Covid 19: Community Resilience and Volunteers - BSI
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Covid 19: Community Resilience
and Volunteers
Deborah Higgins, EPC (Serco)
David Powell, University of Manchester
David Norris, Buckinghamshire Fire and Rescue
Margaret Harris, Aston University
Duncan Shaw, University of Manchester
Facilitated by BSI
02/04/2020
Copyright © 2020 BSI. All rights reserved
Copyright © 2020 BSI. All rights reserved
Meet today’s Chair…
Deborah Higgins
• Head of Cabinet
Office Emergency Planning
College (EPC)
2
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Involving spontaneous
volunteers (SVs) to help
vulnerable people
• David Powell MA
• Alliance Manchester Business School
• University of Manchester
• Formerly Head of Emergency Planning & Business Continuity
• Lincolnshire County Council
• David.powell@manchester.ac.uk
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Covid-19 in the UK
• Covid-19 outbreak began in December 2019, quickly spreading to become a significant challenge to
the UK and the entire world
• UK saw its first case of local transmission on 29th February 2020
• Declared a pandemic by WHO on 12th March 2020
• UK Govt: - Lead Departments, Devolved Administrations, Health & Social Care system … and local
multi-agency resilience partnerships … planned extensively for an event like this
• This pandemic (especially its extent, and the human aspects of it) are impacting on every part of
our lives
• The pace of both the pandemic, and the scale of coordination of national effort, have been nothing
short of astonishing
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Covid-19 in the UK
• It is leading to the largest mobilization of ‘community’ and ‘voluntary effort’ in the UK for
generations – as we all pull together to get through the challenges ahead
• Unlike other civil emergencies … the traditional ways of sharing resources and specialist assets
across regions, counties and some organisations do not apply …
• … making the role of community response and volunteering (whether at the individual, group,
small business or large corporation) particularly important & valuable
• An ongoing and positive relationship with local communities and volunteers is going to be
critical to success – especially in supporting the most vulnerable, and the continuity of some
essential services
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Covid-19 in the UK – Strategic Objectives
• UK Govt quickly recognized the scale of the pandemic and established tried and tested
mechanisms for coordinating a national response – setting very clear (hierarchical) objectives,
for example;
• Save Lives
• Protect the NHS
• Minimise harm (stay at home)
• Maintain Critical National Infrastructure
• Maintain Essential Services
• Restoration of ‘normal services’ at the earliest opportunity
• We remain firmly in the response phase as we head towards the peak of the pandemic …
crucially, there remains a way to go – the resilience of key services / people will be key
Copyright © 2020 BSI. All rights reservedCovid-19 in the UK – delivering those objectives
• UK Govt (via CobrA) have taken a
clear lead
• UK ‘Concept of Operations’ sets lead
responsibilities for Govt
departments, the role of devolved
administrations, and the delivery at
local level by local resilience
partnerships (strategic coordination
groups
• Health & Social Care are at the
forefront of the response to the
pandemic
Copyright © 2020 BSI. All rights reservedCommunity responses and volunteering
• In truth … the success of the response and its planning … is very much reliant on all of us
doing as advised, and helping protect ourselves, our loved ones … and of course, the NHS
• Knowledge of local ‘community’, support for each other, knowing who may be vulnerable, non
infected but isolated, understanding how your skills, experience or expertise may help … this is
how volunteers are adding great value to the response (and help keep people out of hospital)
• There are various ways in which you can help – be it as a NHS volunteers, a local community
emergency volunteer,, assisting with other vulnerable groups (such as the homeless, supporting
care givers, those in need of protection)
• But … there is need for coordination across voluntary sector, LA, NHS, online teams, etc. Such a
complex picture …. some patience may be needed across all partners, realising its an emerging
picture, and until they get into a workable process.
Copyright © 2020 BSI. All rights reservedCommunity responses and volunteering
• Who is coming forward?
• Staff from ‘non-critical’ (in this context) services within public & private organisations who can
be redeployed, corporate and small business offers of help and support, established community
groups, on-line forums, charity workers wishing to volunteer for new roles or helping charities
to achieve theirs, parish/urban communities … and non-infected individuals in ‘lock-down’ who
just want to help …
• Having managed numerous large scale and prolonged UK emergencies (normally severe
weather related) and worked with colleagues from around the World to plan for mass
evacuations and involving volunteers in the responses … we can all say we have never
witnessed such an outpouring of public spirit and desire / willingness to help!
• Which leads us nicely on to … three very important presentations
Copyright © 2020 BSI. All rights reservedThank you for listening!
• David Powell MA
• Alliance Manchester Business School
• University of Manchester
• Formerly Head of Emergency Planning & Business Continuity
• Lincolnshire County Council
• David.powell@manchester.ac.uk
Copyright © 2020 BSI. All rights reservedNext Speaker: David Norris
• Head of Service Delivery (Operations), Buckinghamshire Fire
and Rescue Service
• Chair of the Thames Valley LRF’s ‘Community Hubs and
Volunteering Group’
Copyright © 2020 BSI. All rights reservedActivity in the Community Hubs
• A number of hubs across the Thames Valley
• Operating to a high degree of effectiveness
• Good interaction with local volunteer and charity groups,
• Challenge of NHS data sets – vulnerability
• Inconsistency with food distribution – national and local
• Attempting to coordinate across the Thames Valley
• Some use of web-based technology-no need for call centres
• How is this sustained as numbers affected peak
Copyright © 2020 BSI. All rights reservedCommunity Hubs and volunteering
• Number of volunteers not currently a challenge
• Established and spontaneous – both individual and corporate
• Challenge in managing expectations
• Managing local and NHS volunteers
• Awareness of longer term pressures on volunteering – as numbers affected
peak
• How to plan for this now?
• MOD support – local planning
Copyright © 2020 BSI. All rights reservedCorporate spontaneous volunteers
• Spontaneous corporate volunteers
• With ties to organisations or bigger footprint
• Present similar challenges to individuals, but expectations may be different
• How can this be support be sustained as normality restored?
• How to apply checks and balances across a corporate workforce and
capability.
• Can this be achieved at pace?
Copyright © 2020 BSI. All rights reservedNeighbourhoods and Charities
• Margaret Harris
• Emeritus Professor of Voluntary Sector Organisation, Aston
University
• m.e.harris@aston.ac.uk
Copyright © 2020 BSI. All rights reservedTwo Topics
1. What is happening at street level and neighbourhood level?
2. What is the response of charities and community
organisations?
(And the challenges so far)
Copyright © 2020 BSI. All rights reservedStreet and Neighbourhood Level
• Upsurge in people wanting to help neighbours, especially those in social
isolation (spontaneous volunteers)
• Problems for those living alone, carers, those without nearby young/healthy
family, those not linked into local associations or faith groups, and those
without access to computers
• Very basic fears about sustainability of life – food and medicine
• Free enterprise initiatives – offers to help through leafletting and existing
groups
• Umbrella Group Covid19MutualAid
https://covidmutualaid.org
Copyright © 2020 BSI. All rights reservedStreet Level Issues
• Reluctance to ask for help – so how to find those most in need?
• Safeguarding
• Social capital
• Compassion fatigue
Copyright © 2020 BSI. All rights reservedCharities and Voluntary Associations
• Includes what we think of as basic public services – social care, children's
services, income support, education, specialist health support, hospices
• High expectations/demand versus preserving the business (services) for the
future
• Major drop in income already under way
• https://www.civilsociety.co.uk/news/charities-expect-voluntary-income-to-halve-
because-of-coronavirus-survey-finds.html
• The dilemma with paid staff of charities
Copyright © 2020 BSI. All rights reservedCharities and Volunteers
• Upsurge in offers to volunteer for particular charities
• Capacity to absorb and involve those who want to volunteer temporarily
• Government support to help charities?
• Charities finding new ways to deliver services
Copyright © 2020 BSI. All rights reservedInvolving spontaneous
volunteers (SVs) to help
vulnerable people
• Prof Duncan Shaw
• Alliance Manchester Business School
• Humanitarian & Conflict Response Institute (HCRI)
• Centre for Crisis Studies & Migration (Crisis)
• duncan.shaw-2@manchester.ac.uk
Copyright © 2020 BSI. All rights reservedWho are the volunteers
People who:
• want to help, to do good, take back control of their lives, get out the house
• are anxious about the situation
• will volunteer when it is convenient to them
• deployed/activated now
• on tasks they want to do
The people being helped are vulnerable
Available volunteers include:
• KNOWN volunteers who work through trusted partners and can be deployed alone on tasks that
carry low/moderate risk
• UNKNOWN spontaneous volunteers who can be deployed in small, supervised teams on tasks that
carry low risk
Copyright © 2020 BSI. All rights reservedIdentify (and reduce) risks associated with
volunteer tasks
• Unsupervised contact with vulnerable people
• Confirm they know what to do if they feel encouraged to enter a house
• Confirm they have been briefed/instructed
• Driving
• Confirm they have valid driving licence, insurance, MOT
• Don’t pressure drivers so require them to
• DBS check
• Deliver medications
• DBS check
• Reputational - to ‘emergency volunteers’ brand, to organisations,
• Confidentiality breaches, misrepresenting the organisation, misuse of
information, causing harm to SVs or vulnerable people, misleading info
• App to check location of volunteer (NHS Emergency Responder)
Copyright © 2020 BSI. All rights reservedCode of conduct for volunteers
• Volunteers are allocated to satisfy an identified need
• Only do what they have been tasked to do
• Briefing volunteers not to enter a house
• Follow instruction provided by staff
• Ensure your ID is visible
• Use the PPE provided
• Working in day light hours
• Recognise that the vulnerable people may be very stressed and treat them accordingly
• Situation when they should stop work
• Situation when they will be stopped working
• Realise that they are personally liable if they do not follow instruction
Copyright © 2020 BSI. All rights reservedGuidelines for managers of volunteers
• Duty of care of volunteers
• A clearly defined ‘role’ and task to fulfil
• Risk assessment of tasks and mitigation
• Insurance of SVs
• Briefing and tasking of volunteers (Aviva in the UK)
• Debriefing and welfare checks (signposting followups)
• Processes
• Registration/acceptance of suitable volunteers (healthy)
• Matching a volunteer's capability to the demands of the task
• For declining offers of help if the risks are too high
• Issue PPE and ID
• Skills verification
• Understand the technologies
Copyright © 2020 BSI. All rights reservedGuidelines for managers of volunteers
• Management structures
• Resilience through deputies, etc
• Someone designated for volunteers to seek help from
• Relationship between NHS, LA, existing volunteer organisations, spontaneous volunteers,
online groups, good neighbours
• Proportionate and scalable
• How many volunteers are you currently involving? 100
• What happens if that doubles? 200
• What happens if that quadruples? 800
• Which part of the system will struggle first?
• What do you need to do to manage that now?
Copyright © 2020 BSI. All rights reservedSustaining the volunteer effort
• How long do you need to sustain the volunteer effort for?
• Diminishing staff workforce due to illness (40% staff off sick)
• Diminishing volunteer base due to illness
• Burnout versus frustration of not being deployed
• ‘Rostering’ via an App or volunteer centre
• Perception of risk rises
• Aggression towards volunteers
• Moving volunteers across areas from over to under staffed areas
• Communication with volunteers
• Communication plan (calling for volunteers, closing down)
• Thanking them
• Assessing the impact of volunteers
• Mapping the contribution of volunteers
Copyright © 2020 BSI. All rights reservedSelect suitable UNREGULATED tasks for
volunteers
• Possible tasks for KNOWN volunteers
• Shopping, prescriptions, taxi service, post office runs, dog walking, pet care, vet visits
• Reduce risk of infection to healthcare, emergency responders, critical workers
• Support council staff, healthcare workers, emergency responders and critical workers to
free them to deliver tasks of higher risk
• Deliver tasks of community and household importance
• Possible tasks for UNKNOWN volunteers
• Food banks (sorting, filling boxes, loaders, delivery drivers, cleaners, washing up)
• Cleaning teams (hospitals, ambulance stations, care homes at 1am, laundry)
• Living (supporting library swaps, free puzzles, driving)
• Social wellbeing (knit blankets for kids, hospital radio, gardening in care
homes/households, singing outside care homes)
• Disinfecting (cash machines, petrol stations, playparks, trolleys)
• Community (maintain queues, filling petrol, maintaining community areas)
• Later … Food chain (picking fruit, tending small farm animals)
Copyright © 2020 BSI. All rights reservedThank you for listening!
• Prof Duncan Shaw
• Alliance Manchester Business School
• Humanitarian and Conflict Response Institute (HCRI)
• Centre for Crisis Studies and Migration (Crisis)
• duncan.shaw-2@manchester.ac.uk
Copyright © 2020 BSI. All rights reservedQuestions and Answers
• Please see our FAQ document
to answer some more of your
questions
• Any further questions, please
contact BSI directly.
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