivors in the initial phases of shock and grief. In violent emergency situations, they may provide survivors with their first encounter with someone who can understand and give a human perspective to inhumane actions.

Volunteers must also be able to assist very distressed people of all ages and walks of life – including children, women and the elderly – exposed to many different types of trauma. A basic first-aid course or being part of a disaster response team is not enough to prepare volunteers for these emotional experiences.

Additionally, as members of affected communities, volunteers often work close to home and may experience the same losses and grief as beneficiaries. In their dedication to helping others, they may work long hours in challenging environments and put aside their own needs. They are the witnesses to tragedy – bearing the stories of survivors, but often they also encounter serious injury or loss of life in their own families and massive destruction of their own homes and communities.

A capable, healthy and engaged volunteer workforce is necessary for National Societies to function and to be sustainable. Preparing, supporting and preserving the psychosocial well-being of volunteer is essential to their ability to care for others exposed to trauma.

How

my National

Society can support volunteers

Tailor your guidelines for psychosocial support to volunteers in ways that:

• are feasible for your National Society, • are adequate to the responsibilities and risks your volunteers face or might face, and • make best use of capacities and resources.

There is no one model of psychosocial support to volunteers, and many creative examples exist among National Societies. Consider what is possible with your available material and human resources, and ask for advice from the PS Reference Centre, IFRC offices in the region or zone and from sister National Societies. Examples and experiences and lessons learned are already there – use them.

Consider the type of work your volunteers do and the risks they might face. As we can’t predict when and what kind of crisis events may happen, prepare for the possibility of different kinds of emergencies. Basic information and techniques can be helpful for volunteers working in a variety of contexts.

Lastly, consider how you can make the best use of your capacities and resources. Try to integrate psychosocial support into training and information you already provide. You may find a network of professionals to assist, or you may be able to build effective peer support networks within your team.

The forthcoming toolkit (see back page) provides information on minimum psychosocial support guidelines to provide the best support possible.

Often, psychosocial support for volunteers is driven by an urgent need when disaster strikes and the impacts of working with terrible grief and loss are deeply felt by staff and volunteers alike.

National Societies who have experienced a major emergency are more likely to have psychosocial support guidelines in place – but often wish they had been there before they were urgently needed.

Every National Society can develop and implement effective psychosocial support strategies for volunteers. This document describes why it is important to support volunteers, ways you can develop and implement guidelines relevant to your situation, and how to target training and information to reach those who need it.

Remember that even small measures can have a big impact.

‘‘... National Societies often wish they had guidelines in place before they were urgently needed’’

Before, during and after

The most effective approach is to integrate psychosocial support into all phases of disaster response - before, during and after.

• Before (preparedness)

Preparedness is fundamental and underscores the commitment of the National Society to maintain the psychosocial health of volunteers. It entails general training, preparation and briefing for particular assignments; self-awareness and skills for staying physically and psychologically healthy; and knowledge of techniques and guidelines and how to access available support.

• During (on-going support)

Good working policies – such as attention to working hours, rest time, adequate security and technical support – help improve well-being for volunteers during the rigors of emergency response. In addition, specific psychosocial support initiatives are appreciated and necessary for volunteers working in very difficult circumstances. Depend-

ing on the types of trauma they encounter, these initiatives may include regular check-ins with individuals and teams, individual or team meetings to discuss particularly shocking experiences and opportunities for peer or professional support.

• After (follow-up and recovery)

The post-emergency phase is an important time for volunteers, just as recovery is important for survivors and beneficiaries. Often, the full impact of having assisted during an emergency is only felt once the volunteers have time to slow down and think about their experience. Opportunities for individual and team reflection – for coming to terms with particularly traumatic experiences and what they could and could not do for survivors – are essential to restore psychosocial well-being. Some volunteers may need extra support for some time after the emergency ends. Providing adequate follow-up support helps to maintain well-functioning and committed volunteers for future emergency responses.