In 2009, the Red Cross and APS signed a Memorandum of Understanding. This MOU formalises a commitment between Red Cross and APS to work collaboratively, and provides a framework for dialogue between the parties to collaborate and develop services for the benefit of the community.
The objectives are:

  • To increase awareness within APS of the activities and the services offered by the Red Cross.
  • To promote APS involvement in the work of the Red Cross.
  • To facilitate the provision of training for Red Cross volunteers by APS members in good evidence-informed best practice ’psychological first aid‘ practices and for those affected by emergencies and disasters.
  • To facilitate the provision of Red Cross Training for APS psychologists in how to work effectively in an emergency situation, so they may become approved Red Cross volunteers.
  • To jointly develop best practice risk communications and messages and quality community education resources for dissemination through the Red Cross and APS, which focus on prevention and psychologically preparing individuals, households, and communities for potential emergencies in order to build resilience, reduce distress, and expedite recovery following an emergency.
  • To facilitate the provision of on-site support by APS psychologists for Red Cross volunteers and staff and community members during emergency operations, and to complement but not replace the Red Cross‘ existing organisational human resource services.

Red Cross/APS collaborations

Support Group Training

In 2013 the APS together with the support of the Red Cross facilitated the first Support Group Training Workshop for APS psychologists with experience in running groups as well as experience in disaster recovery and/or traumatic stress. This initial workshop was held in Melbourne in February, 2013.  A second training was held in December 2013 in Sydney in response to the Blue Mountain fires, and a workshop was held in Adelaide in April 2015 following the Sampson Flat Fires early in the year.  The objective of the workshops is to prepare mental health professionals to run monthly support groups in disaster affected areas (when and if the need arises) in a volunteer capacity. Such training and the possible facilitation of support groups is part of the Red Cross Psychosocial Recovery program. Dr Rob Gordon ran the Melbourne workshop and Adelaide workshops, and Sharon des Landes ran the Sydney workshop. The Red Cross continue to offer support groups to disaster affected communities and contact the APS for leaders if a group is requested. 

Independent debriefing

Since 2013, APS disaster response volunteers have been working with the Red Cross to help them with their informal debriefings of some of their staff and volunteers after an emergency deployment.  The Red Cross asks specifically for our support with people who undertake mission-critical roles (e.g., senior incident leadership roles within their Emergency Operations Centres and field locations). During a large activation, there can be up to 30 or 40 people per week needing this type of independent debriefing from a psychologist (depending, of course, on the size of the deployed workforce).

The main purpose for the independent debriefing is to ensure people‘s wellbeing is checked when they have returned to their normal life after an emergency activation. There are simple guidelines that debriefers follow during a 15 minute phone call.

Over 150 members of the APS Disaster Response Network have done some independent debriefing for Red Cross workers since 2014 in response to cyclones (Oswald, Lam, Marcia), bushfires (Tasmania, WA, SA, Victoria, NSW), the Sydney Siege in 2014, and floods in QLD and NSW.   

Deployment as workforce wellbeing officers

Since 2012, APS psychologists have been deployed with Red Cross teams to perform a workforce wellbeing role.  This first happened following cyclone Yasi, 2011, then again after the Bundaberg floods in 2012, and again in 2015 following cyclone Marcia in Rockhampton.  The role is primarily to support Red Cross workers in their field work.  This might include conducting informal well-being checks with staff and volunteers, being available to support Red Cross manager(s) in recovery centres and evacuation centres, participating in outreach teams as a peer supporter for the team, coaching Red Cross personal support workers in the provision of psychological first aid, and monitoring indicators of stress and distress among workers.  Wherever possible, we link DRN volunteers in the field up with local psychologists who live in the area, creating a small but supportive network of colleagues enabling the sharing of information and opportunity for debriefing.