Welfare provision in the CDEM environment
Welfare includes supporting people in their homes and work places. Provision of shelter, accommodation, food, clothing and other financial assistance, personal support and advice may be required by people affected or threatened by an emergency.
Welfare activity begins with readiness planning and extends through the response to an emergency and for the duration of the recovery phase.
Welfare during a pandemic
The following information refers to pandemic (H1N1) 2009 and is dated 22 July 2009. It has been prepared and endorsed by the Ministry of Social Development, Ministry of Health and Ministry of Civil Defence & Emergency Management.
Arrangements for welfare support during pandemic (H1N1) 2009 (pdf) is current under Scenario 6.2.1 of the
New Zealand Influenza Pandemic Action Plan 2006 (NZIPAP) and the
National Health Coordination Centre (NHCC) Action Plan No. 6 and associated Planning Assumptions.
Arrangements for welfare support during pandemic (H1N1) 2009 will be updated as necessary.
Introduction to pyschosocial support
In early 2009, a series of workshops were presented around New Zealand by Dr Sarb Johal, from the Emergency Management Team, Ministry of Health.
The Foundations of Psychosocial Support in Emergency Management workshops included:
- How do disasters affect people? How do the effects show themselves in people and their communities? This section examines ordinary responses to extraordinary events.
- How can individuals and communities be assisted to help cope with the effects of disasters? An overview of the psychosocial issues and techniques involved in support, including psychological first aid, and models for community recovery
- Taking care of yourself, your staff, and your organisation – with tips for communication with the public.
An analysis of the evaluation forms completed by attendees of the workshops is presented in this summary report (doc).
See also a June 2009 article (pdf) published in the New Zealand Medical Journal addressing psychosocial issues due to quarantine for infectious disease, such as pandemic (H1N1) 2009.
For further guidance on coping with the impact of an emergency see the Stress and Response factsheets.
National Welfare Support Arrangements
The information provided below is a background on the agreed arrangements for coordinating national level welfare support in the event of a civil defence emergency in New Zealand. These arrangements apply whether an emergency is declared or non-declared.
The primary reference for the provision of CDEM welfare in New Zealand is Section 12 - Welfare, in The Guide to the National Civil Defence Emergency Management Plan, 2006. The Guide contains detailed information regarding the roles and mandates of national government agencies, non-government agencies, and CDEM Groups in regard to welfare following emergencies. View Section 12 (pdf
100kB)Background
The Civil Defence Emergency Management Act 2002 laid the foundation for the restructuring of civil defence emergency management in New Zealand. The Act encourages arrangements based on co-operation, integration and co-ordination. Under the Act, development of the new national civil defence emergency management plan has allowed for the co-ordination of national welfare support arrangements through the National Welfare Recovery Co-ordination Group (NWRCG).
Coordinating national welfare support - the National Welfare Recovery Coordination Group
In 2003 the Ministry of Civil Defence and Emergency Management (MCDEM) established the National Welfare Recovery Coordination Group (NWRCG) to oversee welfare recovery arrangements. Following the February 2004 and Bay of Plenty July 2004 flood events, the Ministry of Social Development (MSD) began to lead the NWRCG, given its operational focus to deliver services and recovery support to communities following an emergency. MSD now chairs the NWRCG.
The objective of the National Welfare Recovery function is to co-ordinate at a national level central government’s welfare response for individuals and communities affected by an emergency. This includes:
- planning how central government will provide welfare assistance immediately following an emergency
- planning which agencies will provide appropriate services (this links closely with local government capacity and non-government organisation [NGO] presence across Civil Defence and Emergency Management [CDEM] Group areas)
- pre-event co-ordination of both central government agencies and NGO’s, to ensure that agencies are aware of each others mandates, capability and roles
- the production of documentation to record the above planning arrangements.
NWRCG - Acting in Response and Recovery
The NWRCG meet quarterly. In addition to ongoing development focused work programmes, the NWRCG also discusses updates on emergency events where response or recovery is still underway. When an emergency is evolving or in the initial stages of recovery from an emergency, the NWRCG and other involved agencies meet far more frequently – at a minimum on a weekly basis.
To date, the NWRCG has agreed to and/or implemented the following:
- Necessary support functions that contribute to Section 12 of the Guide - the National Welfare plan
- Lead agencies taking responsibility for support functions
- Terms of Reference for the NWRCG and support functions
- Work Plans for the NWRCG and support functions
- Re-development of the National Welfare Plan as part of the NCDEM Plan consultation
- Operational Guidelines for the NWRCG.
Government Emergency Response Line
The purpose of the 0800 Government emergency response line is to provide immediate information relating to services and assistance that is available to people affected by a civil defence emergency or other serious event.
National Inquiry Function
The New Zealand Red Cross, through activation of their National Inquiry Centre, provides the National Inquiry Function. They are supported in their activities by the NWRCG, whose agency staff members are involved in most CDEMGs in collecting and collating initial registration information.
More information on the Inquiry and Identify function.
National Animal Welfare Emergency Management Group (NAWEM)
NAWEM was established in 2006, to provide a national coordination point for the management of animal welfare in emergencies. NAWEM is hosted and supported by the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry, and has a rotating chair. The group maintains an overview of animal welfare issues for all animals, from domestic to production to scientific animal populations. NAWEM operates to support the CDEM sector when required, but has a wider mandate, looking also at animal welfare issues in biosecurity breaches and other emergencies.