Date:    FRIDAY 9 JULY 2010
 
Venue:  ST MARY IN THE VALLEY ANGLICAN CHURCH
              Cnr Were St and Webber Cr, Calwell ACT 2905

Cost:     Free. Tea/coffee/sausage sizzle provided.
             Please register for handouts / refreshments                         

Every year ACT CISM  hosts a table-top exercise and optional skills practice for those who provide support to workers involved in critical incidents.  The exercise scenario involves a disaster that will engage the participating agencies. 
Generally the participants include:

• Emergency Service Peer Support Teams
  
• Other workplace Peer Support Teams
  
• Counsellors from Employee Assistance Providers
  
• community counsellors / crisis support workers that may have a role in organisational support (such as our own ACT CISM Team members)
  
• Pastoral care providers
  
• Work site managers, injury prevention / OH&S staff
  
• others with an interest in worker disaster support.
  

Exercise Directive

Exercise Statement - 
To prepare those responsible for volunteer and paid staff support in the Canberra Region to respond within their organisations, and in conjunction with other agencies, in large impact critical incidents.

Objectives:
The Annual COSS Exercise is designed to:
· Provide skills practice / development for those who support workers in critical incidents.
· Provide opportunities for inter-agency liaison and establish networks to facilitate effective disaster support response
· Provide opportunities for participants to review their own crisis support protocols and those used by different agencies

HOW DOES THIS EXERCISE FIT IN WITH COMMUNITY RECOVERY?
In Community Recovery there are two types of Support Agencies:
· Those that have an official role in the coordinated Community Recovery Response defined by a Memorandum of Understanding.  For example, the Red Cross has an official role, which includes Registration Services.
· Those agencies that normally provide community or organisational support services, and may have contracts to supply such services.  For example an Employee Assistance Provider provides contracted support to various organisations.

Additionally, some organisations field CISM or PEER SUPPORT Teams.  These are volunteer and paid staff of a combat or support agency that are trained in crisis support for their colleagues.  Sometimes several agencies will have contracted responsibility for the SAME INDIVIDUALS.  In this exercise you will be able to observe the roles of different agencies and how they work.

PRINCIPLES OF DISASTER RECOVERY MANAGEMENT
Disaster recovery is most effective:

• when management arrangements recognise that recovery from disaster is a complex, dynamic and protracted process;
  
• when agreed plans and management arrangements are well understood by the community and all disaster management agencies;
  
• when recovery agencies are properly integrated into disaster management arrangements;
  
• when community service and reconstruction agencies have input to key decision making;
  
• when conducted with the active participation of the affected community;
  
• when recovery managers are involved from initial briefings onwards;
  
• when recovery services are provided in a timely, fair, equitable and flexible manner; and
  
• when supported by training programs and exercises.