Disaster Recovery Programs

This unit of competency involves the skills and knowledge required to work as a team member during relief and ongoing recovery operations. The role may involve assisting in the provision of welfare and support services to disaster-affected people via outreach, or at evacuation centres, relief or recovery centres. Recovery workers performing this role may be deployed intra and inter-state.

It includes preparing for a relief and/or recovery role, assessing immediate needs, providing information and assistance, contributing to reports for assistance, providing client support services information, as well as contributing to reports and documentation.

This unit applies to a recovery team member who will be working under the supervision of a team leader.

This unit of competency involves the skills and knowledge required to deliver administrative, technical and/or professional services in a recovery service. This is provided by individuals working within a recovery framework of existing emergency management legislation, regulations, plans and arrangements. It includes clarifying service delivery requirements, implementing an action plan for service delivery and delivering recovery services.

The range of services provided will vary markedly with the scale and type of emergency and will address aspects of recovery in the social, built, economic and natural environments.

Please note that the unit is not applicable to individuals performing management roles in the delivery of a recovery service. Refer to PUAEMR034 Establish and manage a recovery centre for these skills.

This skillset combines three units of competency. It involves the skills and knowledge required to:

PUARCV001 Provide psychological first aid

Provide emotional and physical support and practical assistance, addressing the immediate needs of an individual who is in distress. Preparing to engage in psychological first aid, identifying distress reactions after a significant event, determining who needs support and providing that support, maintaining self-care and concluding the support.

PUARCV002 Provide relief and recovery services to disaster-affected communities

Work as a team member during relief and ongoing recovery operations. The role may involve assisting in the provision of welfare and support services to disaster-affected people via outreach, or at evacuation centres, relief or recovery centres. It includes preparing for a relief and/or recovery role, assessing immediate needs, providing information and assistance, contributing to reports for assistance, providing client support services information, as well as contributing to reports and documentation.

PUARCV003 Work in a recovery context

Work with disaster-affected individuals and communities as part of recovery. It includes preparing to work in a recovery environment, confirming the context of recovery, applying the principles of disaster recovery, confirming recovery environments and supporting effective communication processes with disaster-affected individuals and communities. It is not intended to assess performance of specific recovery roles.

The PUA50722 Diploma of Public Safety (Recovery Management) is designed for managers who lead the implementation of recovery at all levels and chair meetings of recovery committees and functional groups.

Recovery Managers lead the development and maintenance of effective prevention, planning, preparedness and recovery strategies and programs by the provision of recovery management advice and support to strategic stakeholders and partners to support communities to recover from disasters and build community resilience.

The role of Recovery Managers involves liaising with other organisations, providing relief and recovery services to disaster-affected communities, providing psychological first aid, applying recovery concepts and principles, facilitating long-term recovery planning for a disaster event, working within an emergency management context, coordinating recovery work across recovery environments, applying person-centred approaches to recovery planning and activities, and facilitating community involvement in recovery.

This unit of competency involves the skills and knowledge required to work with disaster-affected individuals and communities as part of recovery. It applies to personnel who are required to have an awareness of the principles of recovery and may be useful for community members who may participate in recovery efforts because of a disaster that affects their community.

It includes preparing to work in a recovery environment, confirming the context of recovery, applying the principles of disaster recovery, confirming recovery environments and supporting effective communication processes with disaster-affected individuals and communities.

This unit is not intended to assess performance of specific recovery roles.

This unit of competency involves the skills and knowledge required to provide emotional and physical support, as well as practical assistance, to address the immediate needs of an individual who is in distress. It includes preparing to engage in psychological first aid, identifying distress reactions after a significant event, determining who needs support and providing that support, maintaining self-care and concluding the support.

The unit is a psychosocial support activity intended for the purposes of providing initial human contact to support individuals in distress. It is not about diagnosing an individual’s distress, or about professional counselling or therapy.

This unit of competency involves the skills and knowledge required to establish and manage a recovery centre to provide comprehensive recovery services. It includes establishing a recovery centre, managing human resources and physical resources, coordinating information flow and recovery services and managing recovery centre closure and transition to mainstream services.

The mix of recovery and/or outreach services provided may change throughout the life of a centre to reflect a changing emphasis from short term relief to long term recovery. This may involve management of centre infrastructure, promotion of the centre, management of personnel in a stressful environment, coordination of service providers and the management of administration, information and financial requirements.

The unit applies to personnel with responsibility for managing a recovery centre.