A model of disaster preparedness for building resilient human service organisations

This chapter presents a model of disaster preparedness as a foundation for building resilient human service organisations. During times of disaster, human service organisations typically face increasing demand for services, and yet their capacity for service continuity is often affected by a lack of preparedness to respond to the multilayered impacts of disaster. Drawing on research that aimed to develop disaster preparedness in human service organisations in regional Australia, the ULTRIS model of disaster preparedness was developed. The model is designed to equip human service organisations with the capacity to continue service provision and manage service disruption during and following disasters. Consisting of six dimensions the model involves: (U) understanding the role of human service organisations; (L) local community context; (T) team preparedness; (R) relationship building; (I) implementing policies and procedures; and (S) service user preparedness. By adopting this model, human service organisations can take practical steps to promote an inclusive, participatory approach to enhancing disaster resilience. Implications for social work include the opportunity for social workers to influence organisational perspectives and approaches for engaging in disaster preparedness, thereby increasing the visibility of the profession’s contribution to effective action towards mitigating the inequitable impacts of disasters on marginalised groups.