Research shows that people with a disability:
- Are two to four times more likely to die or be injured in a disaster than the general population (Fuji, 2012).
- Experience higher risk of injury and loss of property (Alexander, 2015),
- Have greater difficulty with evacuation (Malpass et al., 2019) and sheltering (Twigg et al., 2011), and
- Require more intensive health and social services during and after disaster events (Phibbs et al., 2015).
A significant barrier to the safety and well-being of people with disability and the elderly in disasters is that they have not been included in the planning stages of disaster plans. If we don't include people with disability in the planning process, we won't know what they can do for themselves and what extra supports they need to be safe in a disaster.
Too often emergency plans are made FOR the people with disability. However, emergency plans, especially individual emergency plans, should be made WITH the person with a disability. Risk is increased with every step we don't take toward inclusion.
Current Legislation
Australia’s National Strategy for Disaster Resilience. and National Disaster Risk Reduction Framework invites shared responsibility with individuals and communities to help everyone plan for and respond better to disasters.
The NDIS Quality and Safeguarding Commission signed a legislative amendment that took effect in January 2022. The newly released NDIS Practice Standards incorporate these legislated requirements. The new Practice Standards now require service providers to ensure that Support Plans include personal emergency preparedness and service continuity planning that supports the health, safety and well-being of the people they support.
Emergency planning is also a requirement for aged care providers. During an emergency, providers must continue to maintain quality care and services to care recipients. This is a requirement under the Aged Care Act 1997.
The Person-Centred Emergency Planning Method
Person-Centred Emergency Planning (P-CEP) increases equitable access to effective emergency planning by people who have extra support needs. It enables:
- People with disability and the elderly to identify and plan for how they will manage their extra support needs in emergencies;
- All of us to identify and remove barriers that increase risks to safety and well-being in times of disaster.
- P-CEP helps us share responsibility with the emergency sector to make sure everyone is safe in emergencies.
Tailoring emergency preparedness to the needs of people with disability (and other people with extra support needs) can be supported by others who have knowledge, skills, and training in P-CEP planning conversations.
These people may be:
- Peer support leaders
- Community, health, or disability providers
- Emergency services personnel and volunteers
- Family, friends, and carers
P-CEP is an emergency planning tool that helps tailor emergency preparedness to the unique support needs of people with disability. It was co-designed and tested with people with disability, the services that support them, and emergency personnel.
P-CEP makes emergency planning more accessible by:
- Supporting equitable access to emergency planning for people with different support needs.
- Ensuring that emergency plans are matched to the supports people with disability will need when disasters strike.
P-CEP helps to break down preparedness into component parts, making the process of developing an emergency plan achievable. This is an important part of ensuring fair and equal access to personal emergency preparedness.
Introduction to P-CEP Workshop Sessions
Bundaberg Regional Council's Disaster Management Team are offering free “Introduction to P-CEP” workshop sessions for service providers and their staff.
In this introductory workshop, service providers and their staff will learn:
- What the P-CEP method is and how to implement it
- How to facilitate disaster preparedness in clients
Council can also facilitate an initial P-CEP workshop for service providers, support teams and some clients. During this workshop, our team will develop peer leaders to champion the message of emergency preparedness, building personal capability and improving resilience to disaster events.
An integral part of P-CEP is the accompanying 32 page workbook for your clients to work through.
To encourage uptake of the P-CEP method of emergency planning for your service and clients, the team will provide the client workbooks and workshop/training materials free of charge.
Organisations that get involved in a P-CEP Workshop will receive free Emergency Kit Starter Packs to provide to clients when working with them to create a P-CEP Emergency Plan.
Please note, Emergency Kit Starter Packs are subject to stock availability.
If you are interested in finding out more about P-CEP and how the Disaster Management Team can assist with your emergency preparedness or to arrange a workshop, please complete the registration form below.
Register your interest