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Canberra Hospital and Health ServicesOperational Procedure Disaster Recovery: Coordination of Psychosocial Response Contents

Contents....................................................................................................................................1

Purpose.....................................................................................................................................2

Scope........................................................................................................................................ 2

Section 1 – Disaster Recovery Counselling Committee.............................................................3

Section 2 –MHJHADS role in Co-ordination of Psychosocial Response Activation and Deployment.............................................................................................................................. 4

Section 3 – Roles and Responsibilities of DRCC Member Divisions within CHHS in Providing Psychosocial Response, Activation and Deployment................................................................6

Section 4 – Staff Training and Support....................................................................................12

Section 5 – Disaster Recovery On-Call Bags kept by MHJHADS...............................................12

Section 6 – Counselling Sites, Confidentiality and Record Keeping/ Logs...............................15

Section 7 – Scope of DRCC Counselling Role when Deployed at a Counselling Site................15

Implementation...................................................................................................................... 16

Related Policies, Procedures, Guidelines and Legislation.......................................................16

Definition of Terms................................................................................................................. 17

Search Terms.......................................................................................................................... 18

Doc Number Version Issued Review Date Area Responsible PageCHHS17/055 2 06/04/2017 01/10/2019 MHJHADS 1 of 19

Do not refer to a paper based copy of this policy document. The most current version can be found on the ACT Health Policy Register

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Purpose

A disaster resilient community is one that works together to understand and manage the risks that it confronts. Disaster resilience is the collective responsibility of all sectors of society, including all levels of government, business, the non-government sector and individuals. A disaster resilient community is characterised by well established and cooperative emergency management arrangements, effective capabilities, and dedicated professional and volunteer personnel.

The purpose of this procedure is to ensure the effective and timely activation of a psychosocial support response by Canberra Hospital and Health Services (CHHS) in the event of an emergency or a disaster in the ACT. Under the ACT Community Recovery Sub Plan, the Division of Mental Health, Justice Health and Alcohol and Drug Services (MHJHADS) is responsible for the coordination of a timely psychosocial response in the aftermath of a disaster or large scale emergency, including assessment, psychosocial support and counselling intervention to the people of the ACT.

CHHS, through MHJHADS, coordinates the Disaster Recovery Counselling Committee which includes member agencies from both government and non-government sectors. Member agencies are responsible for maintaining preparedness and responding to a request from MHJHADS to activate and stand-up support at short notice in the event of a disaster or large scale emergency.

This procedure is limited to the psychosocial response aspect of the combined recovery approach and should be read in conjunction with the ACT Community Recovery Sub Plan (available via the Community Services Directorate website) and the Disaster Recovery Counselling Committee: Psychosocial Response and Counselling Support for Disasters and Emergencies in the ACT Operational Plan (Appendix: A) (hereafter referred to as the DRCC Operational Plan).

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Scope

This procedure applies to all staff within Canberra Hospital and Health Services (CHHS) who are involved in the Disaster Recovery Counselling Committee (DRCC) response.

The activation and overarching co-ordination responsibilities within this procedure rest with the Division of Mental Health, Justice Health, Alcohol and Drug Services (MHJHADS). MHJHADS will call upon qualified clinicians from across CHHS to support the psychosocial response as required. Staff in scope for this procedure are employed within: Mental Health, Justice Health, Alcohol & Drug Services (MHJHADS) Women’s Health Service - Division of Women, Youth & Children (WYC) Social Work - Rehabilitation, Aged and Community Care (RACC) Cancer Psychosocial Service - Cancer, Ambulatory and Community Health Support



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Acute Support Social Work and Acute Support Psychology - Division of Medicine

This procedure is limited to the psychosocial response aspect of the combined recovery approach and should be read in conjunction with the ACT Community Recovery Sub Plan (available via the Community Services Directorate website) and the Disaster Recovery Counselling Committee: Psychosocial Response and Counselling Support for Disasters and Emergencies in the ACT Operational Plan (hereafter referred to as the DRCC Operational Plan).


Section 1 – Disaster Recovery Counselling Committee

The Disaster Recovery Counselling Committee The role of the Disaster Recovery Counselling Committee (DRCC) is to coordinate the provision of psychosocial support and counselling services to members of the ACT community who, either directly or indirectly, experience psychosocial or emotional problems as a result of, or in response to incidents, emergencies, or disasters.

The Emergencies Act 2004 defines an emergency as an actual or imminent event that requires a significant and coordinated response. This includes but is not limited to, fire, flood, storm, earthquake, accident, explosion, human or animal disease outbreak, shortage of electricity, gas, fuel or water.

The DRCC comprises the following member agencies: Canberra Hospital and Health Services (CHHS)

o Mental Health, Justice Health and Alcohol & Drug Services (MHJHADS)o Women’s Health Service - Division of Women, Youth & Children (WYC)o Social Work- Rehabilitation, Aged and Community Care (RACC)o Cancer Psychosocial Service - Cancer, Ambulatory and Community Health Support o Acute Support Social Work and Acute Support Psychology -Division of Medicine

Other public sector agencieso Social Work and Psychology Department - Calvary Public Hospital Bruceo Community Recovery and Emergency Planning - Community Services Directorateo Student Welfare and Counselling Service - Education and Training Directorateo Victim Support ACT -Justice and Community Services Directorateo ACT Policing Operationso Department of Human Services

Non-government agencieso Catholic Careo Relationships Australiao Lifeline



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DRCC ChairThe DRCC is chaired by the ACT Chief Psychiatrist who is responsible for activating the member agencies of the DRCC directing them to stand-up a psychosocial response as appropriate to the presenting emergency or disaster. The Chair will liaise with the agency lead contact in each DRCC member agency and activate appropriate services in coordination with the Community Recovery Coordinator, Community Services Directorate.

The role and responsibilities of the DRCC Chair, or their delegate, also include: Rostering and coordination of psychosocial support staff; Ongoing assessment of need for support; and The provision of information and administrative resources as appropriate.

The Deputy Chair of the DRCC is the Discipline Principal of Social Work, MHJHADS.


Section 2 –MHJHADS role in Co-ordination of Psychosocial Response Activation and Deployment

Detailed information relating to specific responsibilities can be found in the DRCC Operational Plan (Appendix A). The most up-to-date version of the DRCC Operational Plan can be accessed via the Chair or Deputy Chair of the DRCC.

This section refers only to the MHJHADS role in coordination of response and deployment. Please refer to Section 3 for information specific to each DRCC member divisions within CHHS.

Primary Contacts for Activation of Psychosocial ResponseThe primary contacts within MHJHADS for activation of the psychosocial response are: Chief Psychiatrist (DRCC Chair), and Discipline Principal of Social Work (DRCC Deputy-Chair).

DRCC Member Agency ActivationAs part of activating the psychosocial response, the Chief Psychiatrist, Discipline Principal of Social Work, and/or Director On-Call will contact the Agency Lead for each DRCC Member Agency to request they activate their agency response (refer to Section 3 for information on the non-MHJHADS divisions within CHHS psychosocial response activation and deployment). The list of DRCC Member Agency Leads will be maintained by the Secretariat of the DRCC (refer to Section 5).

After-hours activation and deploymentWhere activation and deployment occurs outside business hours, the MHJHADS Director On-Call should be notified. The Director On-Call can be contacted via the Canberra Hospital switchboard (phone (02) 6244 2222) to activate the psychosocial response.



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In order to activate the psychosocial response following a disaster or emergency, it is expected that the Chief Psychiatrist, Discipline Principal of Social Work, and/or Director On-Call will need to be physically present at the DRCC Administrative Centre.

DRCC Administrative CentreThe DRCC Administrative Centre will be stood up at the ACT Health building located at 1 Moore Street, Canberra City and will based on Level 3 in the Office of the Chief Psychiatrist.

To support the psychosocial response activation, it is essential that the Administrative Centre has access to administrative support and is resourced with computers, a photocopier, fax machine, scanner, and a phone with multiple line capacity and voicemail functionality. The Administrative Centre will need to be kept well stocked with stationery including pens and paper. The facilities will have easy access to kitchenette facilities and toilets. Battery operated radios (and spare batteries) should also be kept on premises.

Registration forms and disaster and emergency specific resources will be available in hard copy at the Administrative Centre. Templates of forms and brochures/information handouts will also be kept on a USB and held on-site at the Administrative Centre so that, subject to power availability, these can be modified and made event specific (refer to Section 5 of this procedure).

In the event of a major disaster or emergency affecting the Administrative Centre, a new location for the Administrative Centre for psychosocial support will be assigned by the Community Recovery Coordinator in line with the Community Recovery Sub Plan and in consultation with the Chair of the DRCC.

Register of DRCC Counselling Staff for Psychosocial Response Deployment The Discipline Principal of Social Work, MHJHADS, will maintain an official register of appropriately trained MHJHADS counselling staff for deployment. The Discipline Principal of Social Work will also maintain a list of DRCC member agency lead contacts. If required the lead contact will be asked to notify and activate staff within their agency, or CHHS division to participate in the psychosocial response deployment. Further, the Discipline Principal of Social Work will assist the Chief Psychiatrist with the rostering of staff and providing direction about shift duration and team formation. The Discipline Principal of Social Work will also be responsible for the allocation of on-site DRCC Team Leader roles from the official register of DRCC counsellors as required.

On-site DRCC Team Leaders may be required to check in via the Administrative Centre to obtain relevant resources for distribution prior to deployment.




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Section 3 – Roles and Responsibilities of DRCC Member Divisions within CHHS in Providing Psychosocial Response, Activation and Deployment

Those divisions within Canberra Hospital and Health Services (CHHS) that are represented on the DRCC have responsibilities to the DRCC in relation to the deployment of appropriately qualified and trained staff undertaking DRCC counsellor roles. Responsibilities are described by division as per below.

Division of Cancer, Ambulatory and Community Health Services (CACHS)The Manager of Cancer Psychosocial Services represents the Division of Cancer, Ambulatory and Community Health Services is a member of the DRCC and has the following responsibilities: Attending the regular DRCC meetings to maintain readiness for disaster response and to

relay information back to their work area about the DRCC; Ensuring that their current business hours and after hours contact details are provided to

the MHJHADS Discipline Principal of Social Work; Assisting in the mobilisation of Cancer Psychosocial Services staff who have agreed to act

as DRCC counsellors in the event of an emergency requiring deployment of counselling staff; and

Maintaining an after-hours contact list of staff who have agreed to be available as DRCC counsellors in an emergency or disaster situation. These lists should be updated on a six monthly basis and annually prior to Easter and Christmas/ New Year periods.

It is recommended that the staffing list include: Name B/H contacts A/H contacts Address/ suburb of Residence Identification of client groups with whom staff are skilled and feel comfortable Second Language Availability of own transport

Managers of program areas in CACHS will support appropriately qualified staff working in Cancer Psychosocial Services to attend Psychological First Aid training opportunities and mock disaster exercises. Trained staff will be considered first in any response or deployment in the peri-emergency or disaster phase.

In the event that CACHS staff are deployed to provide counselling they will be supported by the Manager to maintain and accurate timesheet to ensure they are paid appropriately for their service.



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Division of MedicineThe Manager of the Acute Support Social Work Department represents Acute Support Social Work staff and Acute Support Psychology staff from the Division of Medicine on the DRCC.

In the event of an external disaster, the Division of Medicine Acute Support Social Work and Psychology Departments will, in the first instance, provide a coordinated response to consumers presenting and admitted to the Canberra Hospital. (Please refer to the Acute Support Social Work Department Practice Guideline no E1 Emergencies and Disasters 2015). Requests to the Division of Medicine from the DRCC to provide resources for a community response will be coordinated by the Manager of Acute Support Social Work. Response to requests will be determined according to the availability of resources to meet both internal and external demands.

The Manager of Acute Support Social Work is a member of the DRCC and has the following responsibilities: Attending the regular DRCC meetings to maintain readiness for disaster response and to

relay information back to their work area about the DRCC; Ensuring that their own current business hours and after hours contact details, along

with the details of an alternate contact person, are provided to the MHJHADS Discipline Principal of Social Work ;

Assisting in the mobilisation of Acute Support Social Work staff and Acute Support Psychology staff who have agreed to act as DRCC counsellors in the event of an emergency requiring deployment of counselling staff;

Maintaining an after-hours contact list of staff who have agreed to be available to be contacted in an emergency or disaster situation. These lists should be updated on a six monthly basis and annually prior to Easter and Christmas/ New Year periods.

It is recommended that the staffing lists include: Name B/H contacts A/H contacts Address/ suburb of Residence Identification of client groups with whom staff are skilled and feel comfortable Second Language Availability of own transport

The Manager will support appropriately qualified staff working in Division of Medicine to attend Psychological First Aid training opportunities and mock disaster exercises. Trained staff will be considered first in any response or deployment in the peri-emergency or disaster phase.

In the event that Division of Medicine staff are deployed to provide counselling they will be supported by the Manager to maintain and accurate timesheet to ensure they are paid appropriately for their service.



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Division of Mental Health, Justice Health, Alcohol & Drug Services (MHJHADS)The Chief Psychiatrist and the Discipline Principal of Social Work not only have roles in the coordination of the DRCC response but also have the responsibility, with the support of their respective offices, of mobilising counsellor staff from within MHJHADS. They will: Attend the regular DRCC meetings to maintain readiness for disaster response and to

relay information back to their work area about the DRCC; Ensure that their current business hours and after hours contact details are provided to

the DRCC member agency lead contacts; Assist in the mobilisation of MHJHADS staff who have agreed to act as DRCC counsellors

in the event of an emergency requiring deployment of counselling staff; and Maintain an after-hours contact list of staff who have agreed to be available as DRCC

counsellors in an emergency or disaster situation. These lists should be updated on a six monthly basis and annually prior to Easter and Christmas/ New Year periods.

It is recommended that the staffing list include: Name B/H contacts A/H contacts Address/ suburb of Residence Identification of client groups with whom staff are skilled and feel comfortable Second Language Availability of own transport

Managers of program areas in MHJHADS will support appropriately qualified staff to attend Psychological First Aid training opportunities and mock disaster exercises. Trained staff will be considered first in any response or deployment in the peri-emergency or disaster phase.

DRCC counselling staff will be drawn from the psychology and social work workforce from any program area in MHJHADS. DRCC counsellor resources are stored in the Office of the Director of Allied Health and in the Office of the Chief Psychiatrist. Both offices are located on Level 3, 1 Moore Street, Canberra City. Resources will be distributed from the Administration Centre which will be set up in the Office of the Chief Psychiatrist (refer to Section 2.3: DRCC Administrative Centre) or on-site at a deployment location.

Staff with a range of skills across all MHJHADS program areas should be considered for deployment and trained Child and Adolescent Mental Health Service (CAMHS) clinicians are to be deployed alongside other MHJHADS staff where it is identified that there is a need to specifically address the developmental vulnerabilities of children and adolescents in the context of trauma.

The deployment of staff who are Mental Health Officers (refer to the Mental Health Act, 2015) should also given consideration in the event that there are acute mental health issues.



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In the event that MHJHADS staff are deployed to provide counselling they will be supported by the Manager to maintain and accurate timesheet to ensure they are paid appropriately for their service.

Division of Rehabilitation, Aged and Community Care (RACC)The Manager of Social Work represents RACC on the DRCC and has the following responsibilities. Attending the regular DRCC meetings to maintain readiness for disaster response and to


the MHJHADS Discipline Principal of Social Work; Assisting in the mobilisation of RACC Social Work staff who have agreed to act as DRCC

counsellors in the event of an emergency requiring deployment of counselling staff; and Maintaining an after-hours contact list of staff who have agreed to be available to be

contacted in an emergency or disaster situation. These lists should be updated on a six monthly basis and annually prior to Easter and Christmas/ New Year periods.

It is recommended that the staffing lists include: Name B/H contacts A/H contacts Address/ suburb of Residence Identification of client groups with whom staff are skilled and feel comfortable Second Language Availability of own transport

Managers of program areas in RACC will support appropriately qualified staff working in RACC to attend Psychological First Aid training opportunities and mock disaster exercises. Trained staff will be considered first in any response or deployment in the peri-emergency or disaster phase.

The majority of social workers and psychologists are employed in the RACC Social Work team and RACC Psychology teams, however social work and psychology staff may be employed in other programs within RACC. This procedure applies to all staff employed by RACC who hold a qualification in Social Work or Psychology. This includes, but is not limited to Social Work and Psychology staff working in Inpatient Services, the Aged Care Assessment Team, the Rapid Assessment of the Deteriorating Aged at Risk (RADAR), Transitional Therapy and Care Program, Community Care, Community and Ambulatory Rehabilitation Service (CARS) and the Memory Assessment Service.

In the event that RACC staff are deployed to provide counselling they will be supported by their managers to maintain and accurate timesheet to ensure they are paid appropriately for their service.



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Division of Women, Youth and Children (WYC)The Counselling Team Leader of the Women’s Health Service represents WYC on the DRCC, and has the following responsibilities: Attending the regular DRCC meetings to maintain readiness for disaster response and to


the MHJHADS Discipline Principal of Social Work; Assisting in the mobilisation of WYC social work and psychology staff who have agreed to

act as DRCC counsellors in the event of an emergency requiring deployment of counselling staff; and

Maintaining an after-hours contact list of staff who have agreed to be available to be contacted in an emergency or disaster situation. These lists should be updated on a six monthly basis and annually prior to Easter and Christmas/ New Year periods.

It is recommended that the staffing lists include: Name B/H contacts A/H contacts Address/ suburb of residence Identification of client groups with whom staff are skilled and feel comfortable Second language Availability of own transport

Managers of program areas in WYC will support appropriately qualified staff working in WYC to attend Psychological First Aid training opportunities and mock disaster exercises. Trained staff will be considered first in any response or deployment in the peri-emergency or disaster phase.

Staff may be drawn from the following teams located within WYC: Women’s Health Service (WHS) Counselling Team Child at Risk Health Unit (CARHU) The Early Parenting Counselling Service (EPCS)

In the event that WYC staff are deployed to provide counselling they will be supported by their Manager to maintain and accurate timesheet to ensure they are paid appropriately for their service.

Acknowledgement of Community DiversityThe DRCC acknowledges the cultural and spiritual diversity of the ACT population and that support for different population groups may require specific interventions or outreach in the emergency or disaster period, including diverse populations groups such as children and young people, older persons, culturally and linguistically diverse communities, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander persons, Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, and Intersex (LGBTI) communities, and those with disabilities or special needs.



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The range of skills available from across all DRCC member agencies will be taken into consideration when seeking counsellors for deployment.

Access to InterpretersDeployed staff may require access to accredited interpreters to facilitate communication with disaster affected persons (refer: ACT Health Language Services (Interpreters, Multilingual Staff and Translated Materials Policy and ACT Health Language Services - Interpreter Procedure).

Should access to interpreters not be available at the Evacuation Centre, MHJHADS via the Discipline Principal of Social Work and the on-site DRCC Team Leaders will provide deployed staff with the access code for the Translating and Interpreting Service (TIS National). Landline facilities will be made available by the Evacuation Centre Manager, where possible.

TimesheetsDeployed staff must keep an accurate timesheet for the duration of their service. The same timesheet that is used during their course of the staff member’s regular employment should be used. This record will include call out time, time reported for duty, and time duty ceased. Staff will be paid according to their discipline specific Enterprise Agreement.

Payment for services provided by staff during their stand down periods (e.g. Christmas shutdown), personal leave or overtime, will be met by the relevant department employer.

Business ContinuityFollowing an emergency or disaster in the ACT, in addition to providing psychosocial response under the ACT Community Recovery Sub Plan, Canberra Hospital and Health Services (CHHS) is committed to providing an ongoing range of appropriate psychosocial interventions and support services to disaster affected persons in partnership with other government and non-government agencies.

In the emergency phase, CHHS member agencies will review their operations and may reduce normal clinical service delivery to essential services only or as deemed appropriate by the nature of the emergency and the availability of resources. Where possible, staff for deployment will be chosen from a range of program areas to minimise impact on normal operations, with a maximum of two staff members per team.

Medium to Long Term Psychosocial ResponseThe role of the DRCC counsellors is to provide the initial assessment psychosocial support and counselling intervention to disaster affected persons and to connect people to longer term supports. As activation continues, MHJHADS will provide resources and referrals for medium to longer term psychosocial response, including bereavement and trauma response counselling and the coordination of referrals to external counselling and support.

The Discipline Principal of Social Work will oversee the coordination of these medium to longer term referrals. The procedure for this is detailed in the MHJHADS Approval of



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Counselling Sessions: Bereavement by Suicide and Disaster Affected Persons Operational Procedure.


Section 4 – Staff Training and Support

Staff deployed under the DRCC must be appropriately qualified clinicians and trained in applying this knowledge in an emergency or disaster context. MHJHADS maintains the responsibility to organise this training for DRCC member agencies.

Credentialing in Psychological First AidTraining in Psychological First Aid will be provided by MHJHADS to clinicians working within a DRCC member agency who are interested in providing a psychosocial response in the event of an emergency or disaster. Clinicians will need to be credentialed in this training by the Discipline Principal of Social Work or delegate prior to being considered for deployment as a DRCC counsellor. A record of this credentialing will be coordinated by the Discipline Principal of Social Work and kept on the ACT Health staff development portal Capabiliti, forming the official register of trained clinicians within CHHS.

Post-deployment Review and Debriefing for StaffPsychosocial review will be offered to all staff involved in the deployment phase of an emergency or disaster. The Discipline Principal of Social Work or delegate and DRCC member agency leads will coordinate the review and debriefing for staff. Operational reviews will also be coordinated by the Discipline Principal of Social Work if not already undertaken by the Community Recovery Coordinator.

Employee Assistance ProgramStaff requiring further support following deployment will be encouraged to utilise one of the registered providers in the ACT Health Employee Assistance Program (EAP). The Discipline Principal of Social Work will be responsible for contacting the EAP provider and will inform them of the potential to be called upon for providing supports to staff who have been working in an emergency/community recovery event.


Section 5 – Disaster Recovery On-Call Bags kept by MHJHADS

Both the Chief Psychiatrist and the Discipline Principal of Social Work will keep and maintain a Disaster Recovery On-Call Bag in their respective offices in MHJHADS. A third bag will be kept in the Crisis Assessment and Treatment Team (CATT) offices located at on the Canberra Hospital campus. Where a deployment response is activated after-hours, the MHJHADS Director on Call can choose to access a Disaster Recovery On-Call Bag either from the CATT offices or from the Administrative Centre at 1 Moore St.

All on-call bags will contain the following:



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Hard copy of the ACT Community Recovery Sub Plan Hard copy of the ACT Evacuation Centre Operational Guide Hard copy of the DRCC Psychosocial Response Operational Plan Hard copy of this procedure Hard copy contact list of DRCC member agencies (including for holiday periods/special

events) (updated quarterly) Hard copy contact list for MHJHADS staff that have been credentialed to provide disaster

recovery psychosocial response (updated six-monthly) Hard copy contact list for DRCC member agencies and MHJHADS staff that have been

credentialed that are available during holidays periods/special events as determined by the Community Services Directorate (updated before Easter, Christmas, and for all special events)

Hard copy contact list for MHJHADS Director On-Call (updated monthly) 2x AM/FM radios and spare batteries A flashlight Tabards/vests (not necessarily high visibility)with the word Counsellor printed on the

back A cap with the word Team Leader printed on it for the allocated DRCC on-site Team

Leader Brochures and information handouts for distribution to affected persons Anxiety reduction tools such as mindful colouring books and tactile soothing objects

(such as playdoh, stress balls) Laminated copies of the initial session guide for counsellors Client registration and contact forms USB containing electronic versions of forms and brochures/information handouts Pens and paper Name tags Record keeping logs, and Tissues.

Following the activation of a psychosocial response, the on-call bags will be checked and stocks replenished, as required. Responsibility for these tasks will lie with the Discipline Principal of Social Work for all of the three bags.

Details about some of the items referenced above are outlined in more detail below:

Contact List of Member AgenciesThe contact list for each of the member agencies of the DRCC listed in Section 1 will be kept and maintained by the Secretariat of the DRCC Committee in a centralised location that can be accessed by the key MHJHADS DRCC contacts as listed in Section 2.

Contact lists will include the name of the lead agency members, the agency they represent, and the business and after hours contact details for the person. The list will remain confidential and will not be provided to parties outside of the DRCC. The list will be updated quarterly, or as required.



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Contact List for MHJHADS Staff for Psychosocial ResponseThe contact list for MHJHADS staff that have undertaken training in psychological first aid and have been credentialed to provide a disaster recovery psychosocial response will be kept and maintained by the Discipline Principal of Social Work.

The list will include the name of the staff member, their designation, their business and after hours contact details, their home address, any second language skills, identification of client groups with whom they feel skilled (e.g. adults, children and young people, working with culturally diverse people), and availability of transport. Mental Health Officer status will also be included on this list and the list will be updated six-monthly, or as required.

Special Events and Holiday PeriodsSpecial events and holiday periods will be a standing agenda item for the DRCC meetings. Prior to special events or holiday periods: Committee members are to advise the DRCC Chair of the contact details for the lead

person for the agency during the special event or holiday period. The Chair of the DRCC will then, via the Secretariat, issue this list to committee members.

MHJHADS psychosocial response staff are to be contacted by the Discipline Principal of Social Work four weeks prior to the special event/holiday to ascertain who will be available for deployment in the event of an emergency or disaster. This is particularly important over the Christmas period where a number of people leave the ACT for the holidays.

RadiosTwo AM/FM radios with spare batteries will be kept to connect with local news bulletins. Batteries will be taken out of the radios at the end of a deployment. Batteries will be replaced at the end of deployment and/or every year if not used.

Tabards Tabards with the word Counsellor printed on the back will be made available to DRCC counselling staff during deployment. These will be provided to deployed staff by and, returned at the end of shift, to the on-site Team Leader.

Brochures and Information HandoutsDRCC approved ACT Government brochures and documents on emergency and disaster response and preparedness are available from the ACT Government Community Services Directorate. The Discipline Principal of Social Work will ensure there is an adequate supply of these kept permanently in the Administrative Centre for distribution to deployed staff via the on-site Team Leaders.. These brochures will include the following: Looking After Yourself and Your Family After a Disaster (Red Cross) Looking After Yourself After a Disaster (Beyondblue) Coping Personally After an Incident, Major Emergency, or Disaster (DRCC) Children and Crises Fact Sheet (Community Services Directorate) Teenagers and Crises Fact Sheet (Community Services Directorate)



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Client Registration and Contact FormsCounselling registration and contact forms will be located in the disaster recovery on-call bag. This will include a form with the person’s contact details, summary of issues, and need for follow up (and for what).

Completed forms are to be stored securely at the counselling site to ensure privacy and confidentiality of information disclosed. Copies of these logs will be made available to DRCC personnel staff during deployment.

USBA USB containing electronic versions of forms and brochures/information handouts will be kept in the DRCC Administrative Centre (refer to Section 2) located in the Chief Psychiatrist’s office on Level 3, 1 Moore Street, and will maintained and updated by the Discipline Principal of Social Work. An electronic folder will be kept in the MHJHADS Executive Members share drive under the sub folder Disaster Recovery with these documents. The Discipline Principal of Social Work will also have access to this folder.


Section 6 – Counselling Sites, Confidentiality and Record Keeping/ Logs

A specific private space in the evacuation centre/counselling site must be used to maintain confidentiality. This will be co-coordinated by the on-site DRCC Team Leader and the Evacuation Centre Manager. Partitions will be made available to ensure confidentiality

There is no need to register on ACTPAS affected people who receive DRCC counselling support in the context of an emergency or disaster.

A proforma will be used for record keeping of those affected people who receive DRCC support at the counselling site and also require follow up (the proforma is available from the DRCC Operational Plan). These forms are to be submitted by the counsellors to the On Site DRCC Team Leader who will coordinate any medium to longer term responses required.


Section 7 – Scope of DRCC Counselling Role when Deployed at a Counselling Site

The types of people who may be presenting at an emergency site include, but are not limited to: People with pre-existing mental health issues People with well managed mental health issues but which have been exacerbated by the

emergency People with symptoms of acute stress reactions



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People with stress or agitation due to exposure to event and/or absence of a family member/animal, and

People who have seen media/social media reports and have concern about the event.

While many people deployed for the DRCC may be well experienced clinicians, the scope of the counselling role at the counselling site immediately after the emergency should include: Advanced psychological first aid/second level psychological first aid rather than

counselling Mental health/drug and alcohol consultation Consultation/involvement with issues such as psychiatric or methadone medication

issues Consultation/involvement with aggressive persons (when appropriate) Consultation/involvement with intoxicated persons Consultation/involvement with persons who identify as having a mental health disorder

and/or reporting risk issues.

Those deployed should also be familiar with the policies and procedures associated with: management of aggressive persons management of intoxicated persons suicide vulnerability critical incidents.


Implementation

This procedure will be implemented and communicated to member agencies by the DRCC Chair and incorporated into existing training programs, orientation plans and specific communication strategies as required.


Related Policies, Procedures, Guidelines and LegislationPolicies and Procedures ACT Health Violence and Aggression by Patients, Consumers or Visitors: Prevention and

Management Policy and Standard Operating Procedure ACT Health Alcohol and/or Other Drugs (AOD): Responding to Use Standard Operating

Procedure ACT Health Language Services Policy and Procedure MHJHADS Incidents Reportable to the Executive Director and Intervention Following a

Death Operational Procedure MHJHADS Approval of Counselling Sessions: Bereavement by Suicide and Disaster

Affected Persons Operational Procedure



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MHJHADS Assessment and Intervention for People Vulnerable to Suicide

Emergency Plans ACT Community Recovery Sub Plan ACT Recovery Plan ACT Health Emergency Plan Disaster Recovery Counselling Committee Psychosocial Response and Counselling

Support for Disasters and Emergencies in the ACT Operational Plan MHJHADS Business Continuity Management Plans

Legislation Emergencies Act 2004 Human Rights Act 2004 Work Health and Safety Act 2011 Health Records (Privacy and Access) Act 1997 Information Privacy Act 2014 Mental Health Act 2015 Carers Recognition Act 2010


Definition of Terms

DRCC SPECIFIC TERMSDRCC: Disaster Recovery Counselling Committee.

Community Recovery Coordinator: the Deputy Director of the Community Services Directorate. They are responsible for initiating contact with the Chair of the DRCC and activating the response under the Community Recovery Sub-Plan.

Counselling Sites: a location or site where staff of member agencies of the DRCC are deployed to provide psychosocial response and support.

DRCC Counsellors: qualified professionals from a range of government and non-government member agencies whose role it is to provide psychological first aid and counselling to affected persons.

Disaster Recovery Counselling Committee: the members of the Disaster Recovery Counselling Psychosocial Response and Support Committee.

EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT TERMSEmergency/Affected Person: a person who is in need or distressed or whose property is lost or damaged as a result of an emergency.

Emergency: an event such as fire, flood, storm, earthquake, explosion, accident, act of terrorism, biochemical event, epidemic or animal disease, actual or imminent, which Doc Number Version Issued Review Date Area Responsible PageCHHS17/055 2 06/04/2017 01/10/2019 MHJHADS 17 of 19


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requires a significant and coordinated response. An emergency includes those events deemed by Emergency Services Authority as disasters or natural disasters.

Emergency Management: the establishment of formal plans, structures and arrangements so as to coordinate the resources of agencies, and agencies and other persons in a comprehensive approach to facilitate prevention, preparedness, response and recovery in relation to emergencies or emergency risks.

Emergency Recovery: the coordinated process of supporting emergency/ affected individuals and communities in the reconstruction of the physical infrastructure and the restoration of emotional, social, economic, physical and spiritual wellbeing.

Evacuation Centre Manager: a member of the Community Recovery Network, Community Services Directorate, that is responsible for the management and coordination of information between stakeholders at an Evacuation Centre.

Incident: a localised event, either accidental or deliberate, which may result in death, injury or damage to property, which requires a normal response from an agency/s. An incident becomes an emergency when the resources of the agency are insufficient to deal with the incident and outside resources are desirable or required. Those resources then require coordination.

Territory Controller: Under the ACT Emergencies Act 2004, in respect of a declared emergency: “The controller shall manage the response to, and the recovery from, the emergency by ensuring agencies, agencies and other persons committed to dealing with the emergency are appropriately deployed.”


Search Terms

Disaster Recovery; DRCC; Emergency; Psychological First Aid; Psychosocial Response; MHJHADS.




CHHS17/055

Disclaimer: This document has been developed by ACT Health, Canberra Hospital and Health Services specifically for its own use. Use of this document and any reliance on the information contained therein by any third party is at his or her own risk and Health Directorate assumes no responsibility whatsoever.

Policy Team ONLY to complete the following:Date Amended Section Amended Divisional Approval Final Approval23 Mar 2018 Section 2 and 3 Tina Bracher, ED

MHJHADSCHHS-PC Chair

This document supersedes the following: Document Number Document Name



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