The journey continuesReflections from staff and volunteers

about what the British Red Cross learned in 2011

The journey continuesReflections from staff and volunteers about what the British Red Cross learned in 2011

Copyright © 2012

British Red Cross SocietyUK Office44 MoorfieldsLondon EC2Y 9AL

British Red Cross Society, incorporated by Royal Charter 1908, is a Registered Charity in England and Wales (220949) and Scotland (SC037738).

Any part of this publication may be cited, translated into otherlanguages or adapted to meet local needs without prior permission of the British Red Cross, provided that the source is clearly stated.

This publication does not necessarily represent the decisions or stated policy of the British Red Cross.

ISBN 978-0-900228-10-0

Foreword 1 by Mike Adamson, Managing Director of Operations

Introduction 2 by Femi Nzeqwu, Head of Research, Evaluation and Impact

Emergency Response

1 Exercise Watermark: 5 a learning review by Martin Annis

2 On being involved in 11 a major incident abroad: an exploratory study of an international service by Dr. Claire Scanlan and Dr. Sarah Davidson

3 Crisis mapping and 21 the use of new technologies in emergencies: a trend worth considering by Clara Straimer

4 Learning from Exercise 29 Parrot by Janet Meehan

Resilience

5 Asylum seeker and 35 refugee antenatal and postnatal needs assessment by Christopher Cambell and Robert Sedgely

6 Research and learning 39 in the first aid education department by Emily Oliver

7 Learning from the Swerve 43 project by Rosie Walters

8 Views from the inside: 49 commissioning priorities in Health and Social Care by Liz Urben

Supporting the Movement

9 Reflections on the 53 General Assembly and International Conference by Michael Meyer, Claire Clement and Vicky Peterkin

10 Supporting the IFRC’s 61 review of early warning systems delayed response by Mary Atkinson

External perspectives

11 Implementing the 67 Nordic Model: Transforming organisations with The Butterfly Effect by Tina Monberg and Liz Rivers

12 In conversation with 81 Etienne Wenger: the guru of learning shares his expertise on communities of practice with the British Red Cross by Liz Hendry

Volunteers and staff

13 Mind the gap exploring 89 the disparities in youth volunteering by Ivy Broadhead

14 Reflections of a graduate 93 Red Cross worker by Georgina Randall

15 Top tips on volunteer 97 support from Volunteer Advisers by Sarah Joy

16 Engaging young people 101 in Wales and Western: Saving Lives Changing Lives in practice by Jeff Collins and Ali James

Positioning

17 Dispatches in disasters 109 research by Adrian Thomas

Organisational development

18 Reflections on the 113 research advisory panel by Professor Ian Forbes and Professor David Rose

19 Using Geospatial 119 Information for Programme Planning and Evaluation in the British Red Cross by Clara Straimer, Kareem Ahmed, Simon Johnson and Andrew Braye

20 The outcomes odyssey: 125 BRC learning on demonstrating the difference we make by Jules Tompkins

21 Moving our planning 129 process online by Geraint James

22 Improving the beneficiary 135 experience: a review of the Wales and Western learning day by Lucy Tutton

23 Reflections on research 139 and capturing learning by Kimberley Rennick and Jo White

24 Adding value to 145 quarterly reporting by Brian Sparke

Funding the strategy

25 Learning from the EU 149 funding practitioners group: maximising the potential across European National Societies by Lindsay Dalton-Hopwood

Advocacy

26 Building resilience 153 through education: an advocacy campaign by Emily Oliver

Contents

“Learning is not attained by chance, it must be sought for with ardor and attended to with diligence”

Abigail Adams, 1744 – 1818

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“Creative thinking may mean simply the realization that there’s no particular vir tue in doing things the way they have always been done” Rudolph Flesch,1911–1986

I am delighted to introduce the British Red Cross’ third annual learning publication. This collection of articles brings together reflections from British Red Cross volunteers and staff, as well as contributions from external partners who worked with the BRC last year. The publication is testament to the wealth of important learning that took place amongst individuals, teams, and the wider Red Cross, during the past twelve months. 2011 was a year of significant change. Internally, the British Red Cross made a number of new developments. We took important strides in our advocacy work, launched innovative new systems to manage both our UK and international programme information and started to see real growth with our Care in the Home work in the UK, to mention but a few examples. We also responded to many new challenges in the wider world, ranging from UK public reform to the Arab Spring uprisings, the continuing economic recession to natural disasters, all of which left more people in crisis situations in the UK and overseas. In the spirit of being a learning organisation, we believe that it is in the interest of ourselves, our donors and – above all – the people we support, that this learning and knowledge from our work over the past twelve months is shared and embedded. By giving a voice to our staff, volunteers and collaborators to capture and share some of the lessons we learned, and by being candid about the difficulties we encountered as well as highlighting the successes, we can continue to grow a stronger, better British Red Cross in 2012 and beyond. I hope that you will find the publication an informative and enjoyable read. Please do share it as widely as possible.

Happy reading!

Mike AdamsonManaging Director, Operations

Foreword

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The aim of these publications is to create a public record of our continuing journey towards being ‘a learning organisation’: that is, an organisation that continually learns from itself and the outside world, and then acts on its learning.

As well as enabling us to track our learning journey, the publication offers Red Cross volunteers and staff an opportunity to candidly share their learning and, in turn, learn about the experiences of colleagues, as well as discover more about programmes, projects and activities going on elsewhere in the organisation.

By making this learning more widely available across the British Red Cross, we can ensure that knowledge does not rest within one team or department, Area or territory, but is made accessible to the wider organisation.

We are delighted that this, the third BRC learning publication includes articles from virtually all strategic priority areas of the organisation, encompassing reflections from Red Cross emergency responders to humanitarian educators, fundraisers to new graduates.

This is also the first edition to include articles from external contributors. Leading experts, Etienne Wenger, Tina Monberg and Liz Rivers offer their insights into communities of practice and new organisational approaches to leadership, management and organisational change. It also provides us with a timely reminder about the wealth of expertise and thinking that the BRC can draw on from the external world, as well as looking internally.

Introduction“Learning is like a Baobab tree. No one individual can embrace it” African proverb

Since 2010, the British Red Cross has produced an annual publication, which brings together reflections from staff and volunteers across the organisation about some of the things we have collectively learned over the past 12 months.

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We hope that you find this publication an interesting and informative read. Please do feel free to share it widely with colleagues and think about whether there is learning that you and your team would want to share with the wider organisation in a future publication.

Articles are welcomed from all volunteers and staff and it is never too early to start thinking about what you might like to contribute! Please feel free to contact the Research, Evaluation and Impact team to share your ideas or to find out more information.

Wishing you a 2012 filled full of great learning!

Femi Nzegwu Head of Research, Evaluation & ImpactJanuary 2012

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“The true method of knowledge is experiment”

William Blake, 1757 – 1827

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1Exercise Watermark:a learning reviewMartin Annis Senior Emergency Planning Officer

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Background

Exercise Watermark was a National Exercise organised and planned by DEFRA in response to the Pitt Review of Floods 2007 to assess the level of preparation of UK authorities for a major flooding incident. The Red Cross were not involved in the planning of the exercise. It was largely a desk-top exercise but there were significant live-play incidents as LRFs exercised their own plans and contingency arrangements. The review did not deal with the structure or execution of the exercise scenario itself. Following the exercise a learning review was held. There were two main objectives of the review:

Objectives of this review

To share understanding of the Northern Territory contribution to Exercise Watermark in order to identify examples of good practice and actions that could improve future responses.

To share learning to make people more comfortable in this type of situation; and to note key learning points for the future.

The operational review

Lincolnshire LRF played Watermark more intensively than any other LRF in England. Jonathan McDonnell (SSM in Lincs, Leics, Northants and Rutland representing Joy Clift-Hill, who was unable to attend) said that the Area had had a very active role at all levels within the exercise. This included the overall co-ordination of the responding voluntary sector organisations in accordance with their MOU. They were involved in pre exercise briefings and understanding peoples’ roles. The exercise had slightly unreal timescales for injects and it did cause some confusion with the response – although not on the Red Cross response. We were represented at the Strategic Co-ordinating Gp and the Tactical Co-ordinating Gp throughout the exercise. The Area activated its own operational structure for co-ordination of Red Cross Ops. In addition to desk-top exercise play, there were live events such as evacuation of communities

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to rest centres and a water rescue phase. There were significant issues with the level of resourcing for the exercise:

Communications: Helen Furnivall, Head of Territory Comms, was in the Command and Control building for 3 days liaising with media and getting communications out externally/internally. Her Territory Comms team was fully involved with the Lincolnshire element and would have struggled with 24/7 staffing or if there had been heavier exercise play elsewhere. The resourcing issue will have to be addressed.

Territory ER Lead: Ian Temple as Territory ER Lead provided a response to requests for support from Lincolnshire and liaised with other NT Area ER teams and the UKO ERR team around mutual aid. He had a surprisingly busy 2 days.

UK Director: Jean Henderson was on site in Lincolnshire viewing activities on the ground – and the water. She was kept in the overall exercise loop by the NT ER Lead – and visited the Hub, the Rest Centre and the exercise at Tatershall. Looking at how volunteers were working and the rest centre was organised.

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Good practice and Learning Points

The table below captures some key good practice and learning points:

Good PRaCtiCe Point aCtion RequiRed

1. Pre-event Local Emergency Planning meetings to facilitate the role of Voluntary Sector Co-ordination

Regular activity required. Easier in Lincolnshire because of VS co-ordination role

2. Be familiar with your LRF’s approach to managing the response

Take every opportunity to exercise with ER colleagues

3. Knowing the other players is crucial Need to work together before an emergency

4. Co-ordination role outlined through MOU worked well

Where we take on a role of co-ordinating the vol sector response to a major incident an MOU is needed to clarify exactly what the scope is

5. USB with key information on it ER Teams to consider; Already done in many places

6. Communications staff at venues where external communications are operating.

Bronze Managers at incidents need an awareness of the Communication role at such incidents

7. It was helpful to have the Communication Strategy displayed (done by the police)

One needed for each incident

8. Benefit of having knowledgeable Territory point of contact to support area activity

Northern Territory ER Lead to assess back up and discuss with UKD

LeaRninG PointS aCtion RequiRed

1. All players recognised they would need more staff to cover each management function – particularly on a 24/7 several day scenario

Need clear response structure through early activation of the Territory and possibly UK Response Plan

Need early activation of appropriately skilled management level responders via mutual aid

Activate mutual aid from beyond area as soon as incident looks to be going beyond 1 day

2. BRC Gold & Silver need support staff – consider a command support function – particularly when mutual aid ask increases

Consider provision of a mutual aid co-ordinator working to BRC tactical manager

3. Is the loggist at correct level? Identify who have we got in the Northern Territory trained as loggists? Are there identified managers who can be prepared for this role?

4. Creating time and clarity at each level

5. Maintaining gold/silver/management posts 24/7

As learning point 1

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LeaRninG PointS aCtion RequiRed

6. More structured approach to sharing information e.g. SITREPS, mutual aid requests

More co-ordinated approach to SITREPS to be done by EP&R. Mutual aid guidance by EP&R

There were exercise artificialities occurring here; Need to agree reporting cycle and stick to it rigorously

7. Business continuity issues Northern Territory ERCG to decide on Bus Cont priorities; Local decision based on this guidance

8. Convergent volunteers guidance a little bulky, worked because people adapted it

Need to review new guidance

Post meeting note: UKD asked NT ER Lead to undertake this and report to her, copy to Tactical GP

9. BRC comms team not known to other agency comms personnel (LRF Warn and Inform Group)

Local BRC staff to raise this issue with LRF

10. Need to have access to stats and regular updates for the media

Ongoing issue, need closer working and exercising

11. Territory Comms Team not large enough to meet all the comms requirements

Head of Territory Communication to discuss at CMT; Consider if volunteers/staff who have existing comms skills can be used to augment the Territory Comms Team

12. Not able to establish whether we were sharing information with BRC personnel (not operationally deployed)

Need to communicate ongoing situation to staff and vols not actively involved in the response

13. Protocol for dealing with serious injury/fatality of BRC volunteer/staff

HRE leading on this

14. Internal communication between BRC personnel at same location

Briefing to take place at the start and end of duty

15. Lack of awareness of role of Territory Co-ordination Group as part of Territory Response Plan

This has been shared with ODs – Ian to meet with Helen and discuss at TIGER for further sharing

16. Redmail logged us out

17. Need for VPN access

18. Dongle credit levels

There is to be a dedicated LRF server (Lincs solution only)

VPN awareness

EP&R to ask IT if they can increase VPN access and arrange for immediate increase in Dongle limit, as required

19. Would Airwave be useful to Territory Comms?

Explore Licence conditions

20. Mutual aid of Airwave Done; Procedure issued

21. How to manage all the VIP visits? Perhaps identify Territory back-up staff to undertake the role?

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Summary

The exercise was considered a success by the Category 1 and 2 responders, although there are many lessons to be learnt. For the Red Cross in the Northern Territory, most of the detailed lessons are summarised above. However, two key learning points related to personnel resources were identified and require addressing:

1. Large scale responses going on for extended periods of time require large numbers of personnel. We need to recognise quickly when we are in this situation, so that we can invoke the Territory (and perhaps the UK major response plan) and put in adequate management level personnel. We should consider including in this reinforcement package adequate numbers to provide essential support to these managers.

2. In these large scale responses, the Territory Communications team needs to be supplemented by additional personnel able to fill communications roles. They could come from either other Territory Comms teams or UKO Comms or both of these. They should also considering developing and training appropriate Area personnel to support their core assets in such circumstances.

There were a number of smaller issues for Territories and Areas which are less significant and some actions for EP&R as outlined in the tables above.

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On being involved in a major incident abroad: an exploratory study of an international service

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Dr. Claire Scanlan former UEL student

Dr. Sarah Davidson British Red Cross Psychosocial Support Advisor

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Executive Summary

In 2011, a research study was conducted into the perceived usefulness of the service provided by the British Red Cross’ Psychosocial Support Team (PST) from the beneficiary’s perspective, following their involvement in a major incident abroad. It is hoped that the findings from this study will benefit the work that is carried out by the PST by highlighting the aspects beneficiaries found to be particularly useful about the service they received as well as suggested areas for improvement.

Background

Impact of major incidents

Worldwide, natural and human-made disasters are increasing in both frequency and severity and show no signs of abating (World Disaster Alliance, 2010). In 2009, 335 natural disasters were reported worldwide, killing 10,655 people, affecting over 119 million others and causing over US$41.3 billion in damages (Vos, Rodriguez, Below & Guha-Sapir, 2010).

Being involved in a major incident, “whether it be a natural disaster or terrorist attack, has a devastating effect on [the] psychological and social well-being of people who experience them” (Hughes, Grigg, Fritsch & Calder, 2007, p. 19). The psychological and social impact “may be acute in the short term, but…can also undermine the long-term mental health and psychosocial well-being of the affected population” (Inter-Agency Standing Committee, IASC, 2007, p. 1).

Psychosocial Support

The term ‘psychosocial’ refers to “personal psychological development in the context of a social environment” (NATO, 2008, p. 125) and can be defined as “internal processes (including physical and mental health) that are intimately related to interpersonal

functioning and functioning in social domains (which include religious and cultural beliefs and practices, social roles, and social identity)” (Fernando, 2008, p. 230). Humanitarian aid agencies have, in recent years, implemented psychosocial programmes to respond to disasters emphasising the importance of “adequately trained personnel” (Davidson, 2010a, p. 304).

Psychosocial support describes “any type of local or outside help that aims to protect or promote psychosocial well-being and/or prevent or treat mental disorder” (IASC, 2007, p. 1). It is widely acknowledged that “early psychosocial interventions that help to mitigate the effects of trauma, alleviating psychological distress, and strengthening resiliency must be an integral part of humanitarian assistance” (Save the Children, 2005). Bourassa (2009) highlights how psychosocial interventions bring balance between “the medical perspective, and its pathological indicators of well-being, with the social aspects of the psychosocial equation” (p. 746).

Guidelines & evidence informedpractice

In an attempt to enhance the level and quality of assistance given to people affected by major incidents, a number of psychosocial-based programmes and guidelines (primarily for aid agencies) have been developed. These were mainly in response to the criticism of relief efforts following large-scale incidents such as the Indian Ocean tsunami or Hurricane Katrina.

In addition, Hobfoll et al. (2007) attempted to “gain consensus from researchers and practitioners in the fields of trauma and disaster recovery” (p. 284) by extrapolating findings from relevant research to create “evidence-informed” practices (Hobfoll et al., 2007, p. 284). They identified five intervention principles aimed at the early to mid-term stages following a major incident, which they hoped would act as a guide to evolving

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intervention practices. The principles are to promote: a sense of safety; calm; a sense of self and collective efficacy; connectedness; and hope.

Psychosocial Support Teams

In 2002, the Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) established Rapid Deployment Teams (RDTs), to provide prompt and effective assistance to UK nationals in

the event of a major incident abroad. A Psychosocial Support Team (PST) from the British Red Cross are often deployed as part of the RDT and they work with individuals to strengthen safety, normalise responses and facilitate information sharing as well as offering consultation to promote prevention and early intervention (Davidson, 2010).

There has been little research looking at people’s experience of the input they received following being involved in a major incident abroad, particularly since the emergence of guidelines and psychosocial programmes implemented by humanitarian aid agencies.

This research study therefore aimed to explore:

> How did British nationals caught up in major incidents abroad experience the service they received from the PST?

> What aspects did they experience as being particularly useful/not useful?

> Was there anything they were not offered which they felt would have been useful to them?

Method

Forty one letters and emails were sent to people who had received support from the PST from seven different major incidents, inviting them to participate in the study. Ten people from four different incidents responded, nine of whom became participants.

Participant information

Pseudonym incident Year

Rachel Dhow capsize, Bahrain 2006

Pam & Jamal Terrorist attacks, Mumbai 2008

Cathy, Rose, Mary & Simon Earthquake, Haiti 2010

Peter & Eva Floods/mudslides, Madeira 2010

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Semi-structured interviews were carried out with participants either face-to-face or over the phone. Interviews were transcribed and analysed using a qualitative research approach called Grounded theory, whereby codes are used to describe what is found in the data and from this categories and subcategories are developed and a model is devised to offer an overarching explanation of what is being studied.

Findings

The model

The below model illustrates the three major categories that were constructed in the analysis and their corresponding subcategories. The categories will be explored using exerts from the interview transcripts as examples. The main focus will be on the latter two categories ‘The Response’ and ‘Consequences’ as these are of most relevance to the British Red Cross.

exPeRienCeS ReLated to the event

The event

Reactions

Needs

Follow-up

Recovery

Independence regained

Recommendations and improvements

Clued up

Actual presence

Holistic approach

Contact with other

organisations

Supportive

the ReSPonSe ConSequenCeS

= Co-ordinated response (between participant’s Needs, The Response and Consequences)

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Experiences Related to the Event

All participants spoke to some extent about their experiences of being involved in a major incident. The main areas that were talked about were the event itself, the reaction to the event and their needs following it.

In relation to the event, participants described the experience of being involved in a major incident as novel experience as well as talking about the fact it occurred in a foreign county:

Pam: “when you’re in a foreign country and something like this happens, you do feel…quite isolated…a bit like a fish out of water in a way.”

Jamal: “everything’s alien to you…you’re in a country that you’re not familiar with, you know, and you’re still trying to sort of understand what’s happened.”

Participants described experiencing a range of reactions following the major incident they were involved in. People spoke about feeling as though they were in a “blur” and not really knowing what was going on. They talked about going into survival mode, feeling confused and lost, of blocking out feelings, finding it hard and wanting to leave the country they were in:

Rachel: “when you’re hit with something so shocking… you’re not quite aware of who’s who, who’s saying what, who said what and where you’re going.”

Simon: “the first few weeks afterwards were a kind of write-off… I was sort of living in another world and not with it, but yet trying to be, you know. I wasn’t myself at all.”

Participants described having a number of different needs following the incident. Initially participants were not really aware of what they needed but many talked about needing support as well as more specific assistance:

Jamal: “I just needed someone there, really. I was very isolated… you need that help to

feel comfortable when you’re in that sort of situation.”

Peter: “obviously we wanted information on what had happened and… how people had been affected.”

The Response

The main focus of this research was on the participants’ experience of the response they received from the PST. Participants spoke about different aspects of the response which included the PST being “clued up”. This related to how much participants previously knew about the BRC, being surprised at their presence, not necessarily knowing who they were being supported by, in addition to the value of the PST’s prior knowledge and experience and the fact they were British:

Cathy: “[it] is an international organisation [and] has certainly lived up to its ethos.”

Rachel: “they understood the different issues with things happening abroad… they obviously knew their stuff… which avenues to use and they did it fantastically.”

Participants also talked about the value of the PST’s physical present in the country in which the incident had occurred and the fact they had not been forgotten:

Cathy: “even their very presence was reassuring; their actual presence… their presence was an emotional confidence builder.”

Mary: “you could feel that you were not forgotten… that you could call upon people if you were in difficulty… [it was] good to know there were people who were concerned about us and who were available should we need anything.”

Participants experienced the response as being holistic, that is that the PST considered the wider context:

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Cathy: “the members of the BRC showed their genuine interest and concern and wanted to help everybody… they really were concerned about us but also concerned about the bigger picture as well, our neighbourhood and also the extended neighbourhood, extended families.”

And they offered different types of help, both practical and psychosocial:

Rose: “she was very helpful… we had a good talk and… it helped me to get out a lot of… sadness that I had that I did not understand.”

Pam: “my children have said that they felt that Red Cross was the point, somebody they could contact… to get the absolute truth.”

Participants described the different qualities of the PST members, which included: genuine, good listeners, comforting, considerate, very kind, very sensitive, understanding and very helpful.

Rachel: “the whole experience, the whole thing of them was just fantastic… I just can’t say better things about them.”

Consequences

In addition to talking about their experience of the event and the subsequent response, participants also spoke about consequences of the response. This related to the follow-up that participants received from the PST following their initial contact with them:

Cathy: “it wasn’t just one visit and forgotten… there was a follow up which I think was very important… there was a working through it, you know, and I think that made it all so authentic and sincere.”

Rachel: “they did write to me and… [said] if there was anything that I needed assistance with they’d be happy to help…they didn’t just wash their hands, you know, and think right that’s one job, lets move onto the next.”

Participants also spoke about their recovery, both in relation to when they were still abroad, which seemed to be more focused around physical recovery, as well as their recovery in the present day and since returning home, which seemed to relate more to their emotional recovery:

Jamal: “my main concern was my recovery and what it would be like and whether I’d walk with a limp or be walking. It was so much pain – that was obviously my main concern.”

Simon: “the first few months were difficult nightmares…but then I guess the last six months…I kind of got over it if you like, although still to this day if there is a shake somewhere…I’m on a bit of a short fuse and I will probably always be like that.”

Participants talked about the PST’s role in their recovery and their awareness that recovery isn’t necessarily a linear process:

Pam: “I feel totally at ease about the whole thing…but that’s not to say oh well, you know, you don’t about these things do you, but I don’t, at this point I don’t feel that we will need any help.”

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Rose: “I realised that I was sad, every now and then I used to cry…I didn’t understand it was the earthquake that did that to me… [it wasn’t] until I spoke to her that I understood why I felt this way.”

Participants also described regaining their independence, that is, a sense of agency and control, following the incident and receiving support from the PST. There were numerous aspects to this process, including wanting to say thank you or give something back to the British Red Cross as well as the difficulties associated with ending the contact:

Rachel: “I wrote them a lovely letter afterwards because they were so…they were just fantastic.”

Eva: “when I came home and we told people about it, being able to say that the disaster team had been there is like saying I’m not making this up…I’m not making a huge thing out of something that was actually quite trivial.”

Whilst discussing their experiences following the incident, participants talked about a number of recommendations or improvements which they felt could be made to the service and would have made a difference to them.

Some participants felt that the PST could have been there sooner:

Simon: “I guess a more immediate response would’ve probably helped… had it been more immediate it would’ve helped deal with the stress.”

Others felt more support in dealing with the media would have been useful, both whilst abroad and following their return home:

Rachel: “that was the only thing I didn’t [have support with], I did at the time in Bahrain from the BRC, they were fantastic, but once I’d got home I didn’t.”

Some participants did not realise they were being supported by the British Red Cross

and felt that knowing this would have made a difference:

Eva: “I didn’t realise they were the BRC…. and so I didn’t realise they were sort of medical… [knowing] would’ve been more of an invitation to tell them [how I was feeling.]”

Other participants talked more about practical issues, such as the difference being given some toiletries would have made:

Pam: “it would’ve been nice…if they could’ve given you a little [toiletries] pack, just because we had nothing… it just would’ve made us feel a little bit more human perhaps.”

Or having the PST at the airport:

Simon: “if the Red Cross had maybe had some sort of representative at the airport… ticking off names or offering you know advice or help on what to do.”

Other recommendations made by participants related to the continuation of support following the PST’s involvement:

Jamal: “the BRC have had their role so far, but there needs to be someone to work with them… there are certain things I need and I need advice on and I don’t know who to go to and I can’t just knock on some random’s door… it’s knowing who do I contact for certain things… there needs to be a tie on the somewhere along the line.”

This also included being signposted to non-UK based support for those who live abroad:

Simon: “maybe having offered regional help centres, you know, not offering UK sort of base…it would’ve been helpful to have known there was a Red Cross in Jamaica and a contact person’s name there.”

As well as tying in with other organisations, such as with the victims of the London terrorist attacks, and the potential usefulness of this:

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Jamal: “I think that would’ve been very useful…for guidance and support because they’ve obviously gone through it…and they’ve had dealings and experienced it.”

Discussion

Overall, participants were very positive about their experience of the service they received from the PST, both in terms of the support they received and their overall experience of dealing with them. In addition, there was a high level of consensus between participants in terms of their experiences and the aspects they found to be particularly useful.

The needs which participants described following the event were undoubtedly psychosocial in nature and were consistent with those described in the published frameworks and guidance. Participants’ needs varied according to their situation and the support provided by the PST was reported to reflect these individual needs and served to emphasise the importance of tailoring their response to the individuals with whom they are working.

The aspects participants reported finding particularly useful were:

> The PST being “clued up” – that is their preparedness, awareness of the context in which incidents took place, their knowledge and experience of dealing with matters abroad and the fact they were British and therefore able to communicate with ease with them, as well as understand their cultural context.

> The PST’s actual presence – participants reported finding their presence reassuring and valued being looked for, located, not being forgotten, as well as valuing the consistency they provided and knowing someone was there for them in the almost immediate aftermath of the incident.

> Their holistic approach taken by the PST– that is the concern they showed for the “bigger picture” as well as the different types of support they provided including both practical and emotional.

> Being followed up – especially in relation to feeling that the PST’s involvement was more than just a one-off visit and that they were not subsequently forgotten.

A number of recommendations for practice can be made from the findings from this study:

> Providing participants with information and support regarding dealing with the media both whilst abroad and once they are home.

> Repeating introductions to those receiving support to ensure the beneficiaries know who they are being supported by.

> Providing people with the required practical resources, e.g. toiletries.

> Providing contact information for non- UK based support for British nationals who do not live in the UK.

> Signposting people to a point of contact and/or additional support services they can access following PST support ending.

In addition, it is important that the PST keep doing what they are doing as the findings from this study suggest that they are being effective in providing psychosocial support to individuals following their involvement in a major incident abroad. It is recommended that the service continues to be developed in line with the latest guidelines and evidence, whether this is practice or research based. It is hoped that this study highlights the benefits of seeking beneficiary feedback and that this could be done on a more regular basis, in order that practice can continue to be informed by what beneficiaries report as finding useful or otherwise. The British Red Cross could consider having beneficiaries to consult to in the development of the PST

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service and what they are able to offer to people following their involvement in a major incident.

Conclusion

The findings from this study highlight the importance and undoubted benefits for participants of psychosocial support being provided in the immediate hours, days and weeks following being involved in a major

incident abroad. The research focused on exploring people’s experiences and on furthering an understanding about what is valued and what was not experienced as useful in relation to such a service. It is hoped that the findings from this study can be used to inform and develop the service offered by the PST, and similar services, in the future.

For more information about the study, please contact Sarah Davidson at Sdavidson@redcross.org.uk

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The transport hub initiative for the 2012 Olympics will require the British Red Cross’s largest ever provision of first aid support for an event. Attempting to successfully commit to this offer has

been challenging yet rewarding. From mutual aid of volunteers to equipment to communications rooms, Area staff and volunteers have stepped up to the mark to show their commitment to the

success of the Red Cross during the Games.

As a voluntary organisation, we rely heavily on the support, dedication and professionalism of our volunteers and these values

have shined through once again to putthe British Red Cross on the international landscape as an invaluable support to the statutory

services and reliable provider of first aid and psychosocial support.

The Olympics is the largest event in the world and the Paralympics is second in line, although the eyes of the world will

be watching us this summer I feel confident in the knowledge that the spirit of the Red Cross as one community will enable us

play our part in enabling the success for the Olympic and Paralympics Games 2012.

Becky CarrOlympics Programme Manager, London Area

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3Crisis mapping and the use of new technologies in emergencies: a trend worth consideringClara Straimer Geographical Information System (GIS) Intern at UK Office

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Introduction

Obtaining and sharing information is one of the greatest challenges humanitarian agencies face in emergencies. All too often, information streams are complex and contradictory, and the sheer quantity of information can easily become unmanageable.

In addition, there is the challenge of communicating with affected populations to find out where help is most urgently needed. Those directly affected are often completely cut off from the information streams flowing between humanitarian actors. The crisis of Haiti marked a turning point, opening up new possibilities for communication. A range of motivated volunteer and technical communities formed to support the collection and management of information and provide real-life data about affected populations to relief agencies.

This article attempts to provide an overview of the challenges and opportunities this development represents for humanitarian

actors such as the British Red Cross. It draws on learning from official reports, informal discussions within the crisis mapping community and a conference recently attended by the British Red Cross Geographical Information System (GIS) Team.

The British Red Cross GIS Team is a mapping service that seeks to provide better information for evaluation and organisational planning. We work both with national services as well as in the context of the organisation’s international work, providing online and offline maps on issues such as flood risk, levels of deprivation, and population density.

Through this piece we want to share our learning regarding new technologies that have the potential to revolutionise our way of engaging with beneficiaries in emergency contexts. While this article focuses on international humanitarian emergencies, many of the technologies discussed below could also be used in a UK context, for example to obtain real-time data on road blockages during the winter season or to communicate with flood-affected communities.

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Key Challenges in the Fieldof Crisis Mapping

Crisis mapping is the use of Geographical Information Systems (GIS) and geospatial analysis to provide maps and geospatial data in emergency situations. It is a skill gaining increasing significance both in the Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement and the wider humanitarian sector.1 While mapping initiatives tended to be based on static data and provided by professionals, recent years have seen a rapid change towards open source mapping initiatives that seek to provide real-time data on the situation on the ground.

However, incorporating such data into humanitarian response activities remains a major challenge. A conference the British Red Cross GIS team recently attended in Geneva, the International Conference on Crisis Mapping (ICCM 2011), brought together technically minded individuals and international organisations in an effort to discuss and address some of the most pressing issues in this area. In his opening speech,2 Patrick Meier, co-founder of the Crisis Mappers Network3, identified several key challenges. Three of them are discussed below:

1 Within the RC/RC Movement there are both formal and non-formal mapping initiatives that are able to provide maps. The ICRC, for example, has over 20 GIS Officers deployed to various countries to provide mapping services, while the IFRC’s in-house mapping capacity remains limited. There are various motivated individuals across the movement, for example within the American Red Cross, and in Nepal, who are starting to build up mapping capacity.

2 Meier, P. (2011) Opening Speech at ICCM. Available at: http://irevolution.net/2011/11/14/opening-speech-at-iccm-2011/

3 The International Network of Crisis Mappers is an international community of experts, practitioners, policymakers, technologists, researchers, journalists, scholars and hackers engaged at the intersection between humanitarian crises, technology and crisis mapping. Its members leverage mobile & web-based applications, participatory maps & crowdsourced event data, aerial & satellite imagery, geospatial platforms, visual analytics, and computational & statistical models to power effective early warning for rapid response to complex humanitarian emergencies. http://crisismappers.net/

Mainstreaming – Making crisis mapping in cooperation with online voluntary and technical communities an integral part of humanitarian response.

Partnerships – The necessity to form partnership between humanitarian organisations and voluntary communities.

Verification and protection standards – The verification and reliability of information volunteered through online social networks and the protection of beneficiaries.

Mainstreaming

Whilst many large humanitarian organisations continue to rely on paper-based data and software systems that are often incompatible with each other, online communities have long been using innovative solutions that allow for sharing and collaborating on different data sets. Haiti was the first instance in which voluntary communities helped to use open source software and crowdsourcing4 processes for information and data collation.

To take the crisis in Haiti as our primary example, there was a near unprecedented lack of data when most humanitarian agencies arrived. Documents had been lost or destroyed and many of the experts who had been involved in collecting data before the crisis had disappeared.

In this context, crowdsourcing tasks such as mapping the infrastructure of Haiti allowed for a rapid restoration of some crucial base-line information. Due to the efforts of volunteers mobilised by the Open Street Map online community, for example, it was possible to establish an accurate map of Haiti in only two weeks – a task that should have taken years.5

4 Crowdsourcing is ‘the practice whereby an organization enlists a number of freelancers, paid or unpaid, to work on a specific task or problem’ (Oxford Dictionary). In the context of crisis mapping the term is associated with the sharing of tasks through an open call to volunteer online communities.

5 Harvard Humanitarian Initiative (2011) The Future of Information Sharing in Humanitarian Emergencies,

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Volunteers scanned and geo-tagged images from old atlases and maps, traced roads and buildings and then shared this data freely online.6 As one member of the Humanitarian Open Street Map Team commented, this process of crowdsourcing allowed for a more effective collaboration in terms of sharing information and building up knowledge:

“The reality is that in a disaster cycle, everyone has a piece of information, everyone has a piece of that picture. The more that people are able to share information and data across ecosystems … then we’ll really see disaster response [becoming] more effective.” Kate Chapman, Humanitarian Open Street Map Team7

Attending the ICCM Conference we learned that there is currently a wide-ranging debate among the humanitarian community on how to leverage these processes and use open source software to engage voluntary and technical communities in the management, organisation and collation of data in emergencies.

Another element in this discussion is the use of crowdsourcing in combination with new technologies, SMS and online social networks to create real-time data in an emergency. Among the most notable example of an initiative using sms-data to map real-time information is the Ushahidi Haiti platform. This platform accessed news reports and data from sms reports and then plotted that information on the map to get an overview of the needs and situation on the ground.

Washington D.C: and Berkshire, UK: UN Foundation, Vodafone Foundation Techology Partnership. Available at: http://www.unocha.org/top-stories/all-stories/disaster-relief-20-future-information-sharing-humanitarian-emergencies

6 Harvard Humanitarian Initiative (2011) The Future of Information Sharing in Humanitarian Emergencies, p.26–30.

7 Harvard Humanitarian Initiative (2011) The Future of Information Sharing in Humanitarian Emergencies, p.

Partnerships

Yet the main challenge is not to generate data, but to make it actionable. As an evaluation of the Haitian experience states, some of the initiatives faltered due to a lack of effective partnerships and dialogue between the various actors who were involved:

“Many of the obstacles to the relief efforts concerned difficulties in dialogue between communities: between international organizations and local Haitian groups, between volunteers and professional humanitarian organizations and between civilians and military. The crisis united many of these parties for the first time and created harsh conditions for learning a common language.”8

Hence, while voluntary communities offered to organise and manage the data, there was not always an established channel for engaging with the results of this process and acting on it.

“The 2010 Haiti earthquake response will be remembered as the moment when the level of access to mobile and online communication enabled a kind of collective intelligence to emerge.... That said, the humanitarian system had no formal protocols for communication with these voluntary and technical communities.”9

Verification and ProtectionStandards

Another reason for the difficulties with integrating the collected information into programme planning are the doubts about

8 Nelson, A., Sigal, I. and Zambrano, D. (2011) Media, Information Systems and Communities: Lessons from Haiti, p.7.

9 Harvard Humanitarian Initiative (2011) The Future of Information Sharing in Humanitarian Emergencies, Washington D.C: and Berkshire, UK: UN Foundation, Vodafone Foundation Techology Partnership. Available at: http://www.unocha.org/top-stories/all-stories/disaster-relief-20-future-information-sharing-humanitarian-emergencies

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the validity of crowdsourced information provided through sms or online social networks, such as Twitter. There are also various challenges concerning the protection of beneficiaries.

A meeting between crisis mappers and operational humanitarian agencies after the ICCM conference in Geneva brought these concerns to the front. Pierre Gentile from the ICRC pointed out that a challenge of future initiatives would be meeting acknowledged protection standards in situations of conflict and other violence.10 The following were among the most pressing challenges he mentioned:11

10 ICRC (2009) Professional Standards for Protection Work Carried out by Humanitarian and Human Rights Actors in Armed Conflict and Other Situations of Armed Violence. Available at: http://www.icrc.org/eng/assets/files/other/icrc_002_0999.pdf

11 This information is taken from a report on a meeting between World Vision, UN agencies and a range of NGOs in Geneva on the 17th of November. A summary of the meeting has been provided to the Standby Task Force, of which the author is a member: Searle, L. and

Informed Consent and Ownership – It is vital to ensure that those providing information know and understand how this information will be used. For example, during Haiti, people who sent text messages were not aware that the data would be displayed on a map. Furthermore, it is not always possible to conform to professional standards and ensure that the individual that has provided the data retains ownership over it, especially if data is collected through social media and sms.

Verification – There should be a triangulation and confirmation of information through multiple sources and voluntary and technical communities must highlight whether or not a report was verified. There remain challenges around knowing the reliability of the source of the information, particularly if submitted through sms. For example, according to a

Wynn-Pope, P. (2011) Crisis Mapping, Humanitarian Principles and the Application of Protection Standards – A Dialogue Between Crisis Mappers and Operational Humanitarian Agencies, Meeting Record, 17 November 2011, Geneva.

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member of UNDAC, about 70% percent of the information on people being trapped was unreliable.12

Risk mitigation and response capacity – An organisation collecting data needs to provide clear information on the purpose and relevance of the data and the realistic capacity of the organisation to respond to information about needs provided in the data.

Impartiality – There are questions around whether or not information collected is contributed by those most in need. In crowdsourced data from social networks and media such as Twitter, the data may be biased towards those who have access to communication and use Twitter.

These and other challenges are currently widely discussed among the crisis mapping communities. Training, such as a recent simulation on a cyclone in Samoa led by UN-OCHA in which the author and another volunteer of the GIS team participated,13 provide a good opportunity to address some of these concerns and devise solutions in a safe and non-emergency environment. However, it will depend on the individual use-case which processes for the protection of beneficiaries and those contributing information need to be put in place.

Conclusion

As this article has shown, voluntary and technical communities have introduced a range of innovative technological solutions and working processes in the field of disaster

12 Harvard Humanitarian Initiative (2011) The Future of Information Sharing in Humanitarian Emergencies, p. 36. It is worth pointing out that voluntary and technical communities such as the Standby Task Force and members of Ushahidi are very actively engaging with this dilemma. Read the latest thinking on the verification of reports here: http://irevolution.net/2011/06/21/information-forensics/

13 A simulation organised by UN-OCHA allowed teams from voluntary and technical communities, including the Standby Task Force and the GIS Corps, to work on a scenario in which a cyclone had hit Samoa.

response. These solutions facilitate better access to real-time information and more efficient processing of information through micro-tasking. Most importantly, however, the tools presented can provide an opportunity for engaging with affected communities and feeding that information back to them through visualising it on a map. The article has also pointed out some key challenges that need to be addressed in order to make this tool more useful to operational humanitarian organisations such as the British Red Cross. For example, there is an urgent need to address questions around the safety of populations using sms to report their situation without being aware that this information will be plotted on a map. Moreover, it is important to ensure that it is clearly stated whether the purpose of using mapping tools is to collect real-life data in order to use it in response efforts and to outline the capacities of the responding organisation.

Nonetheless, the processes and technological solutions mentioned currently show great potential for use within a range of situations, including non-emergency contexts. For example, the BBC used Ushahidi to map tweets on which tube stations were down during a strike in 2010.14 In this context mapping tools were used to collect

14 Oliver, L. (2010) ‘BBC Using Ushahidi’s crowdmap to plot tube strikes’, http://www.journalism.co.uk/news/bbc-using-ushahidi-039-s-crowdmap-to-plot-tube-strikes/s2/a540447/. To access the map go to http://tubestrike.crowdmap.com/main.

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information and compare it to various other sources such as radio reports. To conclude, the initiatives mentioned above could provide a useful complement to current data collection efforts. If used as an additional, and not the sole source of information for response planning, real-time maps can definitely provide a useful additional dataset against which to compare official reports and according

to which further information can be sought. The use of social media and mapping tools to obtain real-time data is therefore a trend worth considering.

If you are interested in any further background information on the case studies or tools mentioned above please do not hesitate to get in touch with Clara Straimer Cstraimer@redcross.org.uk or the GIS Team GiS@redcross.org.uk.

CaSe StudY

USING SMS AND USHAHIDI TO MAP NEEDS IN HAITIExtract from ‘Media, Information Systems and Communities: Lessons from Haiti’

“The Ushahidi teams, supported by translators from the Haitian diaspora community in the US, gathered information from news reports and individuals about the most acute needs on the ground: rescue, food and water, and security, among others. The coordinates were placed on a map and made available to rescue and relief teams.

Soon they were able to include SMS texts in their bank of information. A few days after the quake, Digicel, one of Haiti’s leading telecom companies, agreed to offer a free short code (4636) for SMS texts in service of the relief efforts... The four-digit code enabled cell phone users to send free messages to central information centers about missing persons and emergency needs.”

15 Nelson, A., Sigal, I. and Zambrano, D. (2011) Media, Information Systems and Communities: Lessons from Haiti, The Knight Foundation. Available at: http://www.internews.eu/publications/media-information-systems-and-communities-lessons-haiti

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The PIMS Project team rolled out a new project management system to the International division in October 2011. One of the

decisions critical to the success of the project was an early focus on change management to ensure user acceptance and facilitate collective ownership of the new system. A key area of

learning has been how effective two-way communication, which provides a feedback mechanism, is really important to

user acceptance.

Senior leadership also plays a significant role in championing the change by driving acceptance from the top down, and

through incorporating project asks on the division into their teams’ objectives for the year. Effective training and post-release support

made users feel reassured both on the extent of change they could expect and their ability to cope with it. Having a clear, transparent

decision-making process through an established working group composed of representatives from across the division and providing

recommendations and pros and cons for each decision, facilitated quicker and more effective decision-making.

Meghnan Manaktala Project Support Officer

Suzy Crook Project Manager

International Programme Management & Information System (PIMS)

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4Learning from Exercise ParrotJanet Meehan Emergency Response and Resilience Support Manager

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Executive summary

On 5 and 6 October 2011, the south east of England experienced a 36 hour period of freak severe weather. During this time, the British Red Cross responded to a number of major incidents occurring simultaneously across all six Areas of the South Eastern territory. High winds and heavy rain caused significant flooding leading to a number of road traffic collisions, power outages, disrupted and gridlocked transport networks and the evacuation of many individuals and communities. Airports, railway stations and other public transport networks across the territory were significantly disrupted. A passenger ferry in the Solent capsized and a chemical tanker crashed off the motorway into one of the main railway lines to Stansted airport. Meanwhile, in central London a security alert required the evacuation of a large part of the theatre district in the early hours of the evening affecting both seasoned commuters and tourists alike.

Red Cross teams across the territory sprang into action in support of their partner agencies and over 450 volunteers and staff;

> Assisted local authorities with multiple rest centres which were opened to deal with town centre and residential areas being evacuated;

> Aided the evacuation of residential areas (including care homes) within flooded areas or exclusion zones;

> Supported stranded passengers at railways and airports;

> Made house calls to support vulnerable individuals affected by power cuts;

> Distributed water to residents where supplies had been cut off;

> Provided ambulance services with vehicles and crews to respond to calls;

> Dealt with over 200 evacuees arriving in the UK (including unaccompanied minors) from overseas following a natural disaster;

> Setup a disaster appeal for those affected by the capsized ferry;

> Established and staffed a telephone helpline for a local authority;

> Supported at rest centres, survivor reception centres, friends and family reception centre and a humanitarian assistance centre;

> Deployed FESS (fire and emergency support service) teams to assist those affected by floods, fires, power outages and road incidents;

> Provided first aid for a number of large public events including a sporting tournament for young people;

> Supplied mutual aid within, across, and outside of the territory for a number of incidents.

The British Red Cross also had to grapple with its own internal challenges: BRC buildings across the territory were subject to power cuts, fires, flooding, and IT disruption. Teams were unable to use all their resources because Red Cross vehicles were unreachable or declared unusable. Meanwhile teams were constrained, with a number of staff and volunteers being unable to respond as

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they were either on leave, off sick, stuck in the gridlocked traffic or otherwise physically unable to get to premises or the incident sites. Some of them were directly impacted themselves by the incidents or were supporting friends and/or family members who were caught up or affected by the day’s events.

The scale of the day’s events were so significant that even our CEO, Nick Young, got involved, visiting the survivor reception centre for those affected by the capsized ferry in the Solent. And who could forget the derogatory comments made by a volunteer in a TV interview resulting in the communications team having to put all their damage limitation plans into place...?

You may well be struggling to remember this series of events happening and if you are – don’t worry. We can reveal that it was, in fact, all made up and didn’t happen at all! The severe weather, events and responses were all part of Exercise Parrot and a small planning team had been busy designing and creating the scenario since January 2011.

This report highlights some learning points identified from Exercise Parrot; the main aim of which was to “validate existing plans by enabling staff and volunteers to practice (exercise) those plans or elements within them, identifying gaps which need to be highlighted and addressed.”

Background

As part of the Saving Lives, Changing Lives strategy, each territory is required to produce a territory emergency response plan which compliments local area plans and supports larger emergencies, and which also identifies the role of the territory in an emergency. Following the drafting of a south eastern territory plan in July 2010 and a short desk-top exercise in November 2010, for members of south eastern territory management team (TMT), a decision was

made to undertake a large-scale territory major incident exercise in October 2011. Whilst Areas regularly exercise on a local basis and alongside external partners, Exercise Parrot was the first territory-run exercise of this scale. Some of the key objectives defined included:

1. To use existing Area/territory plan(s) to provide an effective response to an emergency or a series of emergencies;

2. To use existing mutual aid plan to provide an effective response to an emergency or a series of emergencies;

3. To identify thresholds to the activation of mutual aid requests and offers;

4. To test business continuity plans;

5. To assess the level of awareness of safeguarding processes/procedures;

exeRCiSe PaRRot: SoMe StatiStiCS

PLANNING: 9 MONTHS PREPARATION, 13 MEETINGS, 7 PLANNERS

During 36 hours of response there were:

> 52 callouts received;

> Partner agencies respond to included: 11 local authorities, 2 police services, 7 fire and rescue services, 3 airports and 2 ambulance services;

> More than 100 staff and 450 volunteers deployed or on standby;

> 47 vehicles deployed/available for use;

> 349 emails were received by exercise control and 311 emails sent to players.

Note: These are exercise play figures. This excludes real incidents running in parallel which were counted separately.

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6. To assess the level of integration of youth services within the emergency response phase(s).

Whilst the scenarios and responses were fictitious they were broadly based on previous emergencies and incidents to which Red Cross teams have responded, with a bit of artistic licence thrown in for good measure. The majority of the incidents were essentially tailor-made to the Area teams and were accompanied by additional supporting injects which were the same for all Areas.

The response

No matter how much of a testing situation ‘players’ find themselves in at the time, participating in an exercise is just not the same as responding for real. However, significant efforts were made to stretch individuals and teams and to provide as much realism as possible in the circumstances.

Few people had prior knowledge of the exercise or the detail of its content. Most people only knew the date (if they knew anything at all) and only the seven members of the planning team had full insider knowledge of what was to be in store for volunteers and staff as they awoke on Wednesday 5th October 2011.

Many of the challenges were straightforward for teams who almost seamlessly put normal operating processes and procedures into place. Other activities were slightly more demanding and required teams to draw upon their collective knowledge, experience, skills and resourcefulness; ultimately ensuring that nothing thrown at them during the exercise was insurmountable. Players whole-heartedly embraced the challenge and displayed a genuine sense of motivation, enthusiasm and commitment to respond effectively. From that perspective alone the exercise was a great success and rewarding for all involved.

Whilst there were mixed views expressed after the event about how ‘real’ the incidents and scenarios were, to some extent the responses undertaken by the Areas and territory during the exercise were not made up and all of the teams really got into the spirit of the exercise. During one conference call there was apparently some nervous laughter as Area managers exchanged information about the various incidents and scenarios they were dealing with, followed by the inevitable discussions beginning “of course, if this had happened for real we would/wouldn’t have been able to....”

So, what did we learn?

A few of the key lessons are noted below. Space here does not allow for a detailed evaluation although a full learning report will be made available separately.

The experience of Exercise Parrot highlighted that using exercises is a valuable method to

undeRLYinG theMeS identified BY aReaS duRinG hot deBRief (FEEDBACK IMMEDIATELY AFTER THE EVENT)

(a) Please identify your top three things that went well?

> Teamwork; communication (within and across teams); the response (capacity, decision making, timely response)

(b) Please identify top three things you would do differently?

> Structure of the response teams; allocation of tasks and resources; system and process familiarisation/training

(c) Please identify your top three gaps in skills/knowledge?

> Processes; technology; information and awareness (for new, non-ER and longer serving members of staff/volunteers)

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enable volunteers and staff to learn, refresh and practise their skills plus, share their knowledge and experiences with others – and within a safe environment. A number of players were new to either the organisation or their roles and this exercise had been their first opportunity to get involved in a major incident response. Some of those who do not usually undertake emergency response (ER) roles on a day-to-day basis expressed a desire and willingness to get more involved in ER response activities having participated in and enjoyed the experience of the exercise.

Many of the usual processes, systems, plans and activation mechanisms worked well ‘on the day’. Inevitably – and as was the intention of the exercise – there are elements of these which now require review and update following the exercise and gaps have been identified to be addressed. Some processes need to be more integrated or embedded into plans and operations, particularly for those activities which are generally not implemented or activated during normal day-to-day

emergencies. For example, the processes for activating the Disaster Appeal Scheme were identified as not being widely understood across the territory.

Feedback indicated that not all players felt confident with processes for activating and requesting mutual aid. However mutual aid was called upon across the territory to support the response and in the main was requested due to insufficient capacity to cope using own (local) resources or were requests for subject/specialist knowledge. Of note, a couple of requests for mutual aid were declined by Areas, indicating that they were able to identify when they had reached capacity.16

Despite including scenarios to impact upon normal business operations, teams were still able to provide a response to beneficiaries.

16 In a real incident of this scale, there would likely have been increased endeavours to find alternative mutual aid from other Areas/territories for those requests which were rejected.

Crucially, it should be recognised that aside from playing in an exercise scenario, several Areas were also actively involved in responding to some real emergency incidents during the exercise period. In addition, having had no or few major responses to deal with in the lead up period, ironically, during the week of the exercise some area teams found themselves tested with the challenges of significantly high profile responses for real, ensuring our resources were well and truly tested in early October 2011.

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However, there were some challenges in relation to managing business continuity and emergency response processes side by side and with the same resources. One participant commented, “I think it needs to be made very clear that business continuity and emergency response are two different things and have separate processes.”

When asked what new skills people had acquired as a result of the exercise, the majority identified ‘technology’ and ‘processes’. Indeed, the majority of respondents providing feedback said they felt more confident in using plans, procedures and technology following the event.

Conclusion

Responding to emergencies is something the British Red Cross does well and Exercise Parrot demonstrated that the South Eastern territory team can congratulate itself on a job well done for its response during those two days. Even so, teams should not be complacent. We continue to look for ways to use our resources in the most effective and efficient ways; to ensure our beneficiaries are provided with the best possible response we can give.

There is always something to learn and improve. After all, identifying gaps within response plans and procedures was the whole point of the exercise.

Individuals and Areas have provided feedback for the detailed territory learning reports which will be shared with relevant teams across the organisation. Notwithstanding this exercise learning;

> Individuals identified some things they would do differently as a result of the exercise related to their own skills, knowledge and learning;

> Areas have identified specific parts

of plans to review, revise, adapt and update;

> The south eastern territory major incident plan will be reviewed and updated based on the experiences from the exercise;

> All of the exercise materials (scenario, paper and filmed media injects) will be made available for use and adaptation.

“Just feel the more we practise, the more comfortable and efficiently we will be able to respond to a real emergency.” Participant feedback

For more information, please contact Janet Meehan at JMeehan@redcross.org.uk

It is difficult to quantify the value of running such an exercise in numerical or fiscal terms. What is clear is that you cannot – and should not – underestimate the commitment of time, resources and management support (as well as the inevitable financial investment) required to plan and execute such an exercise.

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5Asylum seeker and refugee antenatal and postnatal needs assessmentChristopher Cambell Service Coordinator

Robert Sedgely Programme Manager

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Introduction

This article provides a summary of key learning that has been captured from a needs assessment that was carried out in Scotland on antenatal and postnatal needs of female asylum seekers and refugees. It outlines the background and findings of the project; as well as key lessons learned. Finally, the last section details the impact this learning is expected to have on organisational learning at the British Red Cross.

Project background

Through close working relationships between the Glasgow and Renfrewshire Health and Social Care Team and Glasgow Refugee Services, as well as networking with various external service providers, it was recognised that the antenatal and postnatal needs of asylum seeker and refugee women in the Greater Glasgow area were not being met and that this was a particularly vulnerable group.

Whilst there was anecdotal evidence of this need, a comprehensive Needs Assessment was conducted to identify the specific needs of this group, their levels of vulnerability, the gaps in current provision, and where the British Red Cross could potentially bridge these gaps. The needs assessment was completed in November 2011 and resulted in a pilot project gaining core funding to address the needs of this vulnerable group.

Findings

The key findings of the needs assessment were that asylum seekers and refugee (AS/R) women immediately before and after birth are a vulnerable client group. Issues such as separation from family and friends, having experienced trauma and sexual violence, limited English, lack of understanding of the systems services and entitlements, poverty and homelessness are very common. These vulnerabilities are often particularly acute during pregnancy and after childbirth. Therefore the needs assessment evidenced the need for additional support for this

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client group. It was recommended that a pilot Care in the Home (CITH) project be launched, with the pilot’s success determining if it would be possible to widen support to help other vulnerable women within the community.

Key Lessons Learned

The following provides a summary of key lessons learned, gained during the Needs Assessment process, and have been categorised into both constructive and positive examples.

Positive lessons learned

> The team felt that the Programme Cycle framework on RedRoom is fairly robust and helpful (with the exceptions noted under ‘constructive lessons learned’).

> Beneficiary engagement in the needs assessment proved critical, and should be incorporated in all needs assessments wherever possible.

> Working across several services was very beneficial in terms of understanding capacities, capabilities and potential solutions to both immediately identified beneficiary needs, as well as adding on additional services throughout service implementation.

> Support from the Programme Development Officer was vital to increasing the team’s capacity and capability to complete good quality needs assessments, allowing the team to replicate this in the future without ongoing support.

Areas for improvementand development

> The team was not easily able to identify where to go for support in conducting needs assessments, they really valued the support from the

Programme Development Officer (PDO) once identified. However this post comes to an end in March 2012.

> It was difficult to find real life examples of other similar needs assessments carried out within the Society.

> There was no guidance on costing models (when developing the needs assessment into a business case).

> Business Case guidance was not easily accessible (apart from via the PDO).

> The Responsibilities Model was used mid way through the process, rather than at the start and would have been better to have roles and responsibilities allocated by leading team members at the start of the process.

> The team was not aware of technical expertise available from such sources as the Research, Evaluation and Impact team i.e. evaluation guidance support.

> It would have been beneficial if there was a dedicated panel of “experts” who could identify best practice examples and make these available to others as good examples to follow/gain inspiration from.

Impact on OrganisationalLearning

The following are expected implications of the impact from learning captured during the needs assessment process.

> The team will have greater capacity and capability in conducting needs assessments and beneficiary participation to support future service development.

> There will be an enhanced level of working with other service teams that will be more cohesive and further integrated.

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> There will be a greater ability, amongst service teams and across geographical areas, to share best practice and learning.

> There is a greater awareness in teams of British Red Cross services, which it is hoped will assist in the creation of further unique and tailored service that more fully address beneficiary need.

Conclusion

In summary, both Health and Social Care and Refugee Services teams felt they learned a lot from the needs assessment process. They reiterated the importance of beneficiary engagement and highlighted that they felt more emphasis should be incorporated within the way we work.

The teams valued the tools available, including logframes, stakeholder analysis and the responsibilities model. However they felt it would have helped more if previously identified real life and successful examples of good practice needs assessments were made available on Redroom.

For more information about the needs assessment, please contact Robert Sedgley at RSedgley@redcross.org.uk

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6Research and learning in the first aid education department 2011Emily Oliver Senior Education Advisor

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Background

March 2011 saw the publication of the first consensus produced by the International Liaison Committee on Resuscitation (ILCOR) on International First Aid and Resuscitation. It will make an important contribution to achieving coherence in practice and education, as well as making first aid credible among some of those who continue to remain sceptical of its value. It’s a useful reminder that the status of the Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement as the world’s leading provider of first aid education is dependent on our practice being ‘clinically accurate’, and this document provides us with this.

However, in terms of education and training, we have to ensure what we teach is both clinically accurate and educationally sound, and it is here we have a mismatch. The 2011 guidelines considered 711 studies, of which 707 were pure clinical studies and only 4 looked at education methodology.

But 2011 has seen a serious ramping up of resources channelled into first aid research at the British Red Cross, and the First Aid Education team has been focusing on the development of educational methodology. We’ve been testing new approaches as well as analysing existing ones. To summarise the specific projects, we have:

> Tested the links between community resilience and first aid training, and have now entered the next phase of this by testing resilience following group learning as opposed to individual learning;

> Looked at the assessment of our first aid at work programmes and tested methods to make the assessment less intimidating;

> Embarked on a difficult study into propensity to act and how best to increase the helping behaviour of people who learn through us;

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> Continued to develop, implement and review our work on first aid education outcomes;

> Tested the ability of young children to learn first aid, and produced a high quality report and resource which explains which bits of first aid children can learn at what age, and how best to teach them.

We are doing this because, as leaders of first aid education in the world, we need to constantly drive up standards, be modern in our delivery, adapt to changing social circumstances and demonstrate the value and relevance of first aid education. Indeed, the production of Everyday First Aid, our newest education package, results from research showing a lack of time and prioritisation of learning first aid, as well as failure of recall of skills taught in a more technical and complex way.

What have we learnt in 2011?

BRC Areas and Red Cross Training have been fundamental to our ability to test aspects of our education and to collect data. Ultimately, it is those who deliver first aid education to the public who should benefit from our research and the analysis that we can provide. Results and analysis of what we have so far (and some of the above mentioned projects are not yet complete or evaluated) show that:

> If you are taught first aid as a group, your community is likely to exhibit features of resilience such as knowing someone to go to for first aid help and being able to rely on each other to provide first aid in an emergency.

> Our current measures for monitoring confidence and willingness to act are not as robust as we would like, and could be improved to support outcome measurement.

> What, why and how we measure, monitor and manage outcomes are interdependent

and that failing on any aspect of these affects the quality of them all.

> Children as young as five years old can learn first aid, and that as children get older, they can quickly learn and deliver new first aid skills.

> Teachers with little or no first aid training themselves can deliver first aid education to children using our resources.

Results such as these will lead us forward, as will the evaluations of propensity to act which we have not yet finished. The more we learn, the more we can tweak our education offer to make it more effective and more relevant. The results of these studies pave the way for future ones, such as the effectiveness of first aid treatment itself, the effectiveness of skills recall after different learning experiences and the best blend of learning that can lead to the most effective and lasting recall of skills.

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What is planned for 2012?

Plans to keep on learning and improving through research are on the cards for 2012. In particular:

> Evaluating the results of the propensity to act testing, and then communicating and implementing the changes we want to make in light of the findings;

> Undertaking a new and exciting piece of work to assess links between first aid applications and the outcome of people needing emergency medical care;

> Refining our evaluation methods for outcomes;

> Preparing to undertake a study on recall rates for different types and blends of first aid learning.

However, also important to our progress in first aid education is the need for wider recognition of it. As part of our research programme we plan to make inroads to the publication of our studies. This is particularly important if the methodologies that we refine are to be recognised as valuable by future international collaboration on first aid. Seeking to publish our material might lead us to develop our research differently. For example, there will be more of an onus on us to get wider geographical and demographic coverage for testing. Consequently, this programme of improvement is dependent on the collaboration and cooperation of both national and local staff and volunteers.

For more information, please contact Emily Oliver at eoliver@redcross.org.uk

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7Learning from the Swerve ProjectRosie Walters Swerve Project Manager

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Background

The Swerve Project, part of the British Red Cross humanitarian education program, was funded by Allen & Overy and vinvolved. It consisted of four projects in schools in Avon and Wiltshire, using the Justice and Fairness teaching resources to promote understanding of International Humanitarian Law amongst young people in the area. The Swerve Project commenced in April 2010 and culminated in an Area youth symposium, bringing students from all four schools together in February 2011.

Choice of Schools for the Project

The Swerve Project took place in two schools in Wiltshire and two schools in Bristol. Various factors were taken into account when selecting the schools to make sure that the project was relevant to participating students. Where possible, data was collected on levels of deprivation by ward, crime rates and in particular, rates of violent crime.

Both of the Wiltshire schools – Nova Hreod College and Greendown Community School – are located in Swindon. Data from the Wiltshire and Swindon Crime and Drugs Audit of 2004 shows that both crime rates and levels of social deprivation are significantly higher in some wards in Swindon than in other areas of Wiltshire.17 A Swindon Brief, produced by the GOSW Regional Intelligence Team, states that the overall rate of crime in Swindon is higher than both the South West rate and the rate for England and Wales.18 It also states that 8 of Swindon’s 119 Lower Super Output Areas (LSOAs) are amongst the most deprived 10% nationally, including three wards bordering Moredon, which contains Nova Hreod College.

Rates of violent crime were also considered as an indicator of how likely students were to encounter conflict in their community or in their own lives. The Crime and Drugs Audit shows high volumes of violent offences

17 Wiltshire and Swindon Crime & Drugs Audit, October 2004

18 www.gos.gov.uk/497666/docs/220636/309014/swinstatbrf.doc

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in Moredon (containing Nova Hreod) and many of the wards surrounding it. The ward of Freshbrook and Grange Park, containing Greendown Community School, was one of the four most affected wards in Swindon in regards to violent domestic offences.

In Bristol, the project took place in City Academy, in the St George ward in central Bristol, and at The Grange School in the Siston parish of South Gloucestershire. In selecting these two schools, one of the documents consulted was Avon and Somerset Constabulary’s Knife Crime in Bristol (August 2008).19 This report shows that four of the five knife crime hotspots in Bristol are all within a 1–2 kilometre distance of City Academy. These knife crime hotspots are strongly linked to drug markets in these areas.

The report found that one third of recorded crime and one quarter of all hospital admissions in Bristol come from the Lawrence Hill, Ashley and Easton wards (again within a 1–2 kilometre distance of the school). Furthermore, the most recent Bristol City Council Quality of Life Survey (2008) found that 22.9 per cent of residents in St George West – the ward containing City Academy – had been victims of crime in the last 12 months.20 The survey also found that just 34.1 per cent of the ward’s population feel safe when outside in their neighbourhood after dark, which is the second lowest percentage in all of the wards of Bristol. The Knife Crime in Bristol report concluded that knife use amongst pupils in secondary schools in Bristol is not common and there is no indication or a rising trend, however it also stated that “levels would appear to be highest at the City Academy” (p. 6). The second Bristol school was The Grange School in Warmley, South Gloucestershire. Here, the South Gloucestershire Council

19 This is a restricted document, provided by the constabulary’s Youth Offending Team.

20 http://www.bristol.gov.uk/ccm/content/Council-Democracy/Statistics-Census-Information/indicators-of-the-quality-of-life-in-bristol.en?page=3

Children and Young People’s Plan: Needs Assessment of 2008 was consulted.21 It shows that three of the most deprived wards in South Gloucestershire are within 2–3 miles of Warmley, and neighbouring Kingswood was found to be the “most deprived locality in South Gloucestershire” (p. 10). In South Gloucestershire as a whole, 26 per cent of children and young people reported that they had been bullied at least twice within a four week period, and 25 per cent said that bullying was the thing they were most worried about (p. 25).

It is clear from the research conducted that a project exploring the themes of justice and fairness in conflict is extremely relevant to certain communities in Bristol and Swindon, and the Swerve Project was able to target some of the young people in these areas.

Outcomes

> Over the course of the project, 59 young people in the four schools attended workshops based on Modules 1–3 of the Justice and Fairness resources. 58 of these students then devised peer education projects to share their understanding of International Humanitarian Law (IHL) with others. The projects reached approximately 1,070 students in schools and an estimated 400 members of the public.

> All of the students were asked to complete a quiz on IHL before and after the project to gauge their increase in understanding of the topic. Before the Swerve Project, 22.7 per cent of responses given were correct. At the end of the project, 76.8 per cent of students’ responses were correct, representing a 239 per cent increase.

> An evaluation wheel was used to measure students’ progress in other fields, for

21 South Gloucestershire Council, Children and Young People’s Plan: Needs Assessment (2008). http://www.southglos.gov.uk/NR/rdonlyres/4A7F1B9D-E814-4E50-AD41-A3CC1B3DC1DB/0/CYP080170.pdf

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example, confidence in teaching others, team work and tolerance of others’ opinions, and propensity to support the Red Cross in the future. Students were asked to rate themselves on all of these points before and after the project. The results show a 33 per cent increase in students’ rating of their own confidence, an 18 per cent increase in their team work skills and tolerance of others’ opinions and a 20 per cent increase in willingness to get involved in further Red Cross activities.

> In total, 12 young volunteers were recruited to help with the Swerve Project. In the volunteers’ evaluation of the project, they gave an average rating of 9 out of 10 for their overall experience. One young intern was recruited to the project, who worked on evaluating and publicising the Swerve Project in one of the schools in Bristol. At the end of the project, volunteers were asked in exit interviews whether they had gained any skills from the experience and they cited the following: “confidence, understanding of IHL, experience working with young people, experience being part of a team and advocacy.”

> In feedback forms, teachers were asked to give their level of agreement to a series of statements about the project and gave extremely positive feedback. All five teachers involved in the project chose “strongly agree” (the highest rating) in response to the statements: “I feel that students benefited from participating in the Swerve Project” and “The school would like to participate in other British Red Cross humanitarian education projects in future.”

Ways to Sustain or Build onthe Swerve Project

> Dissemination of the Justice and Fairness modules internally through updates and bulletins; ensuring that all Youth & Schools managers in the territory are

aware of the modules and feel confident using them

> Ongoing training of volunteers in the delivery and promotion of the Justice and Fairness resources

> Continuing to distribute promotional leaflets for the Justice and Fairness resources at all teacher and trainee teacher events in the area

> Supporting schools to continue the project themselves, as one school has already expressed an interest in doing, through provision of lesson plans and Powerpoint presentations

Key Learning Points

> Future projects should aim to create opportunities for young volunteers in central Bristol, where possible, because it is clear from volunteer feedback that the frequent bus journeys to Warmley, even when refunded, represent a barrier to young people volunteering. The two Youth Integration Assistants in Wiltshire, Avon and Gloucestershire also feel that the formal language used in volunteer role descriptions and advertisements could be a barrier to young people applying to take part and this would need to be addressed in future projects.

> In the time that elapsed between volunteer recruitment and the start of the projects, two of the volunteers’ situations had changed and they were no longer in a position to volunteer. This was mostly due to the time needed for Criminal Records Bureau disclosures to be returned. In future projects, young volunteers should be able to start volunteering immediately on other activities that do not require a CRB check. This would help to make sure that no willing young volunteers are lost to bureaucracy.

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> In the two schools where students applied to take part in the project, the final quizzes show that students engaged more with the project and retained more of their learning on International Humanitarian Law. In future projects, where students show less willingness to participate in the project, perhaps more could be done to adapt the teaching methodologies used to help ensure that students retain the information presented. However, an increase in understanding of IHL was not the only desired outcome of the project and the impact on less engaged students was still significant in other ways, as shown by students’ own evaluation wheels.

> The collaboration between the Positive Images and Swerve projects at The Grange School was a resounding success. Year 12 students participating in the project created an interactive exhibition full of educational activities on the themes of conflict and migration. Younger students attending the exhibition were given an identity to assume during the exhibition and then travelled through a conflict zone, across a border and into their destination country in character. The exhibition helped to teach 270 younger students about two of our humanitarian education themes and allowed the Year 12 students to be extremely creative with their peer education projects. An article on the exhibition also featured in the Bristol Evening Post.

Conclusion

The Swerve Project had a significant impact on the lives of 13 young volunteers and 58 peer educators, and reached an estimated 1,470 people with projects on the themes of justice and fairness in conflict. The feedback from school students, teachers and volunteers has all been extremely positive and when suggestions for minor improvements have been made, they have been taken into account and altered whenever possible. Evaluation shows that these 58 students now have a good understanding of International Humanitarian Law and feel much more confident about presenting their learning to others. As discussed in the key learning points, the evaluation highlighted some areas for improvement and these will help feed into future educational projects in the area.The project has been entirely youth led, with a project manager under the age of 25, twelve young volunteers and one intern. The young volunteers have been involved in planning the project throughout and have been able to make an invaluable contribution. The project has drawn on the unique enthusiasm and skills of young people, and their ability to build a rapport with the school students and this has been one of its greatest successes.

For more information about the Swerve Project, please contact Rosie Walters at RWalters@redcross.org.uk

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I have worked on Life. Live it, a campaign to teach 11–16 year olds first aid skills, since 2010. My key learning from project

managing campaigns at the British Red Cross come down to two things: time management and managing relationships.

It is important to set clear key and achievable milestones within a realistic timeframe. But to also build in a contingency and possible

slippage time in case any unforseen obstacles come up. This is particularly important if working with third parties. This was

highlighted when working on producing the Life. Live it. film for cinemas. We had a fixed date to get the film into cinemas and

required authorisation from the Cinema Advertising Authority (CAA). The film was initially rejected by the CAA requiring us to re-edit and resubmit. The CAA was only open on one day a week and did not

respond to phone calls so the extra time in planning was invaluable in meeting our deadline.

The second key learning from my experience is that managing relationships both internally and externally is crucial for success. It is important to update everyone even if there isn’t anything much

to say – to keep people in the loop and channels of communication open. Good working relationships ultimately to get the best results.

Paul donnellyCampaigns Manager

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8Views from the inside: commissioning priorities in Health and Social CareLiz Urben Head of Health and Social Care

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The commissioning process is changing. In England, NHS decision-making is shifting from PCTs to GP consortia, and in Scotland new commissioning models are being explored which could change the way services are delivered.

The British Red Cross corporate strategy for Health and Social Care 2012 – 2015 states, “We will help vulnerable people recover from health or social crises, and live with dignity and independence in their own homes.”22 The strategy also outlines an intention to grow and develop this service.

In 2011, three pieces of research (two in England and one covering Scotland) were carried out for the British Red Cross in order to capture commissioners’ experiences and views.23 This work aimed to examine current commissioning practices for Care in the Home services and explore future commissioning priorities in order to scope out potential areas of development for the BRC. The research also intended to gain a better understanding of how the Red Cross is perceived in this field.24

What are commissioners’key priorities?

The overarching aim of supporting people to remain independent is currently at the core of commissioning decisions, and this is likely to remain the case for the foreseeable future. In Scotland, priorities are driven by

22 Saving Lives, Changing Lives: Our strategy 2012- 2015, British Red Cross, London 2009, p.7

23 Care in the Home Commissioners, IFF Research, 2011; Study of Care in the Home Commissioning, IFF Research 2011; Care in the Home Commissioning Environment Scotland, Emma Naismith 2011.

24 Research methods & coverage: A survey was carried out with 169 Local Authority and NHS commissioners in England and 3 in-depth interviews with GP Consortia commissioners. 14 in-depth interviews with LA and NHS commissioners were also carried out in England. In Scotland, 8 interviews were carried out with BRC staff and 11 interviews with LA and NHS commissioners. All studies included commissioners who do currently commission BRC services and those who don’t.

the Government’s strategic objectives to shift the balance of care, delivering person centred services as close to home as clinically appropriate.25

Three specific priorities were evident across the board:

1. Developing prevention strategies and avoidance of unnecessary admissions into hospital – Initiatives supporting this will become increasingly important and are envisaged to be a major future priority for commissioners. For example, exploring better options for falls response and prevention.

2. Expanding the provision of time-limited re-ablement services – This was seen as critical to help “get the end user back on their feet” either when they have been discharged from hospital or when there is a risk of them needing to be admitted to hospital. Some commissioners agreed that lower cost services (e.g. help with practical tasks and confidence building) can work in synergy with the intensive re-ablement, as an overall package, to enable service users to remain independent. However, a pressure on resources was also acknowledged as a barrier to expanding all kinds of provision.

3. Ensuring flexible, personalised care – The personalisation agenda is a big influence on commissioners and is driving a shift in the emphasis of care from fixed, condition-centred care to flexible, person-centred care. Fixed care package offers are no longer acceptable, they need to be tailored and responsive to individual needs.

other priority areas mentioned by commissioners included: minimising delayed discharges; dementia care provision; relief support for carers; re-ablement services for people with chronic conditions; and emphasising choice and control in social

25 Shifting the Balance of Care: A Summary Report, Scottish Government, 2008.

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care support (including more people using personalised budgets).

What are commissionerslooking for?

The key criteria commissioners reported that they are looking for in procuring a service are:

> Quality – This is assessed by benefits to the service users, e.g. user feedback, CQC ratings or from referees.

> Value for money – This is also assessed by the above as well as the absence of complaints about a service for the commissioner to deal with.

> Added value – This could involve several strands: volunteers; community engagement; enhanced provision (without charge); and cross-service working.

Commissioners want flexibility (to respond to the personalisation agenda) and variety through the provision of a wider range of services to meet a growing breadth of demand. Alongside robust monitoring systems, commissioners in Scotland reported looking for innovation & creativity (particularly in lower cost interventions), added value and clever ways of using volunteers to enhance staff-led services.

In the survey of commissioners in England, we asked commissioners which elements of a care package were essential (from a list of 14 different items, excluding personal care). Commissioners most commonly cited the following:

1. The ability to tailor provision to service user’s individual budgets

2. Seven day cover (i.e. the ability to visit seven days a week)

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3. Referring the service user to other resources in the community

4. First contact with the service user in under 24 hours

The research in Scotland reported a likely increase in service contracts for external providers over the next few years (rather than the traditional home care services delivered by the local authority). It was also noted that different commissioners have different approaches to commissioning. Some are very procurement centred (dedicated to the process) and others want more flexibility in how they bring in external providers. However, most of the commissioners interviewed were committed to dialogue and partnership working and open to ideas.

What do commissioners thinkof the British Red Cross?

Commissioners gave reasons why they would consider commissioning the BRC Care in the Home service and they also highlighted some of the barriers to doing so.

Strengths included: a high quality service; good reputation and trust; flexibility; and a real commitment to the client group. In Scotland, commissioners reported a real strength in being able to meet needs in rural areas (where they are more reliant on volunteer-run services) and being able to deliver more complex packages of care.Commissioners were positive about volunteers. Some said that services run entirely by staff were less appealing. Volunteers were considered more cost- effective and as providing a vital link to the local community (provided they are adequately trained, CRB checked and

committed for the long-term). Note that generally, volunteers were deemed suitable for ‘low key’ activities such as befriending, providing reassurance, gardening and shopping – but not suitable for intimate personal care.

Barriers for commissioners included: a lack of awareness of exactly what we offer; other similar services already being used; a lack of budget; or that they’re not looking for a Care in the Home type of service.

Conclusions

Overall, the research shows that the Red Cross is in a good position and current commissioners tend to be positive about the BRC service. Supporting people to remain independent is likely to remain a core commissioning priority largely due to pressure on resources, as well as acknowledging the benefit for service users. In Scotland, the market is likely to expand. We need to keep aware of the current discourse and strategic direction of travel in order to focus on meeting commissioners’ needs and priorities.

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9Reflections on the General Assembly and International ConferenceMichael Meyer Head of International Law

Claire Clement International Law Advisor

Vicky Peterkin Vice Chair of the Board of Trustees

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In November 2011, Geneva – the geographical heartland of the Red Cross and Red Crescent – hosted some important events in the Movement’s calendar: the 31st International Conference of the Red Cross and Red Crescent and the Council of Delegates.

The statutory meetings attracted over 1,600 delegates, from as far afield as Fiji, Kazakhstan, the Maldives (the most recent country to be recognised as a National Society) and Burundi, who came together with the aim of making progress in strengthening disaster laws, addressing inequitable access to health care – for women and children in particular – and migration. The two meetings were attended by a delegation of top figures from the British Red Cross, included our CEO, Nick Young, and Chair of the Board of Trustees, James Cochrane, as well as a BRC youth representative, and a small group of trustees and senior staff.

In this article, two members of the British Red Cross delegation, Michael Myer, Head of International Law, and Vicky Peterkin, Vice Chair of the Board of Trustees, share some insights into what it is like preparing for and attending the meetings and why they are important.

Background

by Michael Myer & Claire Clement

Every two and four years respectively, two important International Statutory Meetings of the International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement are held. The first, held every two years, is the Council of Delegates, the forum at which representatives of all the Movement components meet to discuss matters relating to their humanitarian work.26 The second, held every four years, is the International Conference of the Red Cross and Red Crescent, the supreme deliberative body for the Movement, during which Red Cross and Red Crescent organisations meet with representatives of the 194 States Parties to the 1949 Geneva Conventions. This meeting is held in order to examine and decide upon humanitarian matters of common interest. As a regular officially recognised forum bringing together the components of the Movement and all Governments, the International Conference is a unique feature of the Movement, setting us apart from other humanitarian organisations.

In late November 2011, both of the above Statutory Meetings took place in Geneva (preceded by the General Assembly of the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies). The meetings were the culmination of many months and, in some cases, years of consultation on the topics to be examined and the decisions to be tabled for adoption (normally called ‘resolutions’). The British Red Cross (BRC) was very active in these preparations, contributing to various consultations on draft resolutions and, in relation to the International Conference, liaising with the UK Government to ensure a consistent and transparent approach. Like almost all other Movement organisations, the BRC sent a delegation both to the Council of Delegates and the International Conference, comprised of a

26 The Council of Delegates is not a “governing body”: the Movement has no central authority. Each component has its own legal identity, structure and role. All components are independent of one another.

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number of Trustees, Senior Managers and key specialist staff.

The sheer scale of the Council of Delegates and the International Conference should not be under-estimated. As remarked upon by Nick Young on returning from Geneva, the convening of 187 National Societies (and others) in a single location, “united in the concept, the majestic idea of the Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement, its principles and values, and its extraordinary life-saving work” is an incredible sight.27 The meetings are as much about personal interactions as they are about processes, international issues and institutional development.

In general, the International Statutory Meetings are an important occasion for the British Red Cross to influence and support Movement debates and initiatives, and meet with key National Society partners and colleagues in the Federation Secretariat and the ICRC. In particular, the International Conference provides a valuable opportunity to reaffirm the special auxiliary relationship of the BRC to the UK Government. The resolutions adopted at the meetings have

27 CEO’s Memorandum on the International Statutory Meetings, 6 December 2011

significant implications for the direction of the Movement in the following years. Below is a summary of the major lessons learned from the BRC’s involvement in each of these fora.

2011 Council of Delegates

The 2011 Council of Delegates was held over a single day and directly preceded the International Conference. Movement components were presented with a number of challenging topics to discuss and debate.

One of the most challenging of these topics was the first agenda item on “Working towards the elimination of nuclear weapons”. For many months prior to the Council of Delegates, the BRC had been involved in numerous consultations on this topic with other Movement colleagues. As an issue of humanitarian concern, but also one with major political and strategic implications, the BRC consistently promoted the need for a careful and considered position. By the time of the Council, it was clear that, due to a significant divergence of views among components of the Movement, the BRC would be unable to secure sufficient changes to the text of the draft resolution to ensure

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that, in our view, it was both legally accurate and practically achievable. Consequently, during the discussion on this resolution at the Council of Delegates, the BRC delegation stated its intention not to participate in the consensus (i.e. effectively to abstain from the decision), an approach that had been endorsed by the BRC Board in the weeks prior to the Council. At the same time, the BRC’s Chairman made a short statement to the Council, explaining our concerns about the text of the resolution, and confirming that, in spite of these particular challenges, we would continue to engage with relevant partners (including, most importantly, the UK Government) on the general agreed objective of working towards the eventual elimination of nuclear weapons.

These above actions by the BRC caused some excitement at the Council (normally all decisions are agreed by consensus with little or no dissension).28 A number of Movement colleagues indicated afterwards that, although they did not necessarily agree with our views, they respected our approach, which was recognised as being both principled and carefully considered. It was also recognised that the BRC had been entirely transparent and consistent in its views throughout the consultation process on the resolution, a fact which was reflected in the public statement made by the BRC at the Council. While the full implications of the BRC’s non-participation in the decision are yet to become apparent, in general the BRC will not seek to give effect to the text of the resolution (in particular, those parts that encourage public advocacy activities on this issue by National Societies).

Although it is somewhat difficult so soon after the Council of Delegates to capture the many specific learning points arising out of this matter, in general, it is hoped that the BRC’s approach will serve to enhance our reputation

28 In the Council of Delegates each National Society, the ICRC and the International Federation has one vote. Decisions are normally by consensus.

as an active and thoughtful contributor to the development of Movement positions that are practical and achievable. In addition, it is hoped that our actions have demonstrated the BRC’s strong belief in the ongoing relevance of Movement for a such as the Council of Delegates, as well as our intention to implement decisions of the International Statutory Meetings in good faith. Finally, and importantly, it is hoped that, in not being afraid to stand alone on an issue of principle, the BRC has set a good example to Movement partners of institutional courage and integrity.

31st International Conference ofthe Red Cross and Red Crescent

The 31st International Conference saw 1,714 delegates from across the globe converge on Geneva for four days of plenary sessions, workshops and a myriad of associated events and meetings. The Conference adopted nine resolutions on a variety of topics of humanitarian concern. A central purpose of the International Conference is to contribute to the respect for and development of international humanitarian law (IHL); consequently, a number of resolutions are focused on this topic.

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It is worth noting that the total number of resolutions was reduced prior to the Conference, with some being amalgamated, due to concerns about over-crowding the agenda. In general, future Statutory Meetings should, at the outset, aim to adopt a small number of high quality decisions (a learning point acknowledged both by the BRC and by UK government officials). It would also help if there were greater co-ordination between the ICRC and the International Federation during the preparation stage (currently each organisation creates entirely separate resolutions), to ensure a more coherent and streamlined agenda.

Regarding the preparations for the International Conference, there are several lessons worthy of reflection. First, it was very helpful that the ICRC and the International Federation consulted National Societies and Governments on the agenda topics and related documents earlier than in previous years. This provided a valuable opportunity for the BRC to contribute to the development of many of the final resolutions and related background papers. In taking full advantage of this extended consultation process, it is no

exaggeration to say that the BRC’s views were reflected in the various texts to a greater extent than ever before. This point of process is also true for many of the resolutions of the Council of Delegates.

The BRC’s well-established contacts with all the major Conference actors (including the UK Government, the ICRC and the International Federation) helped us to have wide influence during the consultation process. For example, the BRC was able to provide input into UK (Government) thinking on various draft documents. The manner of our liaison with the UK authorities (confidential dialogue and a supportive approach) enabled such open and productive relations.

An area in which the preparatory process could be improved is the manner in which the many draft documents were circulated to Conference members (the same is true for the Council of Delegates preparations). In the months prior to the Conference and the Council of Delegates, an avalanche of drafts were forwarded to National Societies and governments – some documents going through five or more draft versions before being finalised, and all requiring careful scrutiny and often extensive comments. Better planning of the consultation process (in particular by the Federation, who at times appeared to issue drafts without following any discernable timetable or structure) would allow for more timely and better engagement by stakeholders. In spite of these challenges, the BRC’s own delegation was very well-prepared for the Conference – a testament to the hard work undertaken by colleagues across the Society in putting together the many briefs.

Integral to the success of the BRC at the Conference was the strong and consistent liaison with the UK Government. This engagement also had a positive effect at the Council of Delegates. For example, the BRC’s Head of International Law, who was part of the informal working group for the Council of Delegates on the draft resolution concerning the implementation of the Memorandum of Understanding between the Israeli Magen

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David Adom and the Palestine Red Crescent Society, was able to liaise with the British Ambassador leading the UK Government delegation to the Conference, who had been appointed to the role of Vice Chair of the International Conference responsible for political issues. This engagement proved to be very helpful in dealing with this particularly sensitive matter, both at the Council of Delegates and later at the International Conference. On a more general note, the interactions between the BRC and UK Government delegations were extensive, open and mutually supportive. This good will, built up over many years, will help to ensure the smooth implementation of the decisions taken at the Conference.

Conclusion

In general, the 2011 International Statutory Meetings were considered to be very successful for the BRC. Much of this is due to the extensive preparations for each topic undertaken by colleagues from across the organisation, as well as the timely interventions and useful engagement by the BRC delegation during the meetings themselves. In showing itself to be an active and thoughtful partner both prior to and during the meetings, the BRC has further enhanced its reputation as a leading and influential National Society.

There is no doubt that the International Statutory Meetings generate a significant amount of work for the BRC (in terms of preparation, participation and follow-up). However, the decisions made at these fora have a significant impact on the work of the Society, and carry important implications for the direction of the Movement in the ensuing years. It is therefore vital that the BRC work with the UK Government and Movement partners to ensure that the resolutions adopted are of a high quality and, where they impose obligations, these are both realistic and achievable.

viCkY PeteRkin

“I was very fortunate to have the chance to attend the General Assembly of the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent societies in Geneva for a very packed 24 hours in November 2011.

I arrived at the vast conference hall in the middle of the budget debate to the news that ‘James [Cochrane, the Chair of the British Red Cross] is about to intervene’. Our delegation along with the American, Canadian and Australian Red Cross wished to exert influence on the size of the budget for Disaster Management.

My heart had sunk slightly when I realised I would arrive when accounts and budget were the main items on the agenda, but it was fascinating to see the process involved in making a point from the floor of the auditorium and how the four aforementioned Societies had pre-arranged to challenge, in unison, this important aspect of the budget. ‘Four interventions with the same message had a better chance of achieving influence,’ I was told. Tadateru Konoé the President chaired proceedings in a very relaxed manner; he had a dry sense of humour. We were ‘Royaume Unis’, situated between Rwanda and Roumanie.

Nick Young spoke and answered questions on fundraising, as he presented the Resource Mobilisation Strategy. The President’s introduction was, ‘How to stay Young financially’. Nick’s message was so eloquent that the British Red Cross was congratulated on having such an energetic Head of Fundraising. Fielding questions he emphasised that all National Societies have a duty to fundraise at least to cover running costs and that there is a need for Societies to ask their citizens for funds.

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Workshops were more informal, the first I went to was on branding, Phil Talbot was presenting. Does the IFRC have one, two or three brands to promote, the Red Cross, the Red Crescent and the Red Cross/Crescent?

Then on to Volunteer Development, where I encountered an interesting conundrum. A lady from Fiji queried our system of representation. In her Red Cross, volunteers don’t vote for the elected trustees, members who pay membership fees and thus supply funds to run the organisation do vote. She was surprised that the British Red Cross works in reverse. Volunteers have a vote and donors don’t. Food for thought.

A workshop on Resilience confirmed the discussion I had had the previous day with Keith Shipman that the Movement is still working on a precise definition of resilience.

But the highlight was a wonderful dinner, hosted by James for delegates from our partner National Societies in Africa. Slightly weary on arrival some of our guests had settled themselves in seats round the edge of the room. I thought we might have to work hard to inject a bit of party spirit. Sitting round a table with food and drink worked its magic and I met some truly remarkable people.

The legendary Theresa, President of the Liberian Red Cross, was attending the assembly for the last time. It was claimed that with a band of women, she had been responsible for the signing of peace agreements in her country, after a bitter civil war, by locking the negotiators into a room together and refusing to let them out for whatever reason, including calls of nature, until a peace deal had been signed.

By the end of the evening there were speeches, exchange of gifts, singing; a truly memorable event.

More time spent in plenary the next day. James kindly invited me to have lunch with him and Mark Akio, Chairman of the South Sudan Red Cross. Fascinating to hear about the journey this new Society to be is taking in a new country, as a Red Cross Act needs to be passed in their parliament and South Sudan signs up to the Geneva Convention.

It was a great experience to see the IFRC at work, to meet some of our own international staff, to spend a little time with Heather Fitzke our youth delegate and yet again to have my horizons widened thanks to the British Red Cross.”

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I think the British Red Cross is great at learning from experience, and at providing an environment where learning is appreciated

and people are empowered. There are so many examples in our international work. This includes applying lessons from a high

quality cyclone Sidr recovery programme in Bangladesh in 2007 so that our next response there in 2009 could adopt innovative

programming approaches which led to better outcomes for those affected.

We could, though, be better at drawing on the experiences and knowledge of other organisations. As part of the Red Cross Movement, we have a tendency to consult with other Red Cross actors and to forget that there is a world beyond. I would like us

to challenge ourselves to listen to different voices and draw on different experiences… who knows what might result?

Sorcha o’CallaghanHead of Humanitarian Policy

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10Supporting the IFRC’s review of early warning systems delayed responseMary Atkinson Economic Security Adviser

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Introduction

In 2010, the British Red Cross instigated and financially supported an International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC) review of recent appeals to address food crises in the East Africa region. The review was prompted by a concern about their effectiveness and a desire to prevent a repetition of any mistakes.

Background to food crisesin the Horn

The review was based on an understanding of the complexities of food crises in the Horn region, which are outlined below.

Even in a “better” year in terms of climatic factors and agricultural production, significant numbers of people in the region are in crisis. For example, at least 9% (7.5 m) of the Ethiopian population are unable to meet their basic needs for food, and so require assistance on an annual basis. Such needs are therefore chronic and hence predictable.

What is unpredictable however, is who, where and how many people become temporarily food insecure each year. This varies according to shocks and stresses, most notably climatic factors (drought, floods, hail etc.), degree of conflict, and more recently, prices of food and fuel. In this sense, the division between temporary immediate “acute” and longer term continuous “chronic” needs are blurred.

Drought is not new to the region and is cyclical and hence, also predictable. What has changed in recent years however, is that increasing numbers of people have become less able to cope with some unable to cope even with the hardship of a normal dry season. The underlying causes of this vulnerability are complex and include rising population numbers, increasing poverty, HIV/AIDS, climatic changes, environmental degradation, and other social, economic and political factors. This means that the number in crisis has been increasing and now tends to be around 18–20 million people across the Horn of Africa region each year. In addition to annual variations in hunger, food insecurity

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is also seasonal in nature, peaking during the rainy season in the summer months before the main harvest when food reserves are at their lowest and cereal prices at their peak.

Learning and good practice within the region recognises the chronic nature of the crisis and the predictable cyclical nature of drought that requires a longer term approach to build resilience to shocks and stresses in vulnerable communities. It also recognises the need for early warning and early responses to protect livelihoods much earlier before the summer peak of needs.

The IFRC review

The IFRC review was intended to be as participatory as possible to allow the IFRC and the different regional African (ANS) and other participating National Societies (PNS) working in the region, to both contribute their different perspectives and experiences and to ensure common ownership of the learning gained.

After British Red Cross drafted a Terms of Reference for the review, decision making and management of the review was handed over a Working Group of representatives from IFRC, British Red Cross and other PNS and ANS in the region, chaired by IFRC.

A food security consultant with considerable expertise in the region undertook the review which included: visits to the communities and local branch response areas in Ethiopia and Kenya; meetings with the IFRC in Geneva; and a total of 50 interviews with staff and volunteers from the IFRC, PNS (field and HQ) and ANS.

Key findings and learning

The report acknowledged the challenges that all agencies face operating in this extremely complex development and humanitarian context. It highlighted examples of good National Society practice and a number of issues that have influenced the success of appeals in terms of funding and their effectiveness in addressing need.

29 Soft pledge for 3m US, IFRC Food Security Adviser expected 100% funding

ifRC appeal amount % funded Beneficiary numbers

ethiopia, Wolaita May 2008

5 m Euros 81% 75,000

“exceptional” horn December 2008 (Ethiopia, Djibouti, Kenya, Somalia) – 5 year appeal

72.8 m Euros 12% 2.2 million

kenya drought January 2009September 2009

28 m Euros

5.7 m Euros

Abandoned, lack of funding

25% 1.7 million

ethiopia November 2009February 2010

5 m US 28.7 m US

60%29 16%

300,000

taBLe 1 IFRC APPEALS TO ADDRESS FOOD CRISES 2008–9

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Scaling up (bigger is not necessarily better)

Table 1 shows how the large and ambitious IFRC appeals (in terms of resources and size of populations supported) that required significant scale up were least successful in terms of obtaining funding. For example, the 72.8 million Euro Horn wide appeal of 2008 and the 28.7 Euro million Ethiopia appeal of 2010 only achieved 12% and 16% funding respectively. In contrast, the smaller 5 million Ethiopia appeal of 2008 was 81% funded. In Kenya in 2009, a previous appeal of 28m was reduced to 5.7 m after the appeal failed to raise funds.

External and top down decision making

Decision making linked to directing the need for large appeals was top down. Decisions were mostly made by IFRC representatives based outside the region, and were largely based on weak analysis provided by FACT assessment team members who had limited knowledge of the region.

In contrast, analysis and decision making for the more successful 2008 Ethiopian appeal was initiated by the local Woliata branch and subsequently developed and led by the Ethiopian Red Cross HQ according to their capacities and priorities. This was considered a very appropriate and effective response to address relief and recovery needs that received very positive feedback from beneficiaries, local authorities, the ECHO donor and the review consultant.

Later on in the same year, however, attention was moved away from Woliata to deliver a larger scale food aid response in another region (Moyale) identified by a FACT team as part of the Horn of Africa appeal that aimed to scale up response. This was considered by some to be at the detriment of pursuing longer term opportunities for extending recovery into longer term resilience activities in Woliata.

A similar situation arose in Ethiopia in November of the following year (2009). A small scale appeal built upon an Ethiopian Red Cross led analysis of needs, local capacities and priorities in one region (Shashamene), with some technical support from the IFRC that was initially at least 60% funded by soft pledges was superseded by senior management decision making in Addis Ababa and Geneva for another larger appeal expanded to four regions based on a FACT assessment that was only 16% funded.

Late responses (delivery of food aidafter the crisis)

Despite timely and sufficient analysis from early warning systems in the region, the larger Appeals were launched late. For example, the 2008 Horn of Africa appeal was launched in December four months after the peak of the crisis. In contrast, the more successful smaller Ethiopian appeal was launched in May allowing a much earlier response.

Delivery of the largely food aid responses was also slow, being delivered six months to one year late in the Moyale region of Ethiopia in the 2008 Horn of Africa appeal and eight months late in East Hararghe region of Ethiopia in August 2010 at a time when crops were being harvested and there was no longer any need. These delayed and sometimes changing responses created reputational

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problems for the local branches with their local authorities and community.

Insufficient analytical capacity

Sufficient technical capacity is critical for the analysis required to design appropriate and timely appeals. IFRC lacked institutional capacity and so relied on FACT teams who had limited up-to-date knowledge of the region and who largely relied on existing secondary data for their analysis. Such weak analysis did not encourage confidence in the appropriateness of IFRC responses with donors. The situation has since improved with a stronger regional team in place that includes a highly skilled food security specialist that BRC helped to recruit and initially fund.

Is the appeals process appropriate?

The chronic and varying nature of needs in the Horn requires early responses and continual resilience building activities that do necessarily fit well with the appeal process. There are also limitations in alternative institutional contingency funding available for quick responses.

Is food aid appropriate?

The larger appeals prioritised the limited funds received for delivering food aid. This food aid focus together with the appropriateness of RC to deliver food aid was questioned in the review. Although food aid is an important option in extreme situations, it must be delivered in a timely fashion and for a short duration only to maximise impact and reduce negative impacts on livelihoods.

Key lessons

The findings above show how ambitions for scale up were not matched with the required institutional capacity and that the decision making processes lacked buy in from within the Movement.

The review identified a need for a more strategic and realistic approach, built upon National Societies and IFRC capacities. This includes plans to build capacity over time. The Somalia Red Cross was given as an example of a National Society which had already taken such an approach.

It also highlighted the opportunities for greater branch level involvement to ensure that analysis and decision making is made closer to needs on the ground. Tigray (Ethiopia) and Machakos (Kenya) branches were highlighted as examples of good practice in terms of taking locally led initiatives to raise money and respond.

Another key lesson is the lack of common understanding on what is the RCRC specific niche and added value in terms of addressing chronic needs in the Horn region.

Recommendations

The overarching recommendation of the review is to for IFRC and the National Societies working in the region to take a “community risk management approach”, which integrates the different technical sectors (health and care, WASH, food security, nutrition), and to strengthen co-ordination within the Movement. It also calls for prioritising branch development where possible.

It recommends avoiding large scale appeals and instead promotes smaller scale appeals built on a better, locally informed understanding of the problem and better related to branch level strategic development.

In addition, it calls for the development of an IFRC discussion document and dissemination plan to raise and promote its findings and recommendations.

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Application to organisationalworking

The review was well received by the various components of the Movement in the region.The IFRC regional office has built on the learning to inform its strategic planning which now includes a strong focus on a common resilience building approach.

The review served as a useful reference document as the 2011 Horn Crisis developed. It helped provide a guide and anchor in the development of a response and gave attention to both the longer term chronic and immediate acute needs, whilst taking into account the potential resources available and the differing capacities of the National Societies.

However, later on, at the peak of the crisis, response was scaled up massively due to unexpected famine in Somalia and the high profile media coverage this generated. This raised some questions internally about whether IFRC should be doing more, eclipsing some of the learning advocated in the report. For many, however, the report remained a useful anchor and has helped inform partner approaches.

The British Red Cross actively supported the review process and has advocated its outcomes in the region and within the UK office. It has allowed the BRC to gain a better understanding of the complex issues relating to the chronic and acute crisis in the region and how best to support Federation responses to it. Although the allocation of this year’s BRC Horn of Africa appeal funds have largely been prioritised on saving lives (in line with our humanitarian imperative), the BRC funding allocation has also recognised the chronic nature of needs in the region which

require a longer term multi-sectoral resilience approach led by National Societies.

Conclusion

The participatory and inclusive approach of this review was critical for its success. The “process” was as valuable as the learning and recommendations it produced because it brought together the various RC partners to develop a common understanding of the chronic nature of needs and how best to address them. Having a “driver” (in this case the BRC Regional Representative based in Nairobi) to ensure it moved forward using a consensual, open and transparent decision making process was key to its success. Another critical factor was its relevance and the openness to change in the IFRC regional office.

Although the review did not actually say anything that was not already known by many, the process and documentation of this in an evidenced based way has helped keep the key issues on the table and served as a reference point both within and outside the region during the 2011 food crisis. This has ensured that the learning has not been forgotten.

Reviews of IFRC responses to slow onset and chronic disasters in other regions of Africa have not successfully built the institutional learning required to more strategically address the predictable and chronic nature of needs. This approach should therefore be replicated in the other regions of Africa.

For more information about the review, please contact Mary Atkinson at Matkinson@redcross.org.uk

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11Implementing the Nordic Model: transforming organisations with The Butterfly Effect Tina Monberg Lawyer, Psychotherapist, Coach and Trainer

Liz Rivers Lawyer, Coach, Mediator and Trainer

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Background

Tina Monberg and Liz Rivers are highly experienced mediators and experts on organizational transformation. Tina is a lawyer and qualified psychotherapist. She was educated as a mediator by Professor Frank E. A. Sander of Harvard Law School and in win-win negotiation by Professor Robert H. Mnookin of Harvard Law School. Tina has previously run her own law firm and worked as a corporate lawyer, but now functions as a mediator, coach and teacher. She has worked with leaders in organisations such as Novozymes, NCC, NOVO, LEO Pharma, Red Cross and Save the Children. Tina has written several management books.

Liz Rivers is a coach, mediator and trainer. A pioneer of mediation in the UK, she worked

as a commercial lawyer for over a decade before setting up her own business. She has worked with leaders in organisations such as Amnesty International, HM Revenue & Customs, Grant Thornton LLP, Royal Bank of Scotland and Chickenshed Theatre Company. Liz is also an activist in the global Wild Law movement, a network dedicated to transforming humanity’s relationship with

Tina Monberg Liz Rivers

in a nutSheLL

The Nordic countries are both successful economically and score highly on social capital measures such as trust and wellbeing. Other countries have sought to identify the essence of the so-called “Nordic way” so that it can be adopted elsewhere, with limited success.

The Butterfly Effect is a Nordic Model which enables any organisation to build trust quickly, thus providing a template for leaders to transform their organisations to capitalize on the needs and opportunities of the 21st century.

The roots of modern organisations developed during the Enlightenment and are based on a mechanistic view of organisations as machines made up of component parts and people as cogs. This has led us to the point where our corporations and institutions are inflexible and not adaptable.

Tinkering with the machine perpetuates the core problem. The solution lies in a paradigm shift in how we organise collectively by drawing inspiration not from machines but from nature.

The Butterfly Effect is based on the fundamental structure that underpins nature. Most systems, when reduced to their basics, comprise three elements that cannot be reduced further. Without all three the system, whatever it may be, is unable to function.

Just as an atom comprises proton, neutron and electron, a butterfly is essentially composed of a left wing, a right wing and a body. The Butterfly Effect holds that all functioning human systems must embody three essential qualities: Flow, Balance and Reciprocity. These are in turn represented by three distinct implementing roles: Servant Leadership, Personal Leadership and Facilitation. Together they form the DNA of the system. If all three roles are in place at all levels and in all functions of an organisation, this will support, enable and empower the organization and neutralize forces that threaten to deplete it.

That is the secret of the Nordic Model, and is can be adopted by any organisation, anywhere.

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the planet through innovative approaches to governance.

Liz and Tina have worked with Red Cross teams (including British Red Cross) across the Movement on developing mediation techniques and handling conflict in the workplace. As guest contributors to this publication, Tina and Liz offer insights on The Butterfly Effect and the role it can play in developing organisations.

The Nordic countries have been very successful at developing their economies whilst also scoring high on social capital measures. Their institutions and organisations consistently rank very highly in international league tables measuring trust and happiness, despite having some of the highest marginal tax rates in the world. The correcting factor is The Nordic Way. At the World Economic Forum in Davos in 2011 the report: Shared norms for the new reality – The Nordic way received significant attention during the conference. What are the key elements of the Nordic model and how can they be replicated elsewhere? Our proposition is that The Butterfly Effect model captures the essential elements of the Nordic model and provides a template for leaders and organisations.

How did we get here?

During the French Revolution Montesquieu advanced the ideal system for safeguarding political rights by separating the three functions of legislature, executive and judiciary. The so-called “Separation of Powers” ensured that rights and the rule of law could be upheld, neutralizing the propensity of government to slip back into the old abuses of power which had existed under the absolutist monarchy. This thinking, now engrained in our political systems, is also reflected in modern corporate governance structures. Many corporations that came

into existence during and since the Age of Enlightenment are still operating on an 18th century model that has perpetuated through the last two centuries. We have now come to the limits of that approach in organisational settings. Montesquieu’s political rights-based model is personified in organisations as: Command leadership → the rule-making power and the order giver Middle management → the executive power and the implementer

Control and Audit function → the judicial power and the fault finder

Such a rights-based system has many advantages. It offers clarity about “right” and “wrong” and is a significant improvement on the previous autocratic, dictatorial power-based model. But also suffers from profound drawbacks: it creates a culture of blame rather than experimentation, and a win-lose environment in which people fight to prevail and be proven right, rather than a culture where the emphasis is on solutions that serve everyone’s interests. It also creates a sense of fear, scarcity and competitiveness rather than connection, invention and collaboration.Under the right-based paradigm, we compete to further our own interests, ignoring those of the whole, whether this be the organisation, external stakeholders or the environment. Within an organisation, for example, this can show up as different departments focusing solely on meeting their own targets rather than acting in the interests of the entire organisation.

Tear down the silos – build up the platforms

Montesquieu’s description of a rights-based system was a great step forward from the power-based mindset. Now economies and societies need to progress from the rights-based system to an interest-based model

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that embraces the interests of everyone and leverages the power of collaboration to fi nd the outcomes and solutions that best serve the needs of the whole. NGOs are mostly ahead of companies in this regard as they are explicitly set up to meet social/humanitarian needs. Companies need to move beyond just profi t and shareholder return to include wider pro-social aims. Some have gone a long way with this and others are still locked into the shareholder return paradigm.

In fi eld of dispute resolution, for example there has been a transformation from the notion of resolving disputes through assessing the merits of competing rights via a judicial process, towards identifying underlying interests and generating solutions that meet those interests. The tool most effectively developed to achieve this transformation ismediation and it is based upon the interests and needs of all the stakeholders.

This paradigm shift needs to be applied to organisations so that they no longer function in a rights-based, command-and-control manner, but instead operate as a single organ where the interests of both individual members and the collective whole are taken into account.

The transformation to theNordic Model

The Nordic Model, which we have distilled into The Butterfl y Effect, retains the existing three powers – legislative, executive and judicial powers – but transforms them into an interest-based approach.

The three elements in Butterfl y Effect

Servant Leadership

PersonalLeadership

Facilitation

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The paradigm shift in organisations

From rights….

....to interests

Separation of PowersMontesquieu

Separation of Interests

The UnIveRSAL PARAdIGm ShIFT In ORGAnISATIOnS – FROm POWeR TO RIGhTS

The UnIveRSAL PARAdIGm ShIFT In ORGAnISATIOnS – FROm RIGhTS TO InTeReSTS

the exeCutiveExecute the orders – mid-level management

PeRSonaL LeadeRShiPStaying focused on interests and needs

the JudiCiaLPunish for not

obeying orders – management

faCiLitationMediating people in finding common

interest

the LeGiSLativeManage by orders – Board and CEO

SeRvant LeadeRShiPLead in the interests of the group in a sustainable way – Other people’s highest priority needs are being served

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from rights based... …to interest-based – the Butterfly effect

Command and control leadership – the Legislative power

Servant Leadership Sets the frame – the non-negotiable foundations of Purpose (what we are seeking to achieve) and Principles (how we behave)

Characteristics> Functioning as a guiding star for the organisation > Acting in the interests of the whole> Knowledge of different mental models,

using systemic thinking and an ability to see connections, build shared visions and create unity

> Creating a clear frame consisting of vision, mission and values for personal leadership to step into

Analogy Captain of the ship – scanning the horizon and setting the directionFunction Flow

Middle management – the executive power

Personal Leadership Fills out the frame set by the Servant Leader> Embraces and operates within the frame, while

taking a high degree of personal responsibility and welcoming autonomy

> Putting the Servant Leadership’s articulated purpose into effect, in accordance with the principles

Analogy Ship’s crew – putting the captain’s direction into effect, working out the detail of how to achieve this Function Balance

Control and audit function – the Judiciary power

facilitation> A person who facilitates and leverages the

balance and flow between Servant Leadership and Personal Leadership

> Gives feedback to the captain> Skilled in facilitation processes, active listening

and systems thinking> The ability to be empathic, impartial, see

imbalances and lack of flow and redress this.

Analogy Sailing master – ensures the captain´s direction is understood by the crew. Enables the captain to stay focused on the horizon without worrying about what is happening below deck.Function Reciprocity

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The Three Elements

one Servant Leadership

Legislative power: In the old paradigm, the Board and Chief Executive held power almost exclusively.

The new paradigm calls for Servant Leadership. This philosophy was coined by the former AT&T executive, the late Robert K. Greenleaf 30. The characteristics of Servant Leadership are a vision for the people and environments we work and live in, expressed with authenticity, humility, uncertainty and truth. Servant Leadership creates an inclusive underlying culture and framework for everyone in the organization. Greenleaf gave an example of the Danish priest and philosopher N.F.S. Grundtvig, who established the concept of public high schools for adult underclass peasants to educate and empower them to create new shared values in the nation. A main objective was to create a movement of individual critical thinking and empower them as Servant Leaders to take responsibility for their own life as farmers, who were then able to own their land. At the moment there is a great demand for heroic leadership, for leaders who appear confident and who appear to know the answers. It is important that we develop beyond this and encourage true Servant Leadership. However, this on its own is not enough – the other two elements need to be in place in order for the servant leader to be truly effective.

tWo Personal Leadership

Executive power: In the old paradigm middle managers executed the orders of the CEO.

30 Servant Leadership – A Journey into the Nature of Legitimate Power and Greatness, by Robert K. Greenleaf was published in 1977 and remains in print. Several later editions of the book build on the servant leadership principles.

Now, we need to transform to personal leadership so that employees are responsible for their own work and results. The characteristics of personal leadership are the knowledge and ability to pursue one’s interests while simultaneously acknowledging and addressing the needs and interests of the organisation, other people and the environment. A strong framework creates space to express oneself, with freedom and creativity. A new culture of experimentation replaces the old paradigm culture of blame.

Personal leadership means taking responsibility for our thoughts and actions, and the exercise of our judgment. Freedom is created within the framework set up by Servant Leadership. Creating space for personal leadership in an organisation demands that the servant leaders exhibit trust in and respect for their employees’ ability to take responsibility and make the right decisions and that employees accept responsibility within that framework. If there is no space for freedom in the framework, personal leadership will not be taken and the leader´s empowerment will be seen as inauthentic.

thRee Facilitation

Judicial power: In the old paradigm the CEO and senior managers exercised power partly through the establishment of independent audit and control functions.

Audit and effective control mechanisms (e.g. against fraud or other inappropriate conduct) remain important, but now we need to transform this to provide facilitation of effective dialogue between the Servant Leader and the Personal Leaders, in order to integrate the qualities of flow and balance, keeping them combined in a dynamic yet stable system. The facilitator’s role is to find ways in which the needs of the individual are integrated with the needs of the whole, rather than creating a divisive win-lose situation where not all needs are met.

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Facilitation balances and leverages organizational and individual needs.

History shows a see-saw from one polarity to the other both in organizations and society, from autocratic leadership to consensus decision-making, and in political systems from capitalism to socialism, as each tries to dominate over the other. Facilitating a dynamic balance while moving forward in a coherent flow, as achieved by tightrope walkers, is the key.

The facilitator role is distinct from a middle management role, as facilitators do not have a stake in the substantive outcome; they are simply there to facilitate the process and maximize the outcome. It is important that their independence is safeguarded, for example through separate reporting lines.

Often the facilitator role gets amalgamated with Servant Leadership role, and Greenleaf’s work emphasizes this aspect of leadership. We advocate that Servant Leadership should focus on developing the vision and framework, defining the values and communicating these compellingly to the team members, and then the facilitator is freed to deal with blockages of implementation and ensuring that

opportunities are capitalized upon. If the Servant Leadership gets too involved with implementation it will distract them from their role. The facilitator role frees up the Servant Leadership to maintain this wider vision by encouraging effective implementation. Without the Facilitator the organization will be stuck in the growth paradigm with no operational connection to balance and reciprocity.

Putting all three elementstogether

None of these three roles is new in itself – to varying degrees, all have been used extensively in organizations already. However, they are rarely developed collectively in a functioning management system, as the essential inter-relationship between all three is not understood. Like a three legged stool, all legs are needed for the stool to function. If all three are not developed in harmony, the organization will not fulfill its potential. These three elements need to operate in balance to form a virtuous circle. In some situations one person will take the function of being a Servant Leader and in other situations that same individual will function

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as Facilitator or Personal Leader. This is possible because everyone in the organization knows the framework – and therefore how to execute each role.

What would an interest-basedsystem look like? A platform of trustOne of the qualities of the Nordic region is that its inhabitants are considered amongst the most trusting people in the world. This enables them to create partnerships and collaborations with each other built upon a presumption in favour of trust and a philosophy of finding solutions that serve the needs of the whole.31

31 The Gini coefficient for Scandinavia is below 0.29 and the lowest in the World. A Gini coefficient can range

Core principles that the Nordic Model and The Butterfly Effect share are:

> we are each part of larger a whole> all elements in the system are essential

and no one element is of less importance> we strive to maintain relationships as far

as possible> there is a high degree of shared values,

which in turn creates trust

A North American example of this philosophy is that of the “chaordic” organisation, as typified by the VISA credit card association

from 0 to 1. A low coefficient indicates a more equal distribution, with 0 corresponding to complete equality, while higher Gini coefficients indicate more unequal distribution, with 1 corresponding to complete inequality.

Level and Worldview Stage Politics organisations qualities

Power> Might is right

Caterpillar > Absolutist monarcy

> Dictatorship

Rights> Reductionist> Classical physics> Universe as a

machine> Nature to be

controlled> Political rights

Chrysalis 1. MontesquieuSeparation of powers

Legislative – makes law

Executive – executes law

Judiciary –enforces and upholds law

2. translated into corporate structures

Legislative – CEO and Board issue orders

Executive – middle management executes orders

Judiciary – compliance and audit enforce orders and rules

interests> Systemic and

holistic> Nature as primary

reference and inspiration

Butterfly > participatory democracy

> stakeholder dialogue

> creating policy by consensus processes

3. transformed Roles: Legislative → Servant Leader (SL): creates the frame

Executive → Personal Leader (PL): fills out the frame

Judiciary → Facilitator: creates dialogue between SL and PL

Flow

Balance

Reciprocity

The Butterfly Effect – evolution of the 3 elements in politicsand organisations

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(when originally founded). Dee Hock the founder and former CEO of VISA described it as a chaordic system – an organisation with both a high degree of freedom and an acceptance of being part of something bigger. This leads to a harmonious blending of both order and chaos where neither dominates e.g. growth and sustainability, flow and balance, competition and cooperation. Chaordic describes the behavior of any self-governing organism or system that harmoniously blends what were previously conceived to be opposites, such as chaos and order. It is also a way of thinking – of being comfortable

with and combining apparently paradoxical opposites.

In The Butterfly Effect model, the order is created by the framework, which all elements of the system accept and respect. The chaos is the lack of detailed rules and instructions about how to implement the framework and having the freedom to take personal leadership by navigating freely within it.

Our theory is that a model based on the interests of the whole inspires the creation of trust because everyone in the system knows that their personal interests will be taken into consideration. This requires an authentic, values-based leadership that makes it clear the organisation’s purpose is more than just

BuSineSS CaSe StudY – novo noRdiSk

The organisational purpose of the leading Danish pharmaceutical company Novo Nordisk is to prevent, treat and ultimately cure diabetes. It has thereby created a purpose that goes beyond the company’s narrow interests – generating profit – by first and foremost serving the interest of the common good and thereby its customers. This is described in the so-called “Novo Nordisk Way”, which describes the company’s vision, values, and key business and organisational principles.

Servant Leadership: The organisation has committed itself to a higher vision than one restricted to its own business profitability.

Personal Leadership: employees have a high degree of empowerment and autonomy to achieve this higher vision.

facilitation: the company has a dedicated group of internal facilitators who ensure that the organisation’s values are being implemented in practice. This is not a purely internal audit and compliance function; the facilitators not only measure compliance levels against the Novo Nordisk Way but also assist the individual departments to

understand, improve and implement the purpose of the organisation.

Novo Nordisk describes their facilitation model in the following way: facilitation is a specific follow-up method that is used to provide systematic and validated documentation of how the organisational values are practiced in the company and of the compliance levels to the Novo Nordisk Way. The consolidated result of facilitations is part of the annual Organizational Audit.

The global facilitator team consists of senior people with deep insight into the business and long managerial experience, who focus on broad themes that are central to the business, such as strategy, growth and profitability as well as business ethics, diversity and globalization.

The facilitations have a dual purpose. They not only establish whether the individual departments are being managed according to the Novo Nordisk Way – they also identify areas for improvements and support the individual departments and affiliates in implementing action points to address the identified challenges.

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ensuring it’s own survival (in a commercial setting this would be focusing just on profit). Therefore the model needs leaders who create a framework consisting of purpose and principles that all employees subscribe to – and which also serves the external interests, such as community, customers/users and the environment. The servant leader empowers others to take personal leadership and respect the space for the facilitators to secure the reciprocity and connection between Servant Leadership and Personal Leadership.

Drawing inspiration from nature

Nature revolves around three core elements, which form an irreducible simplicity. An irreducible system functions as one entity composed of several complementary, interacting parts, where the removal of any one part causes the system to cease functioning.

The Butterfly Effect is the DNA code to a chaordic system. Current organizational systems do not function effectively if dominated by one element of Flow/growth

BuSineSS CaSe StudY – handeLSBanken

Empowering Personal Leadership by creating a strong framework.

Handelsbanken is one of Scandinavia’s largest banks with over 700 branches and offices in 22 countries including Denmark, Sweden, Norway, Finland and England.

For 38 years Handelsbanken has enjoyed a higher profitability ratio than the average for banks in the Nordic region and has the most satisfied customers. (According to quality Index SKI and Extended Performance Satisfaction Index EPSI.) To adapt to an increasingly dynamic and demanding competitive situation where speed, adaptability, customer satisfaction and cost-effectiveness are among the key factors, Handelsbanken has adapted a non-traditional philosophy.

Handelsbanken’s leadership is based on trust in the positive in human beings and a belief in the individual’s ability to make decisions and take personal responsibility once the framework is understood and accepted. Specifically:

> Handelsbanken has removed absolute targets, budgets and all forecasts, which have been replaced with relative targets (e.g. to be in top quartile for customer satisfaction).

> they do not run centrally-launched product campaigns.

> Unlike most other banks, Handelsbanken has a strongly decentralized organization empowering personal leadership, so their customers benefit from extremely short decision lines. The local managers have the authority to make all key decisions concerning a customer relationship.

> Handelsbanken fill executive positions with staff who have long experience of their corporate culture and values.

> The middle level of management is conducted in a facilitative way.

This model works because the three elements connect together. The company values are known by all employees and a newcomer is trained extensively for several years to understand these values and live them. The values are observed daily in each client meeting. The CEO and top management have created a framework that is understood and accepted by all employees.

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to the detriment of the others. Without the other two core elements of Balance and Reciprocity, any system will be rigid and will promote unfettered growth. The signs of system failure include pollution, stress and crisis. When we create a system in harmony with nature and its underlying order we will have flow, balance and reciprocity.

The three elements each represent a fundamental aspect of the natural world, which needs all three in order to function. In nature it is obvious that all three functions are essential. If we have all growth with no balance, or all balance with no action, or

all reciprocity, then the system would not work. Yet we mostly ignore balance and reciprocity in organizations, simply focusing on conventional growth and profitability. If the growth is not facilitated to be in balance, sustainability will not be achieved. In The Butterfly Effect model, we use nature as a blueprint of the three forces: Flow (proton), Balance (electron) and Reciprocity (neutron). The simplicity of nature demands us to ensure that all three elements are present, fulfilling their role.

The model might appear deceptively simple. In our experience the hallmark of a good model is an elegant simplicity. Einstein advised; “Keep it as simple as possible, but not

32 The New Protreptic”, Ole Fogh Kirkeby, Copenhagen Business School Press, 2009

1. The key Servant Leader’s tool is vision Sharing by creating purpose and passion. They must have the ability to form, articulate and communicate a vision that inspires others and creates a compelling prospect of a different future. A servant leader cannot be merely a technician or a good manager of people. A vision and the ability to communicate it and create a sense of ownership in his followers is vital.

vision Sharing generates the flow of the vision and sets the framework for the mission to accomplish it.

2. The key Personal Leader’s tool is Coaching, based upon a very particular type called Proptreptic coaching. This focuses on clarifying values. It was used by the ancient Greeks, and was taught by Aristotle to Alexander the Great.

It has been rediscovered and popularized by a Danish Professor of Philosophy Ole Fogh Kirkeby. This enables team members to take

responsibility for implementing the vision through understanding, living and feeling the framework.32

Proptreptic coaching creates balance i.e. a common vision that fills the framework.

3. The key Facilitator’s tool is Mediation, a process that creates alignment and consensus between leaders and followers i.e. between the Servant Leadership and the Personal Leadership. People will not follow a leader who either is too far in front and therefore is not able to establish common ground with them, or too involved in the detail of their day to day operations. The mediation tool also strengthens relationships and connectedness.

Mediation secures reciprocity between flow and balance - between the framework and its content - and enables a chaordic system to come into existence.

the tooLBox of the ButteRfLY effeCt ModeL

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simpler.” This is what we have sought to do. Each element is generally understood in business, although less frequently achieved in practice. Therefore we need a model to embed the three elements consistently.

Implementation of The Butterfl y Effect

To implement The Butterfl y Effect organisations need to: > Ensure that the three roles are present

at all levels and in all functions of the organization

> Identify who will fulfi ll each role at each level and function of the organisation

> Train and develop people in depth in their chosen role

> Train all members of the organisation in the model as a whole so that they understand how their role relates both to the other two roles and the system as a whole

> Train them to a lesser degree in the other two roles so they have a solid appreciation of those roles and can take them on when circumstances require this.

Servant Leadership

PersonalLeadership

Facilitator

> Masculine> +> Active> Flow – progress

and growth> Left brain

> Neutral> 0> Neutralizing> Connection –

collaboration and reciprocity

> Corpus Callosum

> Feminine> –> Passive> Balance –

sustainability and harmony

> Right brain

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What is The Butterfly Effect?

We have described a simple yet sophisticated model for changing an organization from a rights-based to an interests-based paradigm. Modern organisations need to be nimble, responsive and resilient – replicating natural ecosystems.

The scientific meaning of The Butterfly Effect, as explained through the meteorological work of Edward Lorenz and in chaos theory, is about how a seemingly small change at one location in a non-linear system can result in huge differences in a different location, just as the flapping of a butterfly’s wings can famously generate a hurricane in another part of the world. The ability to harness this power is a vital asset for modern organisations.

The metaphor of the butterfly can illustrate where we are now. The power-based approach is like the caterpillar, crawling slowly across the ground, munching whatever is near at hand, necessarily preoccupied with whatever happens to be available. The rights-based system has led us to an apparent fossilization, resembling the form of a chrysalis stuck in each of our silos. The new consciousness of an interest-based approach can metamorphose this chrysalis to allow the butterfly to emerge and free to fly.

The transformation needed is from legislative power to servant leadership, from executive power to personal leadership and from judicial power to facilitation. By implementing an interest-based model based on provably successful Nordic values – The Butterfly Effect – we can create a business model fit for the 21st century.

“There is nothing about a caterpillar that suggests it will become a butterfly.”Buckminster Fuller

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12In conversation with Etienne Wenger: the guru of learning shares his expertise on communities of practice with the British Red Cross Liz Hendry Senior Researcher and Organisational Learning Advisor

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Etienne Wenger is a globally recognised thought leader in the field of communities of practice, who was featured by Training Magazine in their A new Breed of Visionaries

series. A pioneer of the “communities of practice” research, he is author and co-author of seminal articles and books on the topic, including Situated Learning, where the term was coined, Communities of Practice: Learning, Meaning, and Identity, where he lays out a theory of learning based on the concept of communities of practice, Cultivating Communities of Practice: a Guide to Managing Knowledge, addressed to practitioners in organisations, and Digital Habitats dealing with issues related to technology. His work as researcher, author, and consultant has influenced both thinking and practice in a wide variety of fields, including business, education, government, and social theory.

On 13 April 2011, Etienne met with Red Cross staff in London to talk to them about communities of practice at the BRC. As well as sharing ideas and examples of how global companies such as McKinsey, Caterpillar and Xerox have successfully developed mechanisms for capturing and sharing knowledge and learning, Etienne answered questions from staff about establishing and nurturing communities of practice at the British Red Cross. This article summarises the conversations that took place.

Etienne on Etienne

“I’m Etienne Wenger and I have two hats: on the one hand I call myself a Learning Theorist. I develop social learning theory. On the other hand, I’m a consultant working with organisations that are interested in using aspects of that theory to enable that kind of social learning within that organisation.

I started life as a computer scientist and then I became interested in learning, at first purely for educational purposes. We were looking at studies of apprenticeship and we noticed that, around a master, apprentices learn a lot from each other, not just their masters. The master is often a figurehead that you wouldn’t dare to approach with questions if you were a young apprentice.

So, we noticed that there was a community around these masters and we call that a ‘community of practice’. But then once the concept was established, we started to see those things in many different places including organisations. This perspective of communities of practice allowed managers to start thinking of knowledge as existing in the social fabric of an organisation and not just within the training department.

The definition of a community of practice is very simply a learning partnership between people who share an interest or passion. They learn from each other – from each other’s practice, or with each other. It’s also useful to think about communities of practice as a ‘social discipline of learning’. Thinking about how the social world is organised within an organisation like the British Red Cross enables certain kinds of learning but not others. The aspects of that social discipline of learning would include the domains around which people form a community.”

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Q & A: Red Cross staff put theirquestions to Etienne Wenger

BRC thank you for joining us, etienne. Could you begin by telling us about how communities of practice are formed?

eW Think about it as really discovering a partnership. So a team is formed because there’s a goal, a task to perform and there is a workload. That’s how you’d form a team. A community of practice doesn’t usually form in that way. You may talk about an objective but it’s not a direct task – it’s more, ‘we want to improve the fundraising capability among middle-aged men’ or something. So you could say let’s have a community of practice and we think if we’re successful we’ll have that as a fact. It’s different from having a task or target you need to accomplish.

So usually a community is mainly started by a few members saying, ‘We don’t talk enough; You do this and you do this but there’d be synergy if we started to talk and we’d learn a lot.’ So they often start that way. And they gain energy because people find value in coming together. So it’s not so much like a work plan that sustains a community but more the fact that people say, ‘Wow, every time we have a conversation I go away better able to do what I need to do.’ So it’s that enabling value that generates the energy. And often other people join – but you’d have to see yourself.

Some communities are started in a much more top-down fashion. A manager says: ‘Hmm, I think we need a community around there.’ But even when it’s started from the top down, for a community to be successful you’re going to have to find somebody who’s a potential member of the community who’s going to convene it or call it into existence. What we’ve found doesn’t work is to call a community into existence the same way in which you’d call a team: ‘You, you, you and you – you are a community of practice – get back to me in a year.’ That doesn’t seem to work.

BRC how do you decide who should be part of a community?

eW We had an interesting conversation this morning about the composition of the community and, in particular, what it means if a senior manager wants to join a community. There were debates about whether this would be a good idea, because then they would understand what the community was doing, but their presence might prevent certain conversations from happening.

So you can understand how the composition of the community can enable certain aspects of learning but can also disable some aspects of learning – there is a discipline around that. And then the practice: how do we serve the practice of the people who have to do that? It’s not viewing knowledge as something that can be captured in a book. It is really viewing knowledge as the ability to engage in the actual practice.

And actually what we have found is that when practitioners engage in forming a learning partnership with each other, that sense of, ‘oh you are a practitioner of that too!’ creates a trust among them that is very

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difficult to replace. For instance, we were studying a community of patients who had formed an online community all around the world, and people asked me: ‘why are you calling this a “community”? This is at best a “network”. These people have never met each other, their communication is just group emails – how can you call it a community? The connection among them is too thin.’

And yet I had this intuition that it was a community. And the way I articulated that was like this: maybe their connection at the communication level is quite thin but in terms of recognising the patient in each other – they can see ‘from what you’re posting I can tell you are a true patient of the disease. You know how it feels and therefore I am interested in how you talk to your doctor or how you feel about this new therapy.’ So the idea that it is a learning process anchored in practice is an important part of the discipline.

BRC how frequently should a community of practice come together?

eW It depends on the community. This morning we spoke about a Red Cross community and they are meeting twice a year with not much happening in between. My first reaction was – that’s not a problem. If it serves the members well enough to meet twice a year, then I would not force further activity just for the sake of it. Now, it might very well be that there are good reasons to have things happening in between, whether that’s an ongoing discussion or the occasional webinar or teleconference or something like this. I am not against this, but I am not saying that we should just ramp up things because that’s our idea about how a community should go. A community has to find its rhythm.

Having a rhythm of moments, where a community comes together is important, but you have to be careful because if you don’t have them often enough – say once a year – people will say, ‘Oh this community is not doing much.’ But if you do it once a week

people will also drop out because it interferes with their day job. Communities have to fit with people’s day jobs, so finding that right rhythm is really important. But I would not want to tell you, ‘This is the right rhythm for all communities,’ because it is very specific to each community.

What I would say from experience is that less than once a year is a bit of a red flag for me, and that more than once a month – unless it is a domain where there is a lot of urgent learning to do – you might start encroaching into people’s time too much. Those are the rules of thumb – but they are likely to be wrong too!

BRC in a large organisation is a community more about working towards a commonality of practice or something else?

eW When you launch a community of practice you engage the members in a conversation about why it would be useful: ‘What are you currently struggling with that you could use each other’s help for?’ So there’s a whole conversation about why we need each other. And usually they come up with between five and twenty areas where they could use each other as learning partners.

And sometimes actually we even give them dots and they prioritise those problems. So sometimes you can see clearly the few issues that will come up with those dots. And others just have two or three dots against them. Sometimes you see really competing clusters – ‘maybe this is two communities’ or ‘maybe we need to focus on those two alternately’ and, ‘maybe some people can participate more when we focus on this.’

I think that’s fine – not everyone needs to be there for every community. It’s not like in a team where everyone needs to be there all the time. So you can have occasional or select participants. For example, if you’re on a discussion board and you have multiple threads, you can subscribe to just a thread or two. It’s a lot looser than a team as there’s

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no requirement that everyone be at the same level of intensity.

BRC how can we be sure that a community is spending their time talking or exchanging information in the best possible way?

eW If you’re at a community meeting going around the room going ‘what are you working on?’ – that isn’t going to sustain itself. You need problems to sink your teeth into. That can be a problem everybody has. I remember a community of IT consultants who always underpriced their projects. They worked together to create a worksheet of how to price a project to avoid under-pricing. It was an issue they all agreed that ‘if we make progress there, we all win.’

How to select those is an important question for a community: how do you create a series of issues? Sometimes you want to invite a speaker to talk about something nobody understands – there’s nothing to say that all the knowledge needed by the community is within the community! But I do think that if we’re a large community we put smaller groups in charge of smaller aspects of the community. So we have what we call ‘Agenda

Activists’. And they are kind of looking out for what’s important – what matters, what issues are coming up?

BRC So dividing up the tasks is more democratic. You need to decide between yourselves which roles you’re going take on individually?

eW Yes. The best way to sort out self governance is to be democratic. Sometimes people are grateful that someone takes the leadership because they don’t have the time. And of course someone taking the lead will have more of a say than someone who’s passive but that’s the way the beast goes! And some have votes, you know: there are organisations where communities vote on who’s going be the leader next time, next year. And in voting they have debates about, ‘If you become the leader where are you going to take our community?’

So they have a kind of platform for discussion. It’s a way to self-govern. The self-governance can take different forms but if someone takes over the community and does not care to lead it in a way that reflects the voice of the community, then they’re going to kill the

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community. They’ll say ‘Hey, I’m not here for you!’ So the fact that the community is largely voluntary means that person is just going to be by themselves after a while: you vote with your feet.

BRC it seems like the community can grow and evolve democratically on its own. So what role does the organisation have as an outsider in starting it, developing it, making changes to it and so on?

eW So what influence does the organisation have? Good question. For communities that are inside an organisation, I think some connection into the hierarchy is useful and important and we call it ‘sponsorship’. We don’t want to call it management. We say communities find a sponsor who engages with them and asks, ‘What do you need in order to be successful? What are you doing connected to the strategy of the organisation, etc.’

So there’s a conversation that needs to happen there. And I’m using the term ‘conversation’ deliberately because it’s not a question of managing the conversation between a horizontal structure and the vertical organisation. Actually, I would say this integration of the horizontal processes and an accountability that comes with these communities, and the vertical hierarchy – that’s really one of the big challenges that we find in organisations.

So I’m becoming interested in what we call ‘transversality’, which are processes and people that can create connections between those different structures – and sponsorship is one of those processes. You listen to the substance of the structures of the community enough to understand what it is doing but you are able to translate that into something that talks to the hierarchy and to strategic issues and so on and so forth.

BRC if there’s nothing there to stimulate the growth of a community, do you have to simply wait for it to happen?

eW No. An organic gardener isn’t someone who sits there and just waits for the wind to bring some seeds, you know? You plant those seeds. But, you have to respect the flowers and their growth, right? It’s going to take three months to grow a cabbage. If you pull on the leaves of that cabbage it’s not going to grow any faster. If you want to check whether the cabbage has grown roots or not, pulling it out isn’t necessarily a good idea – you see what I mean?

So we can be very active in bringing together a community as long as we respect the process by which the community becomes a learning partnership. If you start a community and you’re not yourself one of the members, then make sure the members have discovered each other and take ownership of that, but there’s nothing that says that you cannot start a community from the outside.

A community is like a marriage – a life partnership. You cannot force people to fall in love but if you have two friends and you know they’re made for each other and they live in different towns, are you just going to wait for a train crash where they could meet? No – you’re going to say, ‘Let’s have dinner!’ And if a marriage runs into trouble there are marriage counsellors who can help. So help

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is not a substitute for what’s going to hold the partnership – the partnership has to come from the heart.

In the same way the passion people feel for a community – there’s no substitute for it – but there are a lot of ways to enable it. So I’d not at all recommend a passive attitude. High expectations seem to be a really inspiring. Like the British Red Cross project management community – you feel that you know they’re saying ‘We’re going to make a difference in the British Red Cross’ – and there’s a real passion for what they’re doing that is inspiring.

BRC We have quite an online discussion board for volunteers who are geographically disparate. Currently we have about 10% posing questions for discussion, 8% discussing and the rest just reading. do you have any thoughts on the equality of participation on online forum?

eW We’ve also observed the same thing and for me that’s not a problem. I would certainly have red flags though. For instance if there were no movements: if it was the same 10% year after year after year, I would like to know why. Not that it is necessarily bad, but I would like to know why. In the communities that we have looked at, there is some movement – some people joining the core group, some people moving out and you’d like to see that.

One thing that can happen is that the core group can become so self-absorbed that other people become disinterested. But if there are people who are interested in the domain enough to be on the list and to read but don’t have anything to say – I don’t have a problem with that. There are other red flags – for instance, if you can predict who is going to be speaking on the list for something other than their relationship with the practice. For example, if on the list, everybody who was active was based in London, and if on the list everybody who was reading were in other parts of the country – for me that would be a red flag. Why should London people be more interested?

BRC how have other organisations used communities of practice and have they seen any tangible benefits?

eW Some organisations have gone all the way into looking at return on investment. Let me tell you that before I go there, most organisations, whether they say it or not, use communities of practice to develop strategy capabilities. There are two trends in the field. Some organisations view it as something which lets things blooms from the bottom up. Caterpillar, for instance, (a large digging tools manufacturer), opened a website where people can start communities on very small topics. So they have like, 3000 communities. But some of them are just on ‘the bolt’ – you know what I mean? Like this bolt is used in different machines, it has a tendency to break: let’s have a community to see how we can improve this. That’s a very Web 2.0 view of communities of practice.

But you also have consulting firms like McKinsey, and there, there are certain topics that are so strategic to their ability to do their work that they actually invest a lot of funds and are very, very organised. They are still communities in the sense that there are no reporting relationships: the people belong to a practice such as ‘business IT practice’ or ‘organisation design practice’. For instance, if you wanted to start a formal practice at McKinsey and you are a senior consultant, you have to dedicate 20% of your time to it – that’s one condition to be a leader of a practice.

So you have those two trends in the field: ‘let’s plant flowers and see them bloom’ and then, ‘let’s be extremely strategic about investing our resources in the capabilities we need’. I think in the end you generally have a mixture of both.

BRC finally, what makes a community of practice successful?

eW You need a well-defined domain that excites people – so people say, ‘Yes, if we want

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to make progress in that capability, we need to be a part of it.’ The second most important factor I would say is to have people who take leadership: leadership in promoting or enabling that community. That leadership may be well-recognised, or it may be not. It may be partially-paid, or not. It may be realised differently. But we have found in communities that have seemed to thrive, that there’s always one person, or a small group of people, who felt a dedication to the idea of that community and they were keeping the learning space alive.

Another success factor is a focus on the practice. So, the fact that the community is using the challenges of the practice of the members to drive the learning agenda, so it doesn’t float off into learning for its own sake: it is anchored in the practice.

So it is really like the curriculum for learning is the practice. There is an exercise called ‘the case clinic’. That is very useful for communities as a way to share knowledge, to have one of the members bring a problem and say, ‘Can we work on this together?’. A lot of sharing is driven by that need of a practitioner for that knowledge, so focus on the practice is really a key success factor.

Finally, a factor that may surprise you is high expectations. I think that when members have a high expectation that the community is going to be useful, they invest energy into it, and if management have high expectations that the community is actually going to help the organisation, they pay attention to it. So we have found that, creating a sense that ‘we are going to make a difference’, is really important.

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13Mind the Gap: exploring disparities in youth volunteering Ivy Broadhead Schools and Community Intern

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Background

The British Red Cross has long recognised and valued the important role and contribution of young people in addressing humanitarian challenges. Young volunteers bring much needed skills and capacities when working alongside older volunteers in a spirit of mutual respect. This is recognised as being crucial to the inter-generational transfer of experience that is vital to both progress and stability in our national society.

Young people (in the BRC sense, those aged 15–25) currently make up the second largest age group of British Red Cross volunteers, second only to those aged 65+. Statistics generated in 2011 indicate that we now have around 6,400 young volunteers equating to an impressive 19% of the total volunteer base. This is a very different picture to that of just 8 years ago, when young people made up only around 8% of the volunteer base. Back in 2004, a tentative and fairly aspirational target of 12% was set as something for each area to strive towards. As an organisation, we have worked hard over the last few years to improve our volunteering offer to young people, with impressive results. Each of the 21 Areas has now surpassed that 12% target for engagement with young volunteers and many have gone way above and beyond.

While all Areas have made real progress in recent years in terms of how they engage with and support young volunteers, it seems that some Areas have progressed faster and further than others, and that ongoing local legacies continue to impact upon numbers of young volunteers, as well as the quality of the volunteering offer.

Earlier in 2011, we undertook a piece of research to investigate the current picture of young volunteers working with the British Red Cross. Through interviews and surveys with staff and volunteers, key themes emerged around practical barriers, particularly in rural areas, the positive role of involving universities and students, the importance of the kinds of opportunities on offer, and the impact of local British Red Cross culture.

Findings

The current picture

At territory level, there is quite a degree of variation in the numbers of young volunteers. Scotland, Northern Ireland and the Isle of Man has the highest proportions of young people volunteering at 23% while Northern territory has the second highest proportion at 22%. In the South East, the percentage is

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somewhat lower, at 17%, although overall the numbers of volunteers are still higher than any other territory, while Wales and Western currently has the lowest proportion of young volunteers at 15%.

These variations are even more evident at Area level, with young volunteers making up between 13% and 28% of the total volunteer base.

Our research focused on the Areas identified as having some of the highest proportions of young volunteers (London; Derbyshire, Nottingham and Cheshire; Fife, Lothian and Borders) and some of the lower proportions (Bedfordshire, Hertfordshire and Essex; East Anglia; Mid Scotland and Argyll; Herefordshire, Shropshire and Worcestershire).

Contributing factors

> Urban/rural areas Areas with higher percentages of young volunteers tended to be more urban, with a lack of public transport making it difficult for people in rural areas to take advantage of volunteering opportunities.

> Local organisational factors These include the kinds of volunteering opportunities available, with young people typically attracted by more ‘exciting’ or ‘sociable services’, but also how well these opportunities are promoted. Management priorities were seen as very influential at a local and national level, with many staff members seeing top-down organisational shifts as the key to real change.

> The attitudes and personalities of local

staff and older volunteers also emerged as particularly important in welcoming, supporting and integrating young volunteers, with enthusiastic, engaged individuals seen as making a real difference.

> Where staff and volunteers felt unable or unwilling to engage with young people, this seemed to be linked to how well-informed they felt about the processes of recruiting and safeguarding young volunteers. Where participants described clear processes and confident staff, numbers of young volunteers tended to be higher.

> Some Areas also identified problems integrating young people into the general volunteer population, whereas in others familiarity through intergenerational volunteering, shared transport and other measures had helped to break down such barriers.

> Changes in volunteering All Areas were facing the challenge of a move away from long-term volunteering towards shorter-term placements as people have become more transient. Where Areas were able to work around the problem of investing resources in training short-term volunteers, they tended to have more young people involved.

> Universities and student involvement Staff in some Areas attributed successes to active student groups, with other areas seeing more informal student involvement as key. Some Areas with lower numbers of young volunteers had fewer student volunteers; being in Areas with fewer Universities close by, or were yet to be convinced by the commitment levels and potential advantages of recruiting students. Links with other external organisations such as schools, colleges or community groups were also identified as positive ways to engage with young people.

Applications to organisationalworking

While this research study focused particularly on the quantity of young volunteers, what is as (if not more) important is the quality

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of the volunteering experience. Other pieces of research have focused more emphatically on this topic (e.g Mystery Shopping, Here for Good & Quality of the Volunteering Experience organisational research), with similarly variable results. Volunteers should be able to expect a degree of parity in their experience with the British Red Cross, wherever and however they choose to give their time. With that in mind, we need to work towards ‘levelling the playing field’ so that all our volunteers know what to expect when they offer their time and commitment to us.

Emerging from the findings of this research study were a number of recommendations for organisational working:

> Encourage intergenerational volunteering projects and shared duties, in order to encourage age groups to work together, and to increase the familiarity of older staff and volunteers with working with younger people. Also, put in place practical measures to increase integration between different age groups, such as schemes for car pooling and shared transport.

> Show flexibility and imagination around short-term volunteering placements, reducing the costs of recruiting and training short-term volunteers where possible, while ensuring adequate safeguarding and support.

> Actively engage with Universities and

other external groups to help recruit young volunteers.

> Recognise and appreciate staff and older volunteers who are particularly encouraging of and welcoming to younger volunteers.

Conclusion

There are many diverse factors influencing the number of young volunteers involved in the British Red Cross within an Area, both external and internal to the organisation. From simple, practical barriers such as transport and expenses, to more complicated, organisational issues such as a lack of age group integration.

Where areas have been particularly successful in working with large numbers of young volunteers, this can be attributed to some extent to clear, joined-up processes, attractive and well promoted opportunities, links with Universities and other external groups, and also to the personalities and management skills of staff and fellow volunteers.

The British Red Cross has come a long way over the last 10 years in terms of the involvement of young people in its services and activities. However, the IFRC Strategy 2020 challenges National Societies to ‘do more, do better and reach further.’ It asks for special focus on young people not only for today but also for the future, recognising their particular role in building and sustaining communities that are based on respect and solidarity. Given the progress that has already been made in this area, we feel that the British Red Cross is in an extremely strong position to meet this challenge.

The Mind the Gap research was undertaken by Schools and Community Education intern Ivy Broadhead in July and August 2011.

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14Reflections of a graduate Red Cross workerGeorgina Randall Volunteer and former Service Coordinator

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“I held the role of Service Co-ordinator for Event First Aid from March 2010 until November 2011 and have just chosen to leave the organisation in a professional capacity. This role was my first professional, office-based role after graduating from university and I would certainly recommend the British Red Cross to new graduates.

I held minimal practical work experience so I was impressed with the Red Cross’, and my managers’, ability to see my potential when I was hired. They took into account more unorthodox experience I had, such as my volunteer organisational work, and I feel it was my enthusiasm and positive demeanour were given a similar level of consideration as my practical experience. I feel this reflects positively on recruitment within the organisation and the training received in line with recruitment and selection. I was given the opportunity to secure firm office experience in using email and Microsoft packages, something all new graduates can find hard to demonstrate competency in when first applying for jobs. I feel my managers saw beyond these relatively easy to learn skills to my potential and, I like to think, I met their expectations of my capability!

I was initially pleased with the scope of work and responsibility I was given at a relatively tender age and it was the variations within my job that I enjoyed the most. Very quickly I became line manager for 200 volunteers and had event targets for the coming year, responsibilities I relished because I was eager to prove myself but also knew I had a good management structure to support me. I found the training opportunities at the Red Cross were varied and open to all, which, having spoken to graduate friends, is very unusual and a key strength for the organisation. I took advantage of every opportunity I could and feel a more rounded individual as a result.

As my time within the organisation went on I did find the opportunities for training became more restricted and I also found there was little time to apply the learning and skills acquired on courses. There was a significant resistance to change amongst some of my volunteers which sometimes affected my ability, and that of my managers, to improve the way we worked and our efficiency. I also experienced teasing comments and condescension related to my younger age from a few volunteers which further stood in the way of my daily work.

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I also began to find I was unable to book onto courses because I knew, months in advance, that my workload would be too large. On one occasion I had to cancel a course on the morning it was due to take place because something came up and I was the only person with the knowledge to deal with it. I think this is a reflection of the flat structure of the organisation and it would be advantageous for colleagues, within reason, to learn about the basics of one another’s jobs to step in and help. This seems particularly relevant as the Society is an emergency response organisation with many people holding part-time roles and a full contingency of staff in the office a rare occurrence due to the generous annual leave allowance.

I think shared learning will greatly help with this and I am disappointed not to be around to see the developments with projects such as OpenMIKE. I feel projects like this, and an increased use of RedRoom to share information, would be beneficial so time is not wasted duplicating documents and procedure across territories. I found in my experience that new projects or documents and, at times, training opportunities, were spread through word of mouth, making opportunities for shared learning and career development infrequent. I had to be very proactive in seeking new opportunities to gain experience, hearing about a Train the Trainer course only because I had been asked to pass on the information about this opportunity to my volunteers. The constant increase of day- to-day tasks I had to undertake left no time for future career considerations and towards the end, I took annual leave to ensure I would be able to attend an internal Red Cross course because I did not feel I would be able take the time away from my regular job. I would have greatly appreciated someone to help me in a mentor-type role although would have been unsure where to go for this advice.

In my last few months with the Red Cross I applied on three occasions for internal positions, both sideways and upwards moves, but was sadly unsuccessful on each attempt – due primarily to lack of experience. Each

time I was given constructive feedback to gain more experience but after consideration, I knew there was no time for me to gain this experience in an internal capacity and I was already a very active volunteer for the Society. The feeling that there were no opportunities to move upward contributed to my decision to leave. It was also the frustration of being unable to effectively instigate new ideas in my current job and the lack of opportunity to use my training that saw me look outside of the organisation for employment.

I will certainly continue to volunteer for the Red Cross across several services and I will be forever grateful for the opportunities given to me as a new graduate. The staff members I worked alongside were always fantastic and the fundamental principles really spoke to me from the moment I joined. I feel I have begun a lifelong relationship with the Society and, despite a mixed experience, I would certainly look for professional opportunities to return to the organisation in the future.”

Georgina contributed this learning article when she left her service coordinator position in November 2011 and continues to volunteer for the British Red Cross.

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Meeting regularly with colleagues and sharing ideas is invaluable. After looking for a solution to improve our training

systems and processes for sometime the break through came after speaking with colleagues in another area. They had

created and implemented a new training system, built to meet their needs and were happy to share this with us. After just a few

conversations and one meeting where we were shown the system myself and other L&D colleagues from around our territory

were convinced that this system was just what we were looking for. Now four of the areas in our territory all use the same L&D

system and it has already made a huge difference. It has cut our administration time down, it easily enables us to produce a variety

of reports, and it saves us time and has stopped us needing to duplicate data. By simply having conversations and sharing

ideas we have saved ourselves and the organisation a lot time and energy. We now have a system that is fit for purpose and we

haven’t had to waste time re-inventing the wheel, all thanks to the co-operation and willingness of teams to share.

kerry allenVolunteering Office, Berkshire

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15Top tips on volunteer support from Volunteer AdvisersSarah Joy Researcher

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Volunteers are fundamental to everything we do at the British Red Cross, without them, we simply wouldn’t exist. With this in mind, the organisation decided to carry out some research to explore what a good volunteer experience is and how we can best support this.

An important component of this research involved gathering the views of our 21 Volunteer Advisers across the country. What did they feel worked well in their Areas and what were some of the challenges they faced? Alongside this, lots of ideas were put forward for improving practice.

This is a shared collection of some of the key things our Volunteer Advisers highlighted as working well for them in their roles supporting service managers and co-ordinators to support their volunteers across the Area. We’ll look, in turn, at practice across the following 6 phases of the volunteer management and support cycle:

1. Volunteer planning2. Attracting volunteers3. Volunteer recruitment and selection4. Volunteer induction and training5. Supporting, developing and motivating

volunteers6. Parting ways with volunteers

Volunteer planning

> Start the process by meeting with the service managers/co-ordinators to identify recruitment requirements for the forthcoming year. Building the dialogue with services was seen as key to the planning process.

> Link back to the annual plans, to highlight anticipated service delivery targets which determine whether or not there’s a need for a specific volunteer recruitment drive.

> Share recruitment plans with the L&D team as soon as possible, if they are not already involved then this is critical to

ensure adequate induction and training courses are planned throughout the year.

> Look back at your volunteer turnover data last year. Although future turnover can’t be predicted, it can give an indication of what you might need to recruit to maintain current numbers.

> Allocate appropriate staff resources in advance. Think about what will be needed to support the recruitment process throughout the year.

> Think about how volunteers can be involved. One Area reported inviting volunteers along to get their input into where additional resources may be needed. Another Area had plans to develop volunteers in each service better to support the recruitment, selection, training and induction.

> Get involved in the strategic planning, to ensure volunteering factors are considered when a new service is being planned or if another service is being changed, developed or withdrawn.

Attracting volunteers

> Build positive, personal relationships with external organisations that can help (e.g. volunteer bureaus). Provide regular updates around service specific requirements. However, this does require capacity to be able to maintain contacts and networks in order to target roles to appropriate audiences.

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> Regularly review and tailor your publicity both in terms of the service you’re promoting but also relative to the specific needs of your local beneficiaries.

> Develop bespoke packs to target specific groups of volunteers. For example, retail have significantly improved their ability to attract younger volunteers through highlighting certain new benefits such as a certificate in retail skills, Shopaholics and NVQ offer.

> Like attracts like. If you’re looking to attract nurses use nurses as your recruiters, if you’re looking to attract younger people, use younger people, etc.

> Promote opportunities with real stories. Particularly for promoting new services, the local media (press and radio) can be very effective for getting messages and adverts out there to potential volunteers.

Volunteer recruitment and selection

> Give applicants an accurate snapshot of what volunteering will be like and what they will get out of it. Having a sharply focussed volunteer offer at the recruitment stage will lead to successful recruitment. Make sure this is clear and targeted.

> Get potential volunteers involved as soon as possible. While final decisions are not made until the CRB and references are back, during this processing time we need to keep interest levels high. Get potential volunteers involved in shadowing and observing and taking part in the induction and initial training courses where possible.

> Ensure good communication is in place when new recruitment models are introduced. This is essential so that everyone knows and understands why we’re doing things in a new way and supports consistency of good practice across the board. For example, hold a

workshop for service co-ordinators and volunteer trainers/recruiters so that they understand the new process properly and can ask any questions they have about it.

> Support the skills and knowledge gaps of our recruiters where required. There is sometimes an assumption that staff and volunteer recruiters know how to interview volunteers – this is not always the case. Some of the following good practice tips in interview situations were highlighted by VAs:> Encourage face to face interviews

where possible to improve the process of selection.

> Encourage the interview to be seen as a two way meeting in order to come to a selection decision and not simply an administrative exercise.

> Encourage recruiters to choose volunteers for the attitudes, values and behaviours we organisationally aspire to, for people who already identify with our mission and vision.

> Make sure potential volunteers have the role description before the interview to allow them to ask questions and outline any areas of concern.

> Use the interview to assess volunteer skills, attitudes and understanding of the role as well as what they hope to achieve by volunteering with us.

Volunteer induction and training

> Plan, publish and communicate a calendar of core induction training in advance. Ensuring that all co-ordinators and lead volunteers have immediate access to this information will enable them to use it at the initial interview stage to help plan the induction of a new volunteer.

> Encourage a variety of ways for staff to welcome and prepare new volunteers for their role. For example, buddying up with other volunteers can work extremely well

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to enhance communication and provide informal support and learning. Inviting new volunteers to attend group meetings where possible and introducing them to other volunteers.

> Get to know any service specific training pathways that have been developed. Some Areas highlighted service specific training pathways which volunteers can be given to set expectations of the training they are required to do as well as provide clarity of progression routes.

> Build communication and co-ordination of training across Areas where possible (as well as between branches within Areas). This could enable volunteers on neighbouring borders to access other Areas’ training, optimising take-up and limiting the amount of time volunteers might spend hanging around waiting for their training to come round.

> Send volunteer council chairs a monthly

list of new joiners. Some Areas reported doing this in order for the councils to be able to introduce themselves and their role to new volunteers, and welcome them to the organisation.

Supporting, developing andmotivating volunteers

> Ask volunteers what they think. Some Areas reported listening to volunteers and working with councils to shape new plans to better equip us to support and engage volunteers.

> Use your experience to promote, influence and persuade. While VAs don’t have management authority over service staff, they are involved in supporting

and influencing practice related to volunteering. For example, ensuring all staff, across all services, retail and fundraising, are aware and have access to volunteer management training and that their support needs are taken into account is really important.

Parting ways with volunteers

> Leave the door open for volunteers to come back. Volunteers leave for a variety of personal reasons and they might well volunteer at some point again in the future if they are encouraged and feel welcome to do so.

> Ask the volunteer councils to help. Some Areas reported working well with members of their volunteer councils to conduct exit interviews where appropriate. In some cases, volunteer councils were also doing important work to audit the database, ensuring the volunteers that slip away get removed and our volunteer numbers are accurate.

> Share the latest volunteer statistics with staff and lead volunteers. Some Areas reported presenting the statistics to volunteer councils showing volunteer profiles in their areas on, for example, gender, service, age, ethnicity. Using the data we have is the only way to find out how accurate it is and try to motivate all staff and volunteers to keep records up to date.

The full report from the Quality Volunteering research is available on RedRoom at: http://intranet.redcross.org.uk/BRCS/internalprojects/hrandeducation/ep5/

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16Engaging Young People in Wales and Western: Saving Lives Changing Lives in practice Jeff Collins Director of Wales

Ali James Territory Youth Development Advisor

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Introduction

As the British Red Cross (BRC) in Wales and Western has grown over the years so the number of requests for college placements, work experience, and similar initiatives have grown also. Simultaneously there has also been a steady increase in the number of internships and others working with us. At the start of 2010, however, Future Jobs Fund (FJF) placements33 were added into the mix for Wales and Western as the employment situation for young people especially deteriorated. Further, European Social Funding was also to become available in Wales in 2010 for the Intermediate Labour Market (ILM) programme34. Similar opportunities exist in England. In parallel with this, 2010/2011 was to witness a significant surge in the numbers of young people wishing to volunteer (circa 12% in 2009 cf 38% in 2011.). This paper explains the journey travelled by the BRC in Wales and Western, the lessons learned, and the different tangents of thinking.

33 Future Job Fund – 26 week placement funded at minimum wage sponsored by Job Centre Plus.

34 Intermediate Labour Market – European Social Fund providing 20/25 week salaries for targeted groups of unemployed

Methodology

This paper is very much about work in progress and explores a huge subject. As such there will be “comments” following each topic area. Where these comments can be evidenced by the facts presented they will lead to Recommendations and Conclusions at the end of the report. However, there will inevitably be many comments that are subjective and where additional work/research is required. At section 5 the array of different ways young people are engaging with us are listed. In order to give a direction of travel, and to encapsulate the initial learning, the final focus will be on the FJF “journey” specifically. As this project has now completed and is best documented it will serve as a good template for the initial learning. It is emphasised that at the outset the FJF was focussed on young people but as time has progressed there have been increasing numbers of older people who have been captured by the scheme. In order to reduce the size of this document supporting documentation has not been included as references but can be made available if required.

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Wales and Western – The External Environment

At the time of writing, UK-wide headlines talk of 2.5 million unemployed with very nearly 1 million of 16 – 24 year-olds making up a worrying proportion of that number; this number has increased by 50,000 in the past 3 months (Dec 2011). In broad terms and accepting regional variations, the unemployment statistics for 16 – 24 year-olds have been at > 23% for more than a year. It is regularly predicted by that 1 in 4 of every person leaving any form of education in the next 2 years will be unemployed for at least 18 months. Also, and as defined by the European Social Fund (ESF), areas that have a GDP below 75% of the EU average are designated ‘Convergence’ locations and are considered areas of deprivation that warrant special funding. It is a telling fact that in Wales 15 of the 22 counties have been classified as Convergence locations as is Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly.

Comment 1: NEETs35 and the whole arena of unemployment, especially for young people, have been a top priority in UK for some years and it can be safely predicted that this will remain the case for many years yet e.g.; tendering documentation for newly contracted and out-sourced Health & Social Care Service in some counties requires new providers to provide training and employment opportunities to this group (NEETS etc).

Data Capture

It has to be acknowledged at the outset that data capture presented many different challenges in an effort to ensure that the details of all individuals “working”, “volunteering”, and/or participating in “work experience” in the name of the BRC were captured accurately and consistently. This report focuses on the standard Peoplesoft reporting process for staff and volunteers.

35 NEET – Not in Employment, Education, or Training

Comment 2: It is clear that more work is required to ensure that there is an accurate and timely record of all “staff” and “volunteers” working and present in BRC premises at any one moment in time. Comment 3: With young people under the age of 18 this report has identified an ambiguity concerning mandatory Risk Assessments. If an individual under 18 “volunteers” for the BRC then a risk assessment process exists as part of the volunteer recruitment process. Where an individual is placed under the aegis of another agency (College, School, Job Centre Plus, Private/Statutory placement agency etc), however, there is no common protocol for the management of the placement in having sight or a copy of the Risk Assessment that is the responsibility of that agency. The latest guidance is that ALL young people under the age of 18, regardless of how they have become a Red Cross volunteer, must be risk assessed by the Society.

Routes to Engagement

In the course of 2010/2011 the following ways of engagement where identified:

> Privately arranged “work experience” (mostly BRC Shops)

> School/College/University Placements> Apprentice Schemes> Interns> More formal “Work Experience” ( i.e.

UCAS stipulated hours for University Entry eg Social Worker, some paid placements)

> CV enhancement (inc referrals from Job Centres)

> Community Task Force (CTF)36 Placements “employed” (paid by) another agency (Comment 3)

> FJF “employed” (paid by) another agency (Comment 3)

> FJF employed by the BRC> ILM placements employed by the BRC> Volunteering

36 A UK government scheme under the same umbrella arrangement as FJF but only for (normally) 3 months.

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Comment 4: Currently some of these placements are undertaken as part of partnership arrangements under a myriad of informal and local arrangements and without a real understanding of the educational pathways/specific educational schemes used by the school/college/university. More work is required in this area to understand if the educational establishment is drawing down specific funding for these students and, therefore, if the BRC should be seeking a degree of financial reimbursement for the placements.

Comment 5: Under the UK Government 2010/2011 FJF/CTF arrangements there were/are a number of different regional/National arrangements of registered “providers” for these schemes; some statutory, some private, and some Voluntary Sector. In turn this prompts three observations:

a. As neither BRC “staff” nor “volunteers” they could/would have normally escaped any form of recruitment/registration process to inform the BRC of their details.

b. Anecdotally there appeared to be very varied standards of the degree to which some other providers take their responsibilities seriously (Risk Assessment for under 18’s, vetting/interview/selection and monitoring/assessment).

c. Tracking the different processes, names,

acronyms, and qualifying criteria (Length of time unemployed, age, social grouping etc) for individuals on these various schemes as they come and go can be daunting.

d. Understanding the impact internally as a consequence of this engagement.

FJF – The Initial Learning

In January 2010, the emergence of the first returned FJF job application forms (following job advertisement through the Job Centre Plus systems) was to prompt some swift early

learning, changes in direction, and changes in process. In essence, and with no experience of working with these systems and the client group involved, the BRC was faced with:

a. Applicants who were simply “playing” the system to be seen by the Job Centres to be applying for a job whilst not really wanting to work.

b. A vast array of difference in standards of completed application forms (Good level of basic skills to no basic literacy or numeracy skills).

c. A huge difference in qualifications (Graduates through to school leavers with zero qualifications).

d. Applicants who simply didn’t know how to complete an application form.

e. Very different levels of communication/cooperation with different Job Centres.

f. Offers of placements from other (some Private Sector) provider agencies.

FJF – The initial dilemmas

In parallel with the initial learning it was necessary also to overcome some internal

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barriers mostly built around perceptions over this very new and different way of working:

a. Did this fit with Saving Lives Changing Lives?

b. Was there a danger that the BRC would prejudice high standards of service delivery by employing applicants who would not have passed/had the normal recruitment process?

c. In strict accordance with Equal Opportunities was it permissible/good practice to “coach” (mainly young) people in how to complete a job application form?

d. Was it necessary to introduce different forms/processes that were more user-friendly to this (mainly younger) cohort?

e. Was the additional burden on existing staff in support of these new staff (with then undefined support needs) going to prejudice service delivery?

f. Were there distinct areas of service delivery in Wales and Western where an influx of younger people may challenge a hitherto untested intergenerational agenda?

g. The data capture required externally for

the programme was quantitative. How could we enhance this to collect qualitative date, to understand the learning for the employees, and the British Red Cross?

Intermediate Labour Market (ILM)– European Social Fund (ESF)FundingThe ILM scheme aims to reduce economic inactivity in the Convergence areas of Wales by investing £18m of European Union funds (ESF) in organisations to provide paid work experience and training for people facing barriers to employment. The scheme will contract with organisations that provide work-based activities, to target groups which

build confidence and skills in order to move them towards sustainable employment, leading to greater social cohesion and sustainable development in the most disadvantaged communities. As the scheme has matured and lessons have been learned in Wales so the acronyms, conditions of employment (some paid some not), target groups and targets etc have changed. Currently the BRC in Wales has been successful in winning one contract to deliver unemployed/economically inactive individuals who are either over 50, have work-limiting health conditions, or are from Black and Minority Ethnic (BAME) communities with the necessary support, training and ILM work opportunities to support their progression into the wider labour market in North Wales. There will be 35 placements staged in groups of 5 based in North Wales which attracts £150K of ESF funding with a matched BRC component also. More recently a further ILM contract for 50 young people NEET (aged 16-18) in South Wales has been commenced.

Comment 6: ILM could clearly be a step further in engaging with group(s) who may need different and more intensive support and where the level of “risk” (prejudicing service delivery) may need to be reassessed more frequently. As such this particular project must be carefully managed to capture the learning.

Comment 7: The data capture for this programme includes basic quantitative data and an initial assessment of literacy and numeracy levels. A soft skills questionnaire is included also but further work is required to ensure that we maximise the learning for the British Red Cross in this task also.

Comment 8: Under 18 year old employees and safeguarding.

The Internal Inter-generationalAgenda

In common with many/most other Areas of the BRC in the UK the journey travelled since the Unification process (circa 2000)

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has been a daunting one of change that involved completely redesigning work with young people. There can be no escaping the fact that along the way Wales and Western had retained volunteer activity centred on an older volunteer population where young people as equals may not always have been made as welcome as they could have been. When service delivery had been dominated by Event First Aid, for example, it is true that more transient younger volunteers were sometimes seen as “not worth” the significant training investment necessary for them to do their duties. At this stage it can only be a subjective observation, but the mood in the organisation undoubtedly changed in the course of 2010/2011. The very speedy population of offices and places of work by increased numbers of younger people was transformational. Almost without exception this cohort of staff/volunteers proved to be very good at working in particular with older clients.

Comment 9: By dint of circumstance, and not design, BRC offices and work places in Wales and Western in 2010/2011 were suddenly populated with a far greater number of younger people than had historically been the case. As a subjective observation, this completely changed the atmosphere in some of those offices and overcame any prejudices that may have existed.

Comment 10: Intergenerational working and understanding was highlighted in the Wales and Western ‘Work with Children and Young People Self Assessment 2010. (3 year cycle)

Why Are We Doing This?

At an April 2010 event in the Senedd (Welsh Assembly Government Building) the Local Government Minister for Wales spoke to a largely external audience. His theme was the paucity of employment opportunities in particular for young people in Wales and how he saw it as the “social responsibility” of the Voluntary Sector to engage in this agenda by offering volunteering and employment

opportunities. His address was in tune also with the next speaker (Head of a large local college) who bemoaned the lack of quality work experience placement for students (in H&SC) in Wales, and how these were virtually non-existent in the Statutory Sector. The same speaker, however, pointed to the levels of deprivation in Wales and the reality for so many families who simply could not afford the notion of an employable member of a household volunteering. This conundrum is then complicated further by internal work inside the BRC over “enhancing the volunteering experience”, an external political debate concerning the so called advantaged few who can take internship opportunities. Constant media and political attention to the Big Society is evidence of the same agenda in England. i.e.:

> Social responsibility for the voluntary sector to engage in helping the unemployed (emphasis on young people)…… vs

> Paucity of quality (H&SC) positions for work/college placements …..vs

> Significant tranches of young people in Wales simply cannot afford to “volunteer”…… vs

> The privileged few who can take up internship opportunities……. vs

> Enhancing the volunteering experience…… vs

> Positive for Youth (External England Government vision for young people) December 2011.

> Funding opportunities specific to this agenda

> Youth Contract to be launched in 2012 (costing £1 bn to the government) which aims to provide, over three years, nearly a half a million new opportunities for young people including apprenticeships and work experience placements.

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> Many more!

Comment 11: This is a vast subject well beyond the scope of this report. There is a strong “indicator” however that the experience of the BRC in Wales and Western is that young people especially have accepted and taken to the vocational element of their on the job training/experience, regardless of educational background, with remarkable success.

BRC Strategy – Saving LivesChanging Lives

The new BRC strategy was launched in 2010 centred on Delivery and Enabling Priorities that contribute to a “vision” a world where everyone gets the help they need in a crisis and the “mission” by mobilising the power of humanity so that individuals and communities have the capacity to prepare for, deal with, and recover from crisis. It follows in such a large and diverse organisation across the whole of the UK that there needs to be a focus on those priorities and, given the spending of charitable funding, a reassurance that locally Areas adhere to that strategy. For example, other than delivering core BRC training in core BRC activities (e.g. First Aid) the BRC is not a “training” organisation to meet all training needs. Comment 12: The BRC is not a “training organisation”, and it remains vital to the core strategy that the BRC in Wales and Western retains a focused approach on the delivery of core strategic services. However, this scenario can present a win/win scenario using service delivery to help the unemployed and those in education to gain additional skills. Equally, it is an attractive “selling point” for BRC services locally, and a significant, meaningful, and different engagement with the local communities that benefit from those services.

Recommendations

a. That the BRC in Wales and Western continues to engage in the agenda of offering placements, and engaging in different employment initiatives especially with disadvantaged/vulnerable communities in the delivery of services. This meets a key objective with partner agencies, and adds value to local communities.

b. Develop our offer as a Wales and Western National Open College Network Centre, to offer young people engaged with us, external accreditation as a progressive route.

c. That there should be a refocus on data

collection regarding new personnel working with the BRC, and an insistence regarding the adherence to processes for that data collection.

d. It is essential that the opportunity is taken to capture accurately and evidence the difference made to the lives of these young people. This will represent a critical mass of data that can be used for future funding applications and lead also to better ways of working.

e. Build on the qualitative data captured

from the FJF employees to shape structured questions for any further programmes. This is to ensure a consistent approach to all ILM placements for young people, and to evidence the impact on the British Red Cross and young people involved in the programmes.

f. Continue to involve young people in the development of the existing FJF British Red Cross created outcome wheel and specific standardised questions at the start, middle and end of the placements.

g. (In acknowledging that there has been much improvement since 2010) It is nevertheless necessary to re-emphasise the need for diligence in the conduct of Risk Assessments for those under the age of

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18, especially when those individuals are placed with the BRC from other agencies.

h. That in the case of educational placements from academic establishments more work is required to establish if the BRC should/could be accessing placement funding.

i. That the BRC in Wales needs to put a

process in place such that managers have better and more up-to-date information regarding the proliferation of different training and employment schemes.

j. Input into the revised guidance for young volunteers, developed by UK office in 2008, to clarify some key information identified since the guidance was originally produced.

k. That the ILM project be monitored closely to ensure that any new challenges namely, the need for additional support is detected early.

l. Prepare to engage young people in the South West through our external partnership work with v and South West Consortium, which has secured the funding for 90 National Citizen Service volunteers in July 2012 (16 year olds).

m. Continue to support staff and volunteers to work safely and engage positively with young people in Wales and Western.

n. That the BRC commission more in-depth research as noted in the conclusion.

o. Continue to promote and encourage at all levels the benefits of engaging young people in day to day delivery. Also how this engagement can influence and naturally shape services that reflect

the speed of the changing external environment and issues that are important to young people in their community now, and into the next British Red Cross strategy.

Conclusions

Overwhelmingly this initiative has been seen by both volunteers and staff of the BRC in Wales and Western as a positive experience, one enjoyed by our partners, and one that some see as critical in meeting the needs of a wider local community. In this respect 2010/2011 has been a success story. It has to be acknowledged, however, that the sheer scale was not anticipated, and that more in-depth research is required to understand the topic fully. There is, for example, a need to evidence, understand, and demonstrate that the needs of this cohort of young people are/can be met by the BRC, and measure accurately the outcomes with those who participate. In the course of this journey some have argued that, given the current external economic environment, this subject is witness to a fundamental shift in the whole nature of the role of the voluntary sector in our communities. This paper falls short of being able to evidence that conclusion, but gives weight to the notion that the way we engage young people to deliver Saving Lives Changing Lives has changed since 2010 in Wales and Western.

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17Dispatches in disasters researchAdrian Thomas Head of Media and Public Relations

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The British Red Cross (BRC) hosts an annual event called ‘Dispatches from Disaster Zones’. The event focuses on discussing topical issues affecting the reporting of humanitarian emergencies and developing practical ideas for improving reporting, understanding and contacts between those covering disasters.

For 2011’s event, the BRC commissioned research to explore attitudes towards mediacoverage of humanitarian crises amongst journalists and press officers. Findings were used at the ‘Dispatches from Disaster Zones’ event to stimulate debate and discussion.More specifically, research was required to explore the following:

> What journalists think their audiences need and want to know about disaster response

> Levels of journalists’ knowledge around disaster response and identification of sources

> Strengths and weaknesses of the journalist/press officer working relationship

> Stories press officers find easier/more difficult to pitch to the media

> Differences in attitudes towards media coverage of humanitarian emergencies between journalists and press officers

The British Red Cross is keen to develop the relationship between aid agencies and the media in order to improve reporting, understanding and contacts between those covering disasters. Research was commissioned to explore attitudes towards media coverage of humanitarian crises amongst journalists and press officers, both in terms of the working relationship and how stories about disasters are communicated to the public.

Twenty three interviews were conducted in July and August 2011 – eleven with journalists and twelve with press officers.

Summary of main findings

The working relationship between press officers and journalists was felt to be good. In the main, both stakeholders felt the other understood their needs and delivered whatwas required to tell stories from disaster zones. The reporting of humanitarian disasters was underpinned by a shared concern across both parties for the plight of people.

However, the differing needs and objectives of aid agencies and the media were notalways mutually appreciated and were occasionally at odds. While the media tended to be event-focused, had a short-term timeframe and saw its role as questioning a host nation, aid agencies were issue-focused, had a long-term timeframe and needed toco-operate with a host nation. The limitations of these objectives bred some tensionwithin the relationship.

There was some frustration amongst press officers around what they saw as superficialand agenda-driven reporting: one-dimensional coverage that relied on shock to engage, ignored positive aid stories, and had a short term or single story focus, and aid

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ineffectiveness used as part of a ‘disaster news wheel’ rather than where specifically relevant, and without a considered understanding of the complexity of aid delivery. At the heart of aid agency frustration was a feeling that journalists didn’t understand the issues relating to aid delivery (the context, the country, the rules, regulations and practicalities of aid delivery).

By comparison, journalists felt some aid agencies could be naïve in their reportingexpectations. Most aspects of media coverage were an inevitability of the nature andvalues of news, underpinned by the reality of what the media platform, brand andjournalist could do and what the audience wanted. Journalists felt they understood the4 best ways to engage and interest their audience, but press officers didn’t necessarilyacknowledge or value their skills in this area.Aid ineffectiveness was also an issue that frustrated journalists. There was a feeling

that aid agencies were both reticent in addressing their fallibility and complicit in driving the media and public’s unrealistic aid expectations through their over-simplification (via marketing) of what could be achieved.

Journalists were also keen to talk about the politics of disasters and aid agencies werenot. Though journalists did appreciate the delicacy of the relationship between aidagencies and host nations, they were sometimes frustrated by the lack of comment on local governance or the impact of local corruption. The politics of a disaster was felt to provide a fresh, multi-angled, and often fast-moving perspective that could give ahumanitarian crisis greater longevity as a news story.

Both journalists and press officers talked about a culture of news delivery that was evolving quickly. Pressure on budgets, particularly in print media, meant foreign

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desks were becoming increasingly centralised. The role of the internet raised expectations of speed in relation to news, and the rise of social media as a news source both challenged the traditional ‘top down’ news relationship and introduced the possibility of fresh stories being told through user-generated content.

In terms of improving reporting from disaster zones, four particular areas stand out:

New media: The news context is changing fast, and this poses both opportunities andthreats for talking about humanitarian disasters. Both sectors would benefit from a greater understanding of how each can best utilise new platforms and formats.

Transparency: The media want greater transparency about how money is spent and aid agencies want greater appreciation of the process and challenges of aid delivery.These issues are intertwined – is there a way of talking about these issues toeveryone’s advantage?

Politics: This is a challenging issue for aid agencies, but an angle that may help keep adisaster in the media. Aid agencies should consider developing a PR strategy thatenables a discussion with the media about the political context of a humanitarianemergency without compromising their position in-country.

The media/aid agency relationship: There is a sense of lethargy within the mediaand aid agency relationship. The relationship would be stronger if both had a greaterappreciation of each other’s strengths – that aid agencies understand the issue andthe media understand the audience.

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18Reflections on the research advisory panel Professor Ian Forbes Retired academic and Chair of the Research Advisory Committee

Professor David Rose Retired academic and member of the Research Advisory Committee

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Background

In 2010, the British Red Cross established a research advisory group (RAC) to help guide the development of its research agenda. The RAC is made up of a small group of eminent academics who come together twice a year to encourage, constructively challenge and offer advice to the British Red Cross about the research it conducts and engages with. Here, two members of the RAC, share their experiences on being part of the group and offer their views on why research is important for the British Red Cross.

Professor Ian Forbes, Chair of theResearch Advisory Committee

One of the things I really like about the British Red Cross is the determination to do what it does properly, even if it is difficult. So, when I was asked to chair the brand new Research Advisory Committee, I was excited as much as honoured. I knew I would be contributing to a big developmental step for the BRC. Why? A committee like this speaks volumes about the Society’s attitude to research. It means that the importance of knowledge of the highest quality has been recognised,

accompanied by an awareness of the crucial role it can play in service delivery. It honestly acknowledges that we haven’t always known what we need to know, and takes full responsibility for doing something about it. Put simply, the Society has committed itself to finding out what works. The bravery of this step is not to be underestimated. Research can also bring us face to face with what doesn’t work, even if we have been doing it expensively, for a long time, with the very best intentions and great emotional commitment. So having in-house research capacity will lead to uncomfortable moments. It is a new way of doing things. In the face of hunches, anecdotes and sacred cows as determinants and justification of policy and practice, research looks for reliable evidence. Research focuses on how we know what we say we know, and will ask ‘what counts as evidence?’ It injects new disciplines, new accountabilities, new reliability into the way things are done. The Research Advisory Committee is a key part of the new setup. Composed of volunteers who are academic specialists and people with a wealth of practical experience, the Committee has access to the best and most recent research in the areas that are of most relevant to the British Red Cross. If the members don’t have personal expertise, they know who has. Also, we are steeped in the research world, with experience of how to do research, and do it ethically, how to find funds for it, and how to apply it. Most important, in the long run, is that the Advisory Committee has an independent, outsider perspective. We have reviewed individual research proposals, monitored research ethics, discussed research strategy, and given feedback on research output put before us by the excellent Research Directorate. We care about what research is prioritised and how the knowledge generated feeds into policy and practice. We are free to ask the tricky questions, take the long view, and to express our ambitions for the Society as the new research organisation on the block.

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In all, the Research Advisory Committee is a ‘critical friend’. This does not mean we criticise, or that we have the right answers. Being a critical friend is a respectful form of support, drawing on what we do best – probe, analyse, interpret, and evaluate – and taking opportunities to add data, explore different options, and offer insights. For someone like me, this sort of friendship is intellectually exciting and emotionally engaging – a privilege to be contributing to worthy outcomes with people of such experience and commitment to Red Cross values. As long of both of these aspects are animating forces for the Research Advisory Committee, I am confident that it will continue to assist the Society to progress, to develop its knowledge base, and so improve its services to beneficiaries.

Professor David Rose, memberof the Research AdvisoryCommittee Since the Research Advisory Committee (RAC) was set up in March 2010 its members have spent many hours discussing precisely how it can best provide advice and support for the BRC research agenda. The question

is not without its complexities and the next few paragraphs contain a personal view of the issues the RAC has been considering and some suggestions about the way forward.

What is research?

We would all recognise the distinction between pure research (or “blue skies” research) and applied research. The aim of the former is to understand a particular phenomenon (evolution, climate change, brain plasticity, for example) and the specific research questions addressed are framed only by that overall aim to “understand” as well as the research which has previously been done. However, there is no imperative to solve a practical problem. In applied research, on the other hand, the objective is to solve a practical problem. Examples might include research intended to reduce tissue rejection in surgical implant procedures, to increase the strength of materials used in body armour used by the military and, an actual example from the BRC Research Team, how to increase the likelihood of BRC trained first aiders intervening when a medical emergency occurs by exploring the relationship between first aid training and the building of community resilience.

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A third type of activity that must also be included under the heading of research is knowledge exchange (or transfer), which increasingly is being referred to as “implementation science”. The knowledge exchange agent does not carry out research but does monitor the research findings of others and ensures that they are brought to the attention, and integrated into the practice, of potential users who might thereby enhance their own activities. To take a hypothetical example, BRC could potentially improve its emergency response capability if some particular set of research findings which allowed better prediction of extreme weather conditions in the UK were to be brought to its attention (and presented to it in an understandable and usable form). In recent years knowledge exchange (or implementation science) has become much more prominent as a result of budgetary restrictions placing a greater emphasis on “value for money” and the increasing view that scientists have a responsibility to demonstrate how their research has been of benefit to society. Evidence of this change in attitudes is to be found in the inclusion of measures of “impact” in assessing the quality of the research carried out by universities in the Higher Education Funding Council for England (HEFCE) revised review process, the Research Excellence Framework.

How should the BRC researchagenda relate to these researchcategories?Pure research is clearly not within BRC’s remit. This is the business of universities in receipt of large scale Research Council, European and Charitable Foundation funding and which can draw on experts from a range of disciplines both within their own institutions and, through formal collaborative links, other institutions both nationally and internationally.

Applied research occurs at different levels of complexity. BRC is very well placed and is

already engaged in this type of research as evidenced by its work to date – understanding how volunteering can be made more effective at BRC, how family reunification can be more readily achieved for people granted leave to remain in the UK, as well as the first aid example already cited. Should BRC require more complex applied research to be done it would be possible to commission it from a university, perhaps jointly with other charities, or seek to work collaboratively with a university to carry it out. Enhancing Learning and Research for Humanitarian Assistance (ELRHA) has a commendable record of bringing together university and humanitarian sectors in seeking to facilitate applied research and there are other collaborative ventures BRC could involve itself in.

Another type of applied research that BRC’s own Research Team is well placed to undertake is the monitoring and evaluation of the organisation’s own activities. Examples here might include an evaluation of the effectiveness of a particular emergency response project, within the UK or internationally. This sort of applied research involves staff training, devising and embedding appropriate data collection methods, monitoring their use, and collation and analysis of the data gathered. In addition to evaluating performance in delivering humanitarian assistance, evaluating the day to day running of the organisation would also come under this heading- the planning, implementation and analysis of BRC staff surveys on various topics, for example.

As important, perhaps even more important, within BRC’s research agenda is likely to be knowledge exchange. There are many areas of front line research, for example, climate change, extreme weather, trauma care and nutrition, in which it is unlikely that BRC would have either the funds or expertise to become a major player even if the argument could be sustained that such research is core BRC business. However, it does have an obvious interest in the latest developments in these fields of research. Monitoring ongoing research in areas relevant to BRC’s

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core business can be seen as “environmental scanning”. This sort of monitoring or scanning and translating the resulting research outputs into an appropriate format for senior BRC managers is crucial to the continuing excellence of BRC provision.

Knowledge exchange is a complex area of activity. Papers have recently appeared in the literature proposing significant additions to the basic skills of literature search and review as core competencies in the science and practice of knowledge exchange (see, for example, Straus et al. Core competencies in the science and practice of knowledge translation: description of a Canadian strategic training initiative. Implementation Science, 6:127 2011). The challenge to the BRC Research Team of fulfilling this function should not be underestimated.

A particular knowledge exchangeexample – science informingpolicyCurrently a major issue in the humanitarian assistance world is how to bring together the worlds of science and policy making to ensure that policy (whether of government or non government organisations) takes

into account the latest scientific research. Someone who has highlighted this issue in recent years is Dr Randolph Kent, the Director of the Humanitarian Futures Programme at King’s College, London (and also a member of the RAC). The Programme’s thinking on this issue is summarised in Making Space for Science. Humanitarian Policy Dialogue: Unlocking the Potential for Effective Crisis Prevention, Preparedness and Early Recovery (Humanitarian Futures Programme, 2011).

As Dr Kent has argued, the primary reason for ensuring that current scientific views on subjects such as climate change are taken into account by humanitarian policy makers is to maximise the chances of crisis prevention and to optimise preparedness, response and recovery. However, David Jones, in his recent book (Who Cares Wins. Why Good Business is Better Business. FT Publishing, 2012) has additionally highlighted the need for organisations to be seen to be acting in a socially responsible way. In this age of freedom of information, internet communication, influence (indeed power), so graphically illustrated during 2011, he notes that organisations can all the more easily be held to account by the public. Jones has written mainly about commercial companies. One might hope the general public would be less

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ready to criticise charities but we should not be complacent. To be seen not to have taken account of the latest scientific research findings on subjects such as climate change or extreme weather conditions in its policy making could significantly undermine BRC’s reputation in the event of one of its relief programmes later being judged less than adequate.

What should be the role of the RAC?

Including within its membership experts on various aspects of humanitarian assistance as well as representatives of research organisations, the RAC is well placed to bring a variety of perspectives to the BRC research table. RAC can look at the research agenda of BRC within a much wider context. The debate referred to above on the nature and categories of research which can enhance BRC’s activities (and which are unlikely to) has already brought these perspectives to bear. Beyond this debate, however, there are other broader issues with which RAC could assist the BRC. For example, in the context of BRC seeking to ensure an appropriate dialogue between its own policy makers and external scientists (via its own Research Team) the RAC is well placed to assist. Also, as a body slightly external to BRC (in the sense of having external members) the RAC might be well placed to ask the tough questions about the extent to which BRC’s humanitarian assistance policies and practices are evidence based and the extent to which the BRC is making sufficient efforts to engage with external organisations and networks to ensure that this is the case.

It is perhaps a little early in the RAC’s development for “key lessons” to be presented. Rather let me summarise what I see as the ways in which the RAC might contribute added value to BRC’s research programme in the years to come: > Advise the BRC Research Team on

its ongoing research plans in terms of feasibility and, where appropriate, ethical and quality assurance issues.

> Examine those plans in the wider context of developments in humanitarian assistance and in scientific research both nationally and internationally.

> Advise the BRC on relevant initiatives, networks, collaborative arrangements and funding sources within the public, private and voluntary sectors for applied and implementation science projects.

> Take a particular responsibility for questioning BRC about the extent to which its policies are informed by the latest scientific findings in relevant fields and to which its core activities are evidence based.

> Advise BRC about any research related risks which should be considered for inclusion in the organisational risk register.

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19Using Geospatial Information for Programme Planning and Evaluation in the British Red Cross Clara Straimer, Kareem Ahmed, Simon Johnson and Andrew Braye GIS Mapping Team

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Introduction

Statistical information forms one of the cornerstones of reporting within the British Red Cross. Services are regularly asked to provide a range of statistics to justify their expenses and monitor their impact and relevance. A lot of this data has a spatial component.

For example, beneficiary data often provides us with postcodes that allow us to plot beneficiaries on a map. Due to organisational efforts to increase accountability to beneficiaries through needs assessments, such data is often used for programme planning, for example by comparing it to data about the location of target populations. This can then be used to establish whether a service is reaching its target population and where further outreach is needed. However, if presented in a written format, such data is hard to understand, analyse and compare.

Recognising this potential, the Geographical Information System (GIS) Team of the British Red Cross started as a volunteer-led project in September 2010 and has since grown to be run by two members of staff. The team seeks to make large sets of statistical data more easily understandable through displaying data on a map. Geospatial analysis carried out by the team enables us to visualise the data and provides an opportunity to question, analyse and compare the information at hand.

Since its inception, the team has provided analytical and mapping capacity for a range of users. This article is a review of what we have learnt during the past year and how we hope to proceed. In particular, we hope that it will raise awareness about the potential of GIS for organisational planning and evaluation and allow us to enter into dialogue with other parts of the organisation who may wish to use our services.

According to the World Health Organisation, there are three key areas in which geospatial analysis can support the activities of large organisations, such as the British Red Cross:

1. Making customised maps that correspond to user needs and are presented in an accessible format;

2. Making better decisions through allowing for better analysis and understanding of statistical information;

3. Improving data sharing and organisational integration through hosting maps on a commonly accessible platform.37

The following sections give an overview of the possibilities of using GIS within the organisation and the challenges the team is currently seeking to address.

Using maps for programmeplanning and evaluation

Geospatial data can offer a range of useful angles on developing and evaluating services provided by the British Red Cross. Maps representing geospatial data can be used as an analytical tool to answer a wide range of questions. Here are some examples of issues that services have sought to address and partially answered through the use of maps and spatial analysis:

1. Where are our properties located? How does this correspond to the location of our beneficiaries?

2. Where are our beneficiaries concentrated?

Is there an area where we reach few or no beneficiaries?

3. Which geographical areas should we

concentrate on, if we want to engage with disadvantaged communities?

4. How many of the population within 10

miles of our service are in the bottom 10% of deprived communities in the country?

37 http://gis.emro.who.int/PublicHealthMappingGIS/WhyUseGIS.aspx

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5. Risk assessment of properties, services and populations. For example, is our property located in a flood risk area?

Those who have used our services within the organisation have found our maps a helpful tool to understand and analyse data. The following statements illustrate how geospatial analysis can present complex datasets in an accessible format and highlight potential gaps in the data:

“Maps are a good way of presenting information clearly.” Anne-Julie Burdet, Contract and Tenders Department.

“GIS was helpful as it highlighted some data deficiencies, such as the lack of diversity information.” Sarah Joy, Learning Organisation and Research.

Through working closely with our users, we have developed various ways of representing data in a clear format but we are still learning and striving to improve our methods and capability. For example, we are involved in an ongoing conversation with a few teams interested in offline map functionality. This would allow teams to use maps in the field without access to an Internet connection

and still have a high level of relevant detail available to them.

In addition to becoming more accessible and understandable, data can also become more comparable. In order to display data properly, it is usually standardised to a certain degree. This allows for representing data from different sources or time periods in a consistent format. As a consequence, large datasets drawing on different sources become comparable and can be analysed in conjunction.

For example, data on the main age groups in a geographical area derived from a population census can be compared to data about beneficiaries of the British Red Cross, as their age group can be calculated by using their date of birth. This can then allow for a geographical comparison of where target groups and beneficiaries are based.38

38 It is important to note that this level of detail about beneficiaries may make them identifiable. Hence we have so far only provided our maps of beneficiaries and volunteers internally, keeping names anonymous. Further, we are always striving to discuss any mapping of beneficiary data with the responsible researcher to ensure best practice in terms of protecting the individual.

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Making better decisions

Through increasing the accessibility of statistical information and providing an opportunity for comparing diverse datasets, we hope that our services will support decision making within the organisation.

In some instances, large datasets, such as postcodes on beneficiary location cannot be used effectively if presented only as numbers. Through plotting data on a map, gaps in service provision or beneficiary reach are clearly and immediately visible. Indeed, mapping services have supported a range of needs assessments, for example for Refugee Services and Health and Social Care.

However, while some spatial analysis can offer simple maps that are interpreted easily, other maps are formed from more complicated statistical methods and the data set has to be properly understood to be utilised correctly.

For example, a commonly used dataset called the Indices of Multiple Deprivation (IMD) calculates a range of scores for different areas of the country.

The main purpose of the scores is to enable users to rank the areas and provide relative measures of deprivation. They allow users to establish that one area is more or less deprived than another area but do not show how much more deprived it is.

If the user is not aware of the method that was used to calculate the scores and simply looks at a colour coded map, incorrect conclusions can be drawn. In order to address this, we have put together guidance on the methodologies used for this and similar models.

In addition, we are striving to build some level of regular engagement with existing and potential map users. This enables us to learn how our maps are interpreted and improve the way we display data, making it more accessible and focusing on the most relevant indicators. Strong ownership and feedback

loops into any system help develop the integrity and usefulness of the underlying data. Seeing this happen when feeding maps back to users has been very rewarding and part many of the developing conversations we have had.

We recognise that in large organisations such as the British Red Cross, this is a challenging and long term objective. Different teams operate to diverse time-lines and there is often an element of pressure involved in producing and analysing the maps. Moreover, front-line service providers are usually under considerable time constraints and many lack the capacity to focus on data collection and analysis. In order to reduce this barrier, we have built up a large volunteer base and are always happy to provide extra capacity and advice.

Improving organisationalintegration

Another opportunity that GIS services provide is the option of sharing information across the organisation. For example, the GIS Team has visualised the location of all properties and services of the British Red Cross on a map that is available online to all members of the organisation. By providing this data in an accessible format, it is easier for different services to identify nearby buildings and their use. This could be further expanded to add information on details of the facilities available, important resources in the area, risks such as flooding, and the location of partner organisations - information that is not currently available in any comparable format.

Geospatial data could also be used to compare the services provided in different regions and to analyse the change of beneficiary reach in a region over time. These and similar options allow for sharing information among different offices within a region and promoting organisational integration and understanding.

However, there are several challenges related to data sharing that emerged as prominent

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obstacles in the work of our team over the past year. Internally we found that data collection methods were inconsistent leading to some datasets being unusable for comparative analysis. Useful data needs to be accessible and formatted to a meaningful and recognised standard that can be aggregated statistically. This is currently a challenge as the needs of different departments and levels of the organisations pull both existing and new systems and data architecture in many directions.

These are ongoing challenges for such multifaceted organisations as the British Red Cross and there are currently efforts to review data collection and storage. One example of this trend is the Programme and Information Management System (PIMS), a system developed for use by the International department. This system allows the management and storage of multiple data formats around projects for countries where the British Red Cross has engagements. These and similar initiatives can allow for better data sharing and could provide a platform for sharing different maps relevant to projects in that country or region. We are keen to further explore how and whether our service can be useful to these and similar initiatives in the future.

Conclusion: increasingawareness of our service

The analysis of geospatial information using visual and statistical methods combined with open source software has been successfully used in a range of cases to determine programme priorities and to better understand services and beneficiaries. GIS services can make complex statistical data understandable and accessible for a range of audiences, it can support decision making, and could add to a consistent picture of the organisation’s services and resources if used more widely throughout the organisation so that meaningful comparisons can be drawn.

However, there is still a limited awareness of the existence of the mapping capability and supporting services. There are two potential reasons for this: First, the technical nature of the project may create barriers to access for some users. In particular, we have been relying on the use of Google Earth which had to be installed on the desktop to open maps. In order to address this issue, we are launching a new GIS website which is more user friendly and will allow users to access data and maps from previous projects, giving users instant access to the maps we provide.

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Second, this being a service new to the organisation, the past year has been a constant learning process for us and our users. As mentioned above, we have come to appreciate some of the challenges, such as lack of capacity, that teams are facing when trying to use our service and are working to overcome them.

Having continuously built up our capacity through training volunteers and engaging with professionals in the field, we are now keen to expand the use of our service. Learning from current, past and potential users about how we could improve our services to support them more effectively plays a central part in this vision. We hope that this article has given an insight into our work that will inspire other users to get in touch and consider the use of maps or geospatial analysis in the context of their services.

If you would like to find out more about our service or have any questions, please do not hesitate to get in touch through GiS@redcross.org.uk. For examples of our previous work, you can visit our website http://gisdata/

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The outcomes odyssey: BRC learning on demonstrating the difference we make Jules Tompkins Strategic Development Support Officer

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Background

It’s difficult to throw a stick in the third sector at the moment and not hit something with the word “outcomes” in it or at least related to it.

It has always been important for us to think about the difference we make as an organisation but increasingly, and especially in the current economic climate, we need to think more and more about how we demonstrate the difference we make and more importantly, continuously improve the support we provide to our beneficiaries.

2011 has seen the British Red Cross take significant strides forward in our outcomes quest and importantly we have picked up some interesting and valuable learning along the way. Evidence suggests that the level of activity around outcomes measurement within the organisation has been steadily increasing and continues to do so but this is a complex topic, not least because of the huge diversity of services we offer and people we support. One size does not fit all and we’re on a path of continuous development, learning, reflection and improvement.

It’s fair to say some of our services are further down the line with this topic than others; First Aid Learning for example has been routinely monitoring specific outcomes for some time. Over the last three years this has equated to outcomes responses from over 77,000 people. This information is routinely collated and reported back to the Areas in order to help them continuously develop and improve the service provided. Great strides have also been taken in Health and Social Care, particularly with the Care in the Home service. Their national pilot produced some interesting learning about the appropriateness of certain tools with some beneficiaries and work is now ongoing to further develop tools to support the service with outcomes measurement going forward.

We need to ensure that we continue to actively seek ways of measuring outcomes locally through all our UK services but understanding the difference we are making locally will have greater value if we can effectively demonstrate the difference we make together as the British Red Cross.

In September 2011, a mapping exercise of existing UK outcomes measurement activity highlighted 57 examples of outcomes

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measurement to varying degrees, across different services. Combine this with learning from ongoing national pilots of measurement tools, discussions with other third sector organisations about where they are with their outcomes measurement and reviews of outcomes literature and external standards including CQC and the NHS, and we can confidently say we’re making great progress and importantly, we’re on a par with the rest of the sector both with our progress to date and the challenges we still face.

It is important we take the time to reflect on the challenges going forward and in order to succeed in the longer term we need further clarity around some key questions including; what to measure, monitor and manage, why we’re measuring it, monitoring it and managing it and how to measure it, monitor it and manage it. The evidence we’ve gathered so far supports that we’re on the right track to finding the answers to these questions and there is already some exciting, innovative work going on around the UK with outcomes measurement but we’ve still got some way to go and the learning we’ve identified so far will be an invaluable part of the journey.

Key lessons so far

In October 2011 the Outcomes Group produced a report highlighting the learning we have gathered so far on outcomes. As well as drawing out the key lessons learned to date, the report also looked at how this learning will inform further work going forward, including the development of an outcomes framework for UK services in 2012. Some of these key lessons are outlined below; the full report39 is available in the Outcomes Resource Bank on RedRoom.

> We’re on a par with the rest of the sector in our ability to demonstrate the difference we make and are facing similar challenges going forward.

39 Interim Outcomes Learning Report, October 2011. REDX089447

> There is considerable commitment and understanding from staff on the subject of outcomes but we need to focus on volunteer engagement going forward.

> We need to improve the consistency of the outcomes we measure but continue to allow for variation in the tools and methods we use to do so.

> We have the opportunity to influence the thinking of some external stakeholders around outcomes measurement and there are examples of where this has improved our overall dialogue with them in both our Health and Social Care and Emergency Response services.

> There are varying levels of confidence when engaging with beneficiaries in conversation about outcomes. This is a significant challenge to overcome moving forward as the conversation we have with beneficiaries will form the crux of the outcomes measurement process.

> We need to be pragmatic and flexible in our approach. It’s not going to be possible or appropriate to measure outcomes for all our beneficiaries.

> Bespoke measurement tools are often more appropriate for the work we do than more generic, externally recognised tools like the Outcomes Star40 which can have a limited ‘match’ to our work.

> There is more work to be done and any kind of roll-out across the UK must be staged to allow further testing and refinement of tools, planned around and complementary to existing work and commitments, underpinned by a range of learning opportunities and support and supported by clear guidance and expectations.

40 British Red Cross Experience of Using the Outcomes Star, October 2009, REDX039124

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Conclusion

The progress made with outcomes measurement across UK services in 2011 is impressive and has been both an interesting and at times, surprising learning curve. We’ll continue to make significant progress in 2012, ensuring we stick to a path of continuous improvement and common sense. It’s important that we continue learning from our existing activity and experience. The wealth of diversity in the British Red Cross can at times present some challenges when it comes to outcomes measurement but it also provides us with a lot of expertise and experience which is invaluable and some fantastic examples of outcomes measurement. It’s vital we continue to share the learning and experience from this work on both a local and national level.

Further information

The Outcomes Resource Bank on Red Room contains guidance, case studies on some of the outcomes measurement work going on around the UK and further resources that can help with the development process. The full Interim Outcomes Learning Report is also available to download. For more information, please contact Jules Tompkins at Jtompkins@redcross.org.uk

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21Moving our planning process onlineGeraint James Online Planning and Reporting Project Manager

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Background

In our corporate plan we recognised that addressing problems with the existing planning tools and system was a “must do” element of our organisational development agenda (EP7) for 2010–2014.

The need for an online planning system was a recommendation highlighted in the review carried out by pro bono consultancy partners, Booz & Company, in their 2007 review of our performance management processes.

The approach agreed for phase one of the online planning project was a limited scope “interim” system, designed to support existing document based planning rather than to replace it.

Phase one was designed as the first step on a longer journey, with the learning from this year informing developments in future years. The project therefore settled on an approach that made changes through small “incremental steps”, rather than a big-bang.

The lessons outlined below relate to the work carried out by the project between January and October 2011 and the feedback captured through a survey in November.

Lesson 1: Implement change onestep at a time and keep the userin mind> As an organisation we are committed

to Saving Lives, Changing Lives. Every change you ask people to make has an impact on their ability to deliver against that objective. A prospective change that is poorly thought through can have damaging repercussions to project or system credibility. Before asking users to change, you need to be clear of the impact this will have on them, the other “asks” being made of them or the work they’ve already committed to and then tailor your ambitions accordingly. In this instance we knew that we had to keep change to a minimum.

> Better no change, than change for the

sake of it! Knowing we had to keep change to a minimum meant, we had to have a meaningful strategy for transition, ensuring that any initial step had benefit and also built towards our end goal. For online planning, we decided that Phase 1 should “maintain the process and tools but build a platform to support them.” For planning, a high-level framework had been established in previous years. However, while planning was going on, there was very little visibility of how the different planning units actually structured and organised their activities. As such, it was important to keep as much of the framework and tools in-place (for consistency and ease of transition) yet make a meaningful interim step to a central online platform.

> Understand how the processes and tools

are being used. One of the major benefits of a central online platform has been to provide much greater visibility of the activities and challenges in the planning units themselves, which is crucial in building up our understanding, so we can better shape developments for future years. Things that made a difference were:

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> Embedding a member of the project team within a user-group (for example, one member of the PMR team went to work with the Hampshire, Surrey and Isle of Wight area on their planning activities this year).

> Getting help from the Marketing and Brand Development team with a follow-up survey, which generated a 50% response rate from the 120 people surveyed. This has provided tremendously valuable information and has really helped us validate how the project went. This has enabled us to start planning phase 2 with better contacts, a better understanding of our user-base and a clear idea of what they did and didn’t like.

Lesson 2: consult enough (but not too much!)

> In the case of Online Planning, we consulted with stakeholders through a prototype review process. We asked for staff members to volunteer for the process, and arranged a series of time boxed meetings (generally, no more than 90 minutes in length) with two to four people attending. In the meetings we demonstrated the prototype with the intention of determining a particular set of assessment criteria (e.g. how effectively does it support the concept of “everything you need for planning in one place”) and gathered feedback about what was good, superfluous and missing. As a result, the design was improved and the solution was better tailored to the organisation’s needs. This facilitated a smoother implementation, without falling victim to “design by committee”.

> Knowing when “enough” is really enough can be very difficult. Given, the size of our stakeholder group, we found it helpful to consider the Pareto 80/20 Principle. This basically suggests that 20% of the effort delivers 80% of the results. It can be a useful concept for determining the value

> of an activity or the time or effort that should be spent on it, based on the potential benefits that it will derive. So, if in doubt, do keep it in mind.

> Once we had started on the project

we were careful not to get drawn into discussions regarding “agreed” project objectives. Consultation and consensus regarding key project objectives needs to be reached before a project is approved. Once approved, its remit should be clear, so consultation should be focussed on whether a particular design or set of features can deliver against these objectives. Generally, you should only consult again on a set of project objectives if and when the assumptions on which these are based are no longer valid.

Lesson 3: adopt a ‘benefits led’ approach to change

> It is important that the potential benefits are considered both for the organisation as a whole, as well as particular user groups, which in our case would be territories, Areas, divisions and departments.

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> In the Phase 1 survey conducted after planning had completed, 84% of all respondents were either satisfied or very satisfied with the online planning system. However, of the ten most dissatisfied respondents, around half identified a lack (or perceived lack) of benefits. So it’s clear that this is a very important area to consider.

> Focus on the groups that stand to benefit the most and look to them as early adopters and/or champions for the new features – then assess whether it’s worth expanding these out to other groups for whom the benefits are less clear.

> Don’t automatically assume that there is a need for everyone to use or interact with the system in the same way, especially if there are no benefits or possible drawbacks to some groups in so doing. In certain circumstances it might make sense to support two or three different approaches. Why ask people to use something if it doesn’t benefit them or the organisation in any way?

Lesson 4 : Provide high-qualitydedicated support

> A dedicated Online Planning support service, which was available between 9:30am and 5:30pm, Monday – Friday, was provided from the start and maintained by the same people throughout the process, to support the 400 users on the system.

> Of the respondents who contacted online planning support, 95% were either satisfied or very satisfied with the outcome (84% were in the very satisfied camp). In the survey, of the ten most dissatisfied respondents, around half highlighted PC issues as the major issue. Even though users experienced issues, the level and quality of the support provided was a key element to the success of the project and many comments were very positive about the way in which it was delivered.

> When online planning went live there was still a link between the people that designed and built the system and the

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people who were supporting it. A one-off handover is generally insufficient, so keeping this link was important. The ideal scenario would be to have a support resource involved in the project during design and implementation, so that they understand the product and the decisions and potential trade-off’s that have been made.

Lesson 5: Plan in regular(weekly?) catch up and learningmeetings> The Planning team and project team

met weekly once the system was live and these meetings were a great way to share lessons and information and discuss any trends that had been identified by the support team. This was a really useful way of heading off problems and it fed nicely into the regular emails that were issued, allowing for more pro-active, timely and relevant communications.

Lesson 6: Challenge yourassumptions

A common theme of “Challenging assumptions” seems to run through many of the lessons, so we would recommend:

> Only develop when it’s appropriate to develop. Don’t automatically assume all solutions or projects with a technology element require development in the traditional sense. The organisation has a number of flexible technology platforms which deliver a wide range of functionality that can be used to configure solutions rather than requiring development. In most instances one of these may suit your needs. Please contact aaron Woods, the MIS Solutions Architect for more details.

> A series of small steps (with limited or no development) can lead to better outcomes; allowing the organisation to feel it’s on a journey, rather than having “change” imposed on them.

> Don’t attach unnecessary dependencies – is there really a need for everyone to use or interact with the system in the same way? Would doing so maximize the benefits to the organisation as a whole and the various user groups?

> Assess where users are most likely to experience issues and target training and support at those areas. Just because you’re using a particular technology platform, in this case SharePoint, it doesn’t mean that’s where the bulk of the training and support will be required.

For more information, please contact Geraint James at geraintjames@redcross.org.uk

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Short story writer and satirist William Somerset Maugham (1874 –1965) once wrote that “you learn more quickly under the

guidance of experienced teachers… [otherwise] you waste a lot of time going down blind alleys if you have no one to lead you.”

To me this quote underscores the importance of learning by example – leaders need to demonstrate the behaviours they want

to see. So, if we really want to promote a culture of learning we need to see leadership create time for learning themselves. We plan

about what we want to achieve every year, so why can’t we plan, push for, monitor and mandate reflection/learning time?

enid BosSenior Service Manager

Volunteering, Learning & Education

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22Improving the beneficiary experience: a review of the Wales and Western learning day Lucy Tutton Programme Development Officer Wales & West

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Background

In 2009, four programme development officer (PDO) roles were created, one in each Territory, to support teams across the services in embedding needs assessment, outcomes, accountability to beneficiaries, learning and evaluation (from here on referred to as ‘tools’) into their working practice, along with helping to develop and enhance our work with beneficiaries.

In September 2011, as the PDO role was coming to an end, a working group was set up to create an event that would support onward embedding of the tools and create a network of practitioners to support one another with ongoing project and programme development. The group consisted of: PDO (W&W), internal communications officer (W&W), organisation learning manager (W&W), strategic development support officer (UKO) and W&W admin support to sustain the work.

The event created was a learning day: ‘Improving the Beneficiary Experience’ held on 15 November 2011 in Bristol, for staff in the Wales and West Territory, to createan opportunity to learn, share and network (the themes of the day) with colleagues based on their practical experience of the tools.

The event was an opportunity to work across the services around themes that support the development and quality of our work for our beneficiaries.

Over 70 staff attended the event from W&W with representatives from the other Territories and UKO; the day consisted of a variety of activities, speakers and workshops:

Workshops

> The workshop brief was to create an interactive session based on how the tools were used in particular projects, exploring how participants could take the learning and make use of the skills and ideas in

their own work. Practitioners paired up from across the Areas and services demonstrating how they used the tools in their projects and activities.

Speakers

> Chris Hopkins (UK Service Advisor W&W) opened and closed the event by exploring our learning journey with the tools and the continual cycle of striving to improve the work we do with beneficiaries, reflecting on the dynamic and practical response to the tools in W&W.

> Julie Linter (SSM Resilience WAG) discussed the CBFA Somali Women’s Project discussing how it empowers communities, supports confidence and builds essential life saving skills.

> Robert Sedgeley (PDO Scotland, Northern Ireland and the Isle of Man) talked about integrated working across the services in Fife and the Lothian borders; as a way of assessing beneficiary need and creating a package tailored to support vulnerable individuals.

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Activities

> The ‘tree activity’ opened the day to represent all the work: past, present and future around the tools in W&W. Area teams placed ‘leaves’ with projects and programme details along the branches (see photograph opposite) to show a visual ‘snap shot’ of all the work in W&W.

> Learning groups: small learning groups

were formed from staff across the service strands to explore challenges of using the tools, and to create networks/communities of practice for future joined up working. For an outline of how the learning groups were run please see the full report on RedRoom.

> Network Map: throughout the day participants were encouraged to create a personalised network map of colleagues in other Areas that they could call on for further discussion or support around the tools post the event. Please see full report.

> TMT Wall: A ‘wall’ was set up with large Post-it notes to address questions to TMT.

Findings

Overall the event emphasised the appetite for learning days that cut across the strategy and services, and highlighted the excellent work that is happening in the Areas to embed the tools.

Key successes

> Inspiring talks from the speakers encouraged participants to reflect on their learning journey and to hear about how other projects have utilised the tools to develop their work.

> Network map – staff were encouraged to create a network of contacts for the future

“The resources such as the network map were excellent and the idea and format of the learning groups/challenge.”

> Learning groups – one of the most successful elements of the day were the learning groups, where groups of 6-8 participants came together to tackle a challenge that one of the group members was facing – such as, “How we can share the learning better to improve the performance of other similar projects?” The learning groups have another opportunity to discuss a different challenge via conference call at the end of Jan 2012 as part of a ‘community of practise’. It is hoped that if staff find these spaces to reflect, share and learn beneficial they will continue as group initiated networks of support.

> Based on the feedback from the attendees, the event was very successful in bringing teams together to learn, share and network.

“I had the opportunity to share information, best practice, challenges and learning picked up from other services.”

> Most workshops were well received:

“Good workshops – too short on time – a day on each!”

“Interesting and useful.” “Really got me thinking.”

> The atmosphere on the day was really positive and the event fully achieved the aims of learning, sharing and networking.

“Good to focus on process with so many positive examples – especially that whichever service you work in, it’s the tools/reflective thinking element that is key.”

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“Excellent. Great to see details of ongoing projects, dilemmas, solutions and ideas. We clearly have a lot of skills and a growing sense of purposeful and meaningful interaction with beneficiaries.”

“Impressive, inspiring.”

Key challenges

> It can be a challenge to work remotely with facilitators for the workshops – in hindsight it may have been better to have an event planning day with facilitators to ensure the brief and objectives are clearly understood and met.

> Workshops could have been longer to allow more room for discussion – next time it would be better to run fewer workshops for a longer period of time.

Recommendations andreflections

> The opportunity to engage staff in a dialogue around the tools is essential for the organisation’s aims of embedding and crystallising best practice and shared learning in formal and informal settings.

> It can be a challenge to upscale and replicate work – learning days can be a catalyst for exploring new ways of working and considering how learning from projects and programmes can be appropriately transferred to other settings.

> Having other Territories and UKO reps at the event meant this learning has the potential to be shared across the UK through reports and feedback to teams.

> Some Territories have already expressed an interest in holding similar learning days, building on the success of ‘Improving the beneficiary experience’, to engage teams with ongoing dialogue around these tools.

> The learning day presented the

opportunity to take time for reflection on the journey with the tools and to learn experientially through workshops and learning group settings. This blend enabled engagement and consolidation of learning to take back into the work place. Many participants commented on how important they felt it was to take time to reflect outside of the working day.

“People grow best where they continuously experience an ingenious blend of challenge and support.” R. Kegan (1994) on strategically situation experiential learning

> The learning event highlighted the motivation to keep getting better at what we do through the dynamism, courage and talent of teams and individuals who drive work forward and strive towards the best outcome for vulnerable people.

> One of the most important outcomes of the day was in opening up a dialogue around these tools to reinvigorate, challenge, support and sustain best working practice in a more targeted and accountable way for our beneficiaries.

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23Reflections on research and capturing learning Kimberley Rennick Research Assistant

Jo White Researcher

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How we’ve captured learningin 2011: Some reflections

by kimberley Rennick

Throughout 2011, the Research, Evaluation and Impact team (formerly Learning Organisation and Research) have strived to find and implement effective ways of capturing and sharing learning across the organisation.

Evaluation

Part of the process of sharing learning has been utilising the more traditional tools for capturing learning such as through written evaluations and reports. The Research, Evaluation and Impact team provides formal evaluation training and support, with the aim being to ensure that all evaluations carried out at the British Red Cross are of the same high standard and are clear and accessible.

We endeavour to make all evaluations available on Redroom through the Research and Evaluation Catalogue. This catalogue is currently undergoing an extensive redesign which will see it becoming much more efficient and easier to search and use. When starting new projects, it is always useful to read past evaluations of similar projects in order to learn

from the successes and challenges. The new keyword function on the catalogue makes it much easier to search through evaluations by a number of parameters.

Excellence Awards applications

Over the last three years of Excellence Awards, we have accumulated over four hundred applications for awards. Although the winners in each category have been enabled to share the learning from their projects, there is a wealth of high quality learning in the other non-winning applications that has not yet really been tapped. Although the applications were available to be read, there are so many, lengthy pieces that it was unwieldy and difficult to access the key learning points. Over the past few months, we have been working on repackaging this learning into bite sized chunks of information to be made more widely available. One of our interns has spent twelve weeks going through each of the applications, meticulously extracting the primary learning and summarising this into a short blurb. These blurbs have then been assigned keywords to enable user searches and will be available on our new Research and Evaluation Catalogue when it launches in early 2012.

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Communities of Practice

Communities of Practice provide a means for sharing learning across services and divisions and between practitioners. Throughout 2011 we have developed our Communities of Practice offer, opening up new opportunities for collaborations such as through our Corporate Wiki, OpenMIKE.

Capturing learning usingdigital media

Video has been identified as a powerful tool for staff and volunteers to share and document knowledge internally. By using simple handheld cameras like a FLIP camera anybody can create short basic videos to tell their learning stories.

A pilot workshop was held in November 2010 at the Staffordshire branch. Nine staff participated in the initial training ‘Capturing learning through video’. Overall the session was a success – people realised how easy it was to create videos and were inspired to explore the further uses of this medium. Over the course of 2011, a key aim has been to develop and further exploit the use of video as an alternative to more traditional processes of capturing learning.

In particular we have explored the use of digital storytelling to create stories which show staff and volunteers reflections on their experiences of learning. This is a mechanism to share learning and find out what and how others approached areas in the organization. Digital stories comprise a simple collage of media – scriptwriting, recording and still images. Digital stories differ from professional film in that the contributors both originate and edit their own material.

“The power of ‘digital storytelling’ is that it’s 100% participant owned and created. It’s not about a highly produced process – ie going in as professionals and producing their story to a high technical standard. It uses a participatory workshop process that engages them with storytelling and getting them to

use multimedia to produce it all themselves.” Simon DeLacy-Leacey, former project officer

Another benefit of this approach to capturing learning, is that rich, high quality content can be delivered in a short space of time – digital stories are typically two to three minutes – using ‘lo-fi,’ accessible technology. Video is able to capture aspects of an experience that cannot be easily communicated through text, such as tone and expression.

Below are the RedRoom links to some of the stories that were produced by staff and volunteers during a two day digital storytelling workshop in 2011:

> A Youth Movement – Kirsty’s Story http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pfkqnkfpk2Y

> Fire and the ‘bear necessities’ – Jeremy’s

story http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_oqCaqo3BYc

> Gofal – Susan’s Story http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tetj_qztruc

> Pic’n’Mix – Lizzie’s Story http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pPnxmlcvwGc

> The open door – Jo’s story http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mi7p-PiPJMu

> The story of an ITMS Intern – Matt’s story http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uqaux9vCoec

> Young People – Rosie’s Story http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7h1P44rvtui

Although we explored the use of digital storytelling to demonstrate another approach around capturing and sharing of learning and reflections, there is also potential for its use in other parts of the organisation. For instance two of our researchers have already used this medium to produce alternative summaries of their research findings and there is also scope for using digital stories in fundraising,

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service development, communications and evaluations.

For more information about any of the above mentioned tools for capturing learning, please contact Kimberley Rennick in the Research, Evaluation and Impact team: krennick@redcross.org.uk

Research in 2012: Learningfrom 2011

by Jo White

Research is a critical element of any high performing organisation. It is very much interlinked with the organisation’s capacity to systematically learn from and improve its practice. High performing organisations recognise the advantage gained through their ability to generate and absorb knowledge, and then adapt their practice in line with this knowledge. At the British Red Cross, we aspire, and are actively working towards, becoming such an organisation – on many fronts.

The Research, Evaluation and Impact (RE&I) team carry out, advise on and fund social research at the BRC. Three common themes that repeatedly emerged from our research in 2011 were: the need for a corporate research governance framework, the importance of sharing knowledge, and centralising the beneficiary voice. Each is discussed in more detail below.

Research governance framework

Research governance is the range of principles, regulations and good practice that provide guidance on how to define, achieve and continuously improve research at the British Red Cross. In 2011, RE&I developed a research governance framework for all funded BRC research to ensure that research:

> is relevant

> is signed off at the appropriate level (OD, UKD, Heads of Departments, Divisional Directors)

> is appropriately designed, submitted for independent review and has ethical clearance where necessary

> avoids duplication and doesn’t repeat work already done

> is shared.

Key steps in the framework are:

> SMT, teams at area, territory or departmental level start with an idea for research formed from:> something observed in practice> a theory they wish to test> a need to provide evidence to support

BRC’s current or envisioned strategic priorities.

> Area/territory/divisional teams discuss the idea with the appropriate OD/Director, who in turn discusses with the relevant Head of Department for a broad specialist overview.

> For the research to go ahead, consulted groups must agree that:> a funding application can be made> the work has strategic fit> if funded they will support the work

going ahead> they identify an ‘owner’ of the study.

> To involve RE&I throughout the whole process – from the initial phase onwards. RE&I can help advise on and fund research. RE&I also needs to know about your research so it can shared with the rest of the organisation and everyone can benefit.

The research governance framework itself can be found on RedRoom.

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Sharing knowledge

When deciding if a piece of research is necessary, the first step is to see what information already exists. You may find that what you need is already available, or that there is some existing information that you can use as a starting point. This helps avoid duplication of effort and ensures we are building on our existing knowledge base.

However, two literature reviews completed by RE&I in 2011 – Extreme Weather: A Review of Existing Research, Policy and Understanding and The Social Impact of Flooding: Some Lessons from External and Internal Literature – raised some important questions about the accessibility and duplication of information in the organisation. The reviews found that several departments had produced sometimes identical, sometimes contradictory documents using the same data with little, if any, cross-referencing.

There are two key ways to make it easier to find and share information across the organisation.

First, give documents clear and meaningful titles, so that someone searching for such information will be able to find it.

Second, share your findings from research and evaluation with the rest of the organisation. To make this easier, RE&I are working on combining the existing British Red Cross catalogues – the Research & Learning, Evaluation and Excellence Awards catalogues – into one accessible and searchable catalogue. We hope this will improve

functionality and help to develop a repository of the many reports and other important learning material we all produce at the BRC. We also hope it will help avoid duplication, provide the opportunity to share learning and evidence, and help us all link up better with our colleagues, be they volunteers or staff, across the whole organisation.

All that shared learning will be able to be accessed by a simple search engine, with the ability to conduct searches by key words, author, and year. So we hope you find what you are looking for! We hope to launch the catalogue in early 2012.

Beneficiary voices

The voice of beneficiaries is the most essential strand of evidence to improve British Red Cross service delivery and to identify areas for policy and advocacy development.

RE&I carried out three research studies in 2011 that collected data directly from BRC beneficiaries: Assessing the Links between First Aid Training and Community Resilience – which included focus groups and a survey of people who had either received or were scheduled to receive first aid training from the BRC; Family Reunion for Refugees in the UK: Understanding Support Needs – where refugees were interviewed about their family reunion experiences; and Quality Volunteering at the BRC – which sought beneficiary views on the quality of BRC volunteering as users of the resource.

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In all three studies, it was clear that beneficiaries were willing to participate in the research and feed into British Red Cross research and programme development. In the words of one community-based first aid training recipient: “Thanks for asking my opinions.”

Similarly, in the family reunion research only four individuals out of the 70 who were contacted did not want to participate, and this was generally because they had sought, but not received, support from the BRC in the past.

For each of these studies, we were careful to emphasise that participation in the research was voluntary and all responses would be kept confidential, that non-participation would not affect future dealings with the BRC, and took steps to reduce the emotional and cognitive burden on respondents. To illustrate, as part of the family reunion research:

> Respondents were sent a letter which explained the research and invited them to participate. It was also made clear in the letter of invitation and throughout the subsequent interview that responses were voluntary and that individuals did not have to answer a question if they did not want to and could stop the interview at anytime. However, all respondents were happy to answer all questions.

> The researchers also took care to explain

that participation would not affect any support they may have been receiving from the British Red Cross or another refugee organisation.

> At the end of the interview, respondents were offered a follow-up letter which included a list of agencies that they could contact if they wanted more support or wanted to talk about any of the issues raised in the interview. In several cases it was apparent that a greater level of follow-up support was necessary, and these respondents were referred to the Refugee Services team.

We feel the above demonstrates the importance of striking a balance between protecting individuals and empowering them to make their own decision about whether or not they would be willing to participate in the research, as well as giving a voice to those who may few other opportunities to express themselves.

Want some research in 2012?

As we roll into 2012, is there a particular aspect of your work that you would like to learn more about or understand better in order to be able to respond more effectively? The RE&I team can help advise and may even be able to fund your research.

For more information on how we can support you explore what and how research could be of help to your team, please read the BRC social research framework on RedRoom (http://intranet.redcross.org.uk/BRCS/internalprojects/research/socialresearch/index.htm) and contact the RE&I team research@redcross.org.uk or telephone 020 7877 7197.

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24Adding value to Quarterly Reporting Brian Sparke Head of Data Capture

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Introduction

Having visited a number of Areas and discussed the quarterly reporting process, Mike Adamson, Managing Director of Operations, was made aware that the current quarterly service statistics cycle does not support good quarterly monitoring.

This is because the consolidated service statistics are not available to the Operations Directors in a useful format until after they have submitted their quarterly monitoring submission.

The solution

Based on the research carried out in February by the Data Capture team in consultation with Corporate Analysis, Head of Planning, a UK Director, Territory Finance Managers, UK Service Advisors, and various Business Analysts, and the results of a process pilot in Quarter 1, it became apparent that there was a process modification that would enable the required data to be available for the Operation Directors to support their in-year monitoring report.

For the first time BusinessAnalysts get involved

The modification involved the Area Business Analysts who would extract some key data from the normal Quarterly Service Templates and present it to the Operation Directors with trend and forecast data (supplied to them in a special template by Data Capture – UKO).

The data provided by the Business Analysts (in many case with value added from the BA’s experience) to the Operation Directors was in a template headed Statistics Annex to the Quarterly Monitoring Report - the commentary and BRAG (an abbreviation for blue, red, amber and green – the colours that signify whether a deliverable is on track to be achieved on schedule) sections of which had to be completed for all services by the

Operations Director and returned with the Area Quarterly Monitoring report to the Territory UKD.

The Learning

This is the first time that Operation Directors had been able to comment on current and trend service data that was conveniently located adjacent to the commentary box.

The Business Analysts were keen and empowered to be formally included in the process and able to add value and a financial context to the analysis.

The Operation Directors were empowered because for the first time ever their BRAG status selections were used in reports tosenior management.

As a result, by Quarter 4 of 2011 we received the best quality commentary the Data Capture team have ever seen from the group of 21 Areas.

Finally, the quality of the data has improved a great deal and there is evidence that the Territory and Area management are seriously engaging with data accuracy issues by ensuring that the 2011 baseline is sound.

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Appendix 1Examples of Commentary in Statistics Page for the Quarterly Monitoring report

Services actual total for quarter

2011 Ytd actual output

2011 full Year Planned output total

on track against 2011 full Year Planned output total? (BRaG)

CommentaryPlease provide sufficient commentary each quarter to support the status reported and, if ‘amber’ or ‘red’, please refer to any mitigating actions or future implications.

Care in the home users

190 570 1,570 Green Quarter 2 year to date we have delivered just 36% of our full year planned CitH reach for the year; nos. reached in one project in particular have been impacted by a reduction in referrals from the local hospital (changes in their funding environment). However, we have just signed a new contract with Blogshire funders group, which should see a hike in no. of CitH users reached in quarters 3 and 4; as such I am confident the overall year’s planned total of 1,570 users will be reached.

feSS number of callouts

25 90 180 Amber Although we have delivered 50% of our full year planned output, changes in the organisation of our local Fire Service in one Fire & Rescue Area may see a reduction in the no. of domestic fires to which we are called out over the next quarter at least. We are working to ensure strong links will be forged with the new Fire Service team and are also exploring opportunities to use our FESS resource in broader contexts that just domestic fires. However these will take time and so this service is reported as ‘amber’ against the planned output total for 2011.

no. of people reached through humanitarian education

2,060 3,100 3,000 Blue Due to an opportunity to work with a network of local schools linked to Refugee Week, which we had not anticipated during planning, we have already exceeded the year’s planned reach! Activity in quarters 3 and 4 is not likely to be as high as in quarter 2, but I now envisage the Area having reached at least 4,300 people with Hum Ed messages by end of 2011.

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2011 was another busy year of learning for Red Cross Fundraising, not only for the British Red Cross, but also for the wider Movement.

The International Fundraising SkillShare had not been held since 2008. In 2011, we revived this important learning event, bringing

together 80 delegates from National Societies from across the globe including the Americas, Europe, Asia and Africa. Feedback

from the event was incredibly positive and, not only have we been asked to once again host it in 2012, but learning from the 2011

event continues as the Asia zone held its own forum to share the information gathered more widely.

During 2011, the Federation Wide Resource Mobilisation Strategy was developed, and was agreed by the Governing Board. We have

since been putting foundations in place to take the lead for one – and to participate in all – of global fundraising Communities of

Practice, which are now being established to really ensure that we are maximising learning, sharing and partnership to raise even

more funds for the Movement.

Closer to home, we held our own Fundraising Conference, which gathered together 180 delegates to share learning and best practice

within our own teams, but also from other charities, as well as offering networking and training opportunities.

In our everyday fundraising, we continue to constantly test new approaches and techniques for income generation. Research

has been – and continues to be – carried out to really learn more about our donors, their motivations and behaviours, as well as the

structures and systems in comparator organisations in order to really maximise our funding opportunities

andrea LuffHead of Fundraising Strategy

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25Learning from the EU funding practitioners group maximising the potential across European National Societies Lindsay Dalton-Hopwood Senior European Fundraiser

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Summary

The European Funding Practitioners’ Group (EFPG) was founded in October 2008. It is a Community of Practice – an informal group of funding practitioners throughout Europe who hold responsibility for bringing European funds into their National Societies.

Raising European funds is, as you might imagine, quite complicated and somewhat bureaucratic, with some fairly heavy financial monitoring requirements. And as such, you can imagine that many are put off before they have even begun.

There are, however, those of us who strive to clarify these issues, share our knowledge and our experience, and encourage others to work with us (both nationally and transnationally). Together we have devised some training to demystify the process and encourage our national societies to make greater use of funds that have such great potential to support and progress our strategic objectives.

Background to EFPG

My early experiences of working in European funding were of complicated websites and a complete lack of training in the area we were looking into (Intracommunity funding – to work on our national projects with colleagues throughout Europe). In the end I scoured email lists from the Red Cross/EU Office to identify a cohort of like-minded individuals in our extended family across the continent.

Months of endless discussion and debate ensued before we were able to state clearly what we wanted to do, how, why, and what difference it would make to each of our national societies. I don’t think any of us would have initially expected representatives of 17 National Societies to turn up to our first meeting, but they did. The need was clearly demand driven.

A collective approach

We set out our Memorandum of Understanding to explain our existence, which essentially is to:

> Share our experiences, expertise and understanding of intra-community funding.

> Create generic learning resources to assist and further this process.

> Collaborate on the development of new projects and partnerships to, hopefully, raise funds to pursue the strategies of our National Societies.

This we do within the central aim of supporting the Red Cross/EU Office in furthering the collective goals formally agreed across our national societies. It is worth noting that this was an element that the Red Cross/EU Office was not fulfilling but actively encouraged us to pursue.

The group is very consciously an informal one. We chose specifically not to become one of the thematic networks that there are across Europe, where attendance of meetings is automatic. We wanted to build our work through a natural zest for our subject and as such are represented by seven national societies that form the core group, and a wider group of what has grown across a further 14 countries. Those who want to attend meetings must justify their attendance within their own National Society, and therefore join with enthusiasm and commitment.

At the time, we were unaware that what we were setting up was a Community of Practice, but, reflecting on its description, we are a ‘textbook’ CoP. Our membership is interest-driven, ranging from a branch fundraiser to a couple of secretary generals, and from finance officers to heads of international relations. We even have a couple of fundraisers! The reason we have such a wide membership is because we come together to solve problems, to pool our expertise and to help each other

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– classic Community of Practice behaviour. And behaviour that tends to be more successful in generating strong outcomes in the long run. Continued collective action reinforces learning – a training course alone would never have given us the opportunities we make for ourselves.

A learning organisation

Over the past few years we have worked to support each other and developed a couple of training courses, aimed specifically at European Red Cross national societies, to provide some generic training for colleagues that are interested in getting involved in European funding. These are:

> How to apply for European Funding

> How to successfully implement European Funding

The former is quite straight forward and, given our progress with the programmes

approach, something we should all begin to feel more comfortable with now. Our aim with the course is to take away the fear of European Funding. I won’t deny it is not complicated and hard work but much of the fear we face is the fear of the unknown. Take that away and it is just about working with logframes, which is undeniably good practice.

The latter is to help us through the implementation process. It is all very well to get a European funded project but without a strong structure and some useful communications tools to help us wend our way through the project, it is easy to be put off by the experience. We hope these tools will reduce this, making European funding something we can regularly count on to support our development.

Potential impact

We are now at the stage of sharing this across all European national societies. EFPG is applying for European funds itself to help

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with the roll out of this training. We shall also tie it in with other linked topics, such as needs analysis, available at the British Red Cross through our own Learning & Development team, in partnership with other national societies and the IFRC.

Whether we eventually receive European funding to implement the training or do it on a smaller scale, we plan to ensure that fundraising, service and finance staff in the UK all have the opportunity to learn more about what opportunities Europe can bring to our services and beneficiaries. We hope that by both reducing the fear of a European funded project, and by using these funds to pursue our strategic intentions as an organisation, we can grow this additional source of funding to support our work here in the UK.

We will encourage colleagues to apply the learning to their own service. Through co-operation, learning from, and understanding how Red Cross operations work in other countries, we hope to create a stronger impact for our own services. We will:

> learn from our colleagues in other national societies, and share with them our own skills and expertise;

> push forward our external focus, looking beyond our organisational and national boundaries;

> help services drive the strategy forward, finding funds to test new ideas;

> better serve our beneficiaries, providing more and better services in the current climate of greater need and vulnerability.

It has taken us these past few years to gather this knowledge together. In 2012/ 2013 we shall start to implement it. We are already in discussion with all of the thematic networks, such as ENDOV (volunteers) and PERCO (Refugee Services). We shall deliver training through these network meetings transnationally. Within the UK, we shall start to offer these training courses over the summer. A new communications strategy is being drawn up to help staff stay in touch, get better informed, find and meet partners (both online and in person). A wiki will be central to this and we encourage you to join us once it is set up.

Inspired

The great thing I have learned in all this work is how well this project fits with our organisation: how it strengthens it, pushes forward our objectives, and makes all of us stronger, more confident, and eager to work on the next project. And it has led me to work with some fantastic colleagues, both here and in the rest of Europe, who work really hard and do some excellent work. We are extraordinarily lucky within the Red Cross to have the opportunity to work with like-minded colleagues in other countries, something we need to make much greater use of.

For more information, please contact Lindsay Dalton Hopwood at Ldaltonhopwood@redcross.org.uk

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26Building resilience through education: an advocacy campaign Emily Oliver Senior Education Advisor, First Aid Education

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Context

Back in 2006, Life. Live it., the case for first aid education in schools, was produced. It set out clear evidence on how first aid can save lives and reduce injury, and, importantly, the basic skills that young people should learn as they grow towards independence and take on the responsibilities of adulthood. It proposed eight first aid essentials which could be integrated in to the curriculum. Alongside this policy document was the production of the Life. Live it. kit – a complete resource for teachers to use, even if they had little or no experience of first aid. This kit was very successful, and still is used in schools and promoted by Areas across the UK. It is most used by teachers in non-statutory PSHE classes, but some also use it for citizenship and in core subjects such as science and PE.

In 2009-10, we had a new opportunity: the Education Bill. We campaigned to get amendments calling for the statutory inclusion of first aid, specifically by making PSHE a statutory subject. Although the Bill

was scuppered by the Lords and then by the General Election, we had managed to raise the profile of first aid and gained some strong support.

The new coalition Government then embarked on a review of the whole curriculum. And this takes us to 2011 when our activity was ramped up to make as much noise as we could about giving every child the opportunity to learn how to save a life. At this point we decided to combine the first aid call with one for humanitarian education. This was partly because of the commitment in Saving Lives. Changing Lives to consistently offer the other whenever one was offered, and partly because of the popular and much used humanitarian education materials which so often lead to first aid as a practical manifestation of humanitarian action.

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Activity

Our activity has been broad despite modest resources. We have:

> written submissions to the Department of Education, letters to ministers, the expert and advisory panels, and to all MPs with an interest in education;

> had a stand at the Party Conferences of the Liberal Democrats, Labour and the Conservatives at which we promoted a new campaign banner: Pupil > Citizen > Lifesaver: building resilience through education. These conferences gave us the opportunity to speak to a large number of delegates and encourage many active party members to sign up to our campaign;

> undertaken research into how well young children can learn first aid, produced a report and presented the findings internationally;

> prompted the tabling of an Early Day Motion calling for all children to learn first aid at school, currently signed by 63 MPs, and provided support to a 10 minute rule bill on life saving as part of the curriculum;

> launched a new e-campaign on our advocacy pages calling for supporters to email their MP and raise awareness of the issue;

> gained support from individual MPs, including David Blunkett, who plans to visit a school to see Life. Live it. in action during 2012;

> met with civil servants to discuss our position.

This work has sparked some media activity which has complemented the broader publicity and communications on the Life. Live it. campaign.

Other organisations

Our campaign to get first aid and humanitarian education on the school curriculum has been supported by the PSHE Association. We have also worked collaboratively with the British Heart Foundation and St John Ambulance, although their campaign to get Emergency Life Support (i.e. CPR) onto the curriculum has both added strength to our campaign and engendered a degree of confusion about what is actually being asked for. We believe that first aid is about more than CPR, and that by making CPR the focus, it boxes first aid into a place which is less relevant and appealing to many people (because, fortunately, not many of us have the opportunity to practice our CPR for real very often, and the thought of doing CPR is scary). Emergency Life Support also misses out treatments for more everyday injuries, knowledge of which should form part of any national preventative health care programme.

Where have we got to and whathappens next?

Significant resources from across the organisation have been put into this campaign which has helped to:

> reposition us in the education arena; > raise our profile by presenting an idea that

was widely supported; and > increase our confidence to shout about our

work in schools and the benefits that this has to society as a whole.

Nonetheless, we need to be upfront about the fact that the Government’s review of the curriculum is primarily aimed at slimming it down and taking out anything which is not deemed to be ‘core’. We still face the challenge of articulating the message that first aid and humanitarian messages can be inserted into core subjects without adding to an already packed curriculum. Where

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teachers already use our materials, we know that they add value rather than burden, but it is hard to be convincing about this in terms of policy without appearing to be marketing our own products rather than the issues.

The review of the curriculum is continuing through 2012 and we will have further opportunities to influence it, particularly by responding to further consultations. We plan to focus our efforts on building wider public support, particularly amongst head teachers, parents and subject-specific groups. This will not only position us well as stakeholders in the debate about the curriculum, it will also provide a platform for future work which is likely to involve persuading schools and academies (which are not tied to the national curriculum) to include first aid and humanitarian education in their non-statutory programmes of study.

What have we learnt in 2011?

The most repeated response from party conference delegates to our campaign was “Why is this not already part of every child’s education?” Whilst this was encouraging, it has also been increasingly frustrating to hear the negative response from Government. Perhaps though, it is this combination of positive and negative which has driven us to dig deeper to extend our reach to the widest possible audience. It has forced a joined up approach which in itself has provided greater opportunities for engagement, both externally (broadening the number of politicians, subject groups and individuals who might take an interest) and internally (Areas have more reason to engage because the campaign touches two of their areas of work with young people).

Campaigns to influence public policy are never easy or straightforward, particularly when there is a political agenda which problematises the preferred direction of development. The future of our work in schools is not under threat. Our resources are exemplary and we have strong support from teachers all over the country. Perhaps the best lesson to learn is that political campaigns should not be seen as an end in themselves, but rather as a platform for wider engagement and promotion of what we know is undoubtedly a good thing for society as a whole. We still want every child to leave school knowing how to save a life as this will contribute to our vision of a place where everyone gets the help they need in a crisis. That’s why we plan to continue with this work and make as much noise as possible about the extensive benefits that first aid and humanitarian education on the curriculum will bring – whether or not the Government makes it statutory.

Photography creditsFront Cover: istockphoto, Page 3: (top) Matthew Percival/BRC, (bottom right) Tim George/UNP, Page 5: Bob Collier/BRC, Page 6: Bob Collier/BRC, Page 7: Bob Collier/BRC, Page 11: istockphoto, Page 13: (top) istockphoto, (bottom) Alex Rumford/BRC, Page 17: Getty Images, Page 19: Antony Kitchener/BRC, Page 21: Julien Goldstein/IFRC, Page 22: Teri Pengilley/BRC, Page 25: Benoit Matsha-Carpentier/IFRC, Page 26: Matthew Percival/BRC, Page 29: Matthew Percival/BRC, Page 30: Andy Buchanan/UNP, Page 33: Katy Taylor-Gooby/BRC, Page 35: Jonathan Banks/BRC, Page 36: Jonathan Banks/BRC, Page 39: Jonathan Banks/BRC, Page 40: Justin Grainge/BRC, Page 41: Jonathan Banks/BRC, Page 43: Stephen Lewis/BRC, Page 44: Stephen Lewis/BRC, Page 47: Stephen Lewis/BRC, Page 49: Anthony Upton/BRC, Page 51: Patrick Harrison/BRC, Page 53: IFRC, Page 54: IFRC, Page 55: IFRC, Page 56: IFRC, Page 57: Getty Images, Page 59: IFRC, Page 61: Olav Saltbones/IFRC, Page 62: Vivian Paulsen/Norwegian Red Cross, Page 64: Jonathan Kalan/IFRC, Page 74: XXXX, Page 81: Getty Images, Page 83: Tim George/UNP, Page 85: Julian Hamilton/Mercury Press & Media, Page 86: Tim George/UNP, Page 89: Rachel Adam/Caters News Agency, Page 90: Rachel Adam/Caters News Agency, Page 93: Getty Images, Page 94: Kerry Allen/BRC, Page 97: Nick Strugnell/UNP, Page 98: Nick Strugnell/UNP, Page 101: Layton Thompson/BRC, Page 102: Layton Thompson/BRC, Page 104: Layton Thompson/BRC, Page 109: istockphoto, Page 110: istockphoto, Page 111: Benoit Matsha-Carpentier/IFRC, Page 113: Crispin Hughes/BRC, Page 114: Steve Hall/UNP, Page 115: Getty Images, Page 116: Tim George/UNP, Page 119: istockphoto.com, Page 123: istockphoto, Page 125: Matthew Percival/BRC, Page 126: (top left) Layton Thompson/BRC, (top right) Patrick Harrison/BRC, (bottom left) Justin Grainge/BRC, (bottom right) Dominic Cocozza/BRC, Page 129: Adam Harnett/Caters News Agency, Page 130: Matthew Percival/BRC, Page 131: Anthony Upton/BRC, Page 132: Crispin Hughes/BRC, Page 135: Victoria Wood-Matthews/BRC, Page 136: Victoria Wood-Matthews/BRC, Page 139: Simon de Lacy Leacey/BRC, Page 140: Lloyd Sturdy/BRC, Page 143: (top left) Getty Images, (top right), Catherine Mead/BRC, Page 145: istockphoto, Page 146: istockphoto, Page 149: istockphoto, Page 151: istockphoto, Page 153: Bob Collier/BRC, Paeg 154: Bob Collier/BRC

A collection of reflections by staff and volunteers of the British Red Cross on their learning journey during 2011.

the British Red Cross Society,incorporated by Royal Charter 1908,is a charity registered in England and Wales (220949) and Scotland(SC037738).