Caring For Volunteers - Psychological Support Toolkit

Caring for
Volunteers
A Psychosocial
Support Toolkit
www.ifrc.org
Saving lives, changing minds.
IFRC Reference Centre for
Psychosocial Support
c/o Danish Red Cross
Blegdamsvej 27
2100 Copenhagen Ø
Denmark
Phone: +45 35 25 92 00
Mail: [email protected]
Web: www.ifrc.org/psychosocial
Frontpage: Haiti Red Cross

psychosocial volunteer Desulme
Laforet, who was shot dead by
gangsters in October 2011.
This toolkit is dedicated to him
and all other volunteers with a
humanitarian heart and mind.
Photo: Jerome Grimaud/IFRC
Design and production: KLS Grafisk Hus A/S

ISBN: 978-87-92490-10-0
Editor-in-Chief: Nana Wiedemann

Author: Leslie Snider
Manager: Lasse Norgaard
Review and proofreading: Wendy Ager
Peer-review: Bonnie So, Hong Kong Red Cross and
Christina Rasmussen, Danish Red Cross.
Warm thanks to all those National Society volunteers and

staff, and IFRC delegates who have contributed inputs,
quotes and photos. The 2009-report on psychosocial sup-
port in 19 National Societies referred to in this toolkit was
compiled by Åsta Ytre and is available on-line.
Thank you for valuable funding from:
Norwegian Red Cross and Finnish Red Cross
The Psychosocial Support Centre is hosted by

the Danish Red Cross
We would be happy to receive your comments, feedback

and questions at [email protected]
Please see a full list of materials available from the
Psychosocial Support Centre at www.ifrc.org/psychosocial
2
Caring for
Volunteers
A Psychosocial Support Toolkit
Mongolia. Photo: Rob Few/IFRC-Freelance
Tunisia. Photo: Tunisian Red Crescent

Kenya. Photo: IFRC
Afghanistan. Photo: Ali Hakimi/IFRC
Norway. Photo: Ståle Wig
3
Caring for Volunteers · foreword
“Put on your own oxygen

mask first…”
2011: Mass shooting in Norway, earthquakes and devastation, injury and even death. They
in New Zealand, civil unrest in the Middle-East may find themselves comforting survivors in the
and a gigantic earthquake, tsunami and nuclear initial phases of shock and grief, or providing
scare in Japan. All major disasters and dramatic survivors of violence with their first encounter
events, where Red Cross and Red Crescent staff with someone who can understand and give a
and volunteers were asked to provide psychoso- human perspective to inhumane actions.
cial support to survivors and family members.
Some National Societies were well prepared; First aid not enough
others realized they were not. Occasions like Volunteers may work long hours in challeng-
these caused every society to reflect on how they ing emergency environments, often putting
could improve their preparedness. aside their own needs. At the end of the day,
they often feel inadequate to help beneficiaries
Staff and volunteers across the globe provide im- with the tragedy they are facing. Additionally, as
portant psychosocial support every day. Not only members of affected communities, volunteers
in response to disasters, armed conflicts and often work close to home and may experience
mass shootings, but also in social programmes the same losses and grief in their families and
for slum-dwellers, with victims of violence or communities, as the beneficiaries they are sup-
accidents, with elderly and isolated people, with porting. Basic first aid training or being part of a
people stigmatized because of illness and preju- disaster response team is not enough to prepare
dice and with refugees and asylum-seekers. volunteers for these emotional experiences.
Clear message It is of course difficult to prepare for every type

During the psychosocial support workshop at the of event and to include every single volunteer.
IFRC General Assembly in Geneva in November But it is possible to be prepared, both for sup-
2011, a number of National Societies spoke about porting the wellbeing of staff and volunteers,
their experiences and work. And their message as well as for the many other aspects of disaster
was clear: We need to be much better in training response. A 2009 report with 19 participating
and preparing our staff and volunteers for the National Societies showed that preparedness for
important work of helping our beneficiaries – psychosocial support to volunteers had often
and to help ourselves and each other. been developed AFTER a major disaster, but that
most had wished they had had plans in place
The role of volunteers in emergencies is increas- BEFORE. In other words – and as is said on air-
ingly complex. In the emergency environment, planes every day, “Put on your own oxygen mask
staff and volunteers are exposed to trauma, loss first, before assisting others.”
4
Caring for Volunteers · foreword
“It is only when you have been in a disaster that you will fully
Photo: Lasse Nørgaard

understand the need for psychosocial support, both for those
affected and those who helped the affected.”
Frehiwot Worku, Secretary General of the Ethiopian Red Cross, who in her previous employment
as a team leader with Ethiopian Airlines experienced the trauma of helping victims’ families
following a plane crash
Small measures, big impact “Volunteers, Stay Safe” a leaflet providing con-
This toolkit will help you do exactly that. Other cise information about volunteers, published in
materials available from the IFRC Reference early 2012 by the IFRC Secretariat, is also avail-
Centre on Psychosocial Support (the PS Centre) able to National Societies.
mainly deal with assisting beneficiaries, whereas
this toolkit has been written especially to help Remember, even small measures can have a big
you assist volunteers – before, during and after impact! We hope this toolkit will be useful to
a crisis. you in developing effective psychosocial support
strategies for your volunteers and in sustaining
Although the focus is on volunteers, ‘Caring for their wellbeing and commitment in the impor-
Volunteers’ will also provide useful tools for staff tant work that they do.
to use. Whether yours is a large or small society,
whether you are often involved in emergencies
or mainly work through social programmes, you
can adapt the information in this toolkit to suit
your own particular needs.
This toolkit supplements the main manual for Matthias Schmale Stefan Seebacher
‘Volunteers in Emergencies,’ to be published by Under Secretary General Head of Health
the IFRC in late 2012. It will help you tailor your International Federation of International Federation of
Red Cross and Red Cross and
guidelines for psychosocial support in ways that: Red Crescent Societies Red Crescent Societies
• are feasible for your National Society

• are adequate to the responsibilities and risks
your volunteers may face, and
• make best use of your Society’s capacities and
resources.
5
Caring for Volunteers · table of contents
Table of Contents 1
2
Section
1. Resilience, Risk and Responsibility . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9

4
Section
1.1. Understanding resilience . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10 5

Section
1.2. Risks to volunteer wellbeing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11

6
Section
1.3. Being responsible for volunteer wellbeing . . . . . . . . . . . . 14

1
Resilience, Risk
and Responsibility Section
1
2
Communicating
the Message
Section
2. Communicating the Message . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21

4
Section
2.1. Understanding psychosocial support . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22 5

Section
2.2. ‘Walk the talk’ – developing support strategies . . . . . . . . . 24

6
Section
2.3. Informing volunteers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29

2
Section
Response Cycle and Section
3. Response Cycle and Volunteer Psychosocial Support:

Volunteer Psychosocial Support:
Before, During and After
Before, During and After . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 31

Section
Section
3.1. Support strategies at each phase . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 32 Section
3.2. Matching resources and needs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 32

3.3. Basic and additional strategies . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 33 3
Section
31
3.4. Peer support . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 45
4. Psychological First Aid for Volunteers . . . . . . . . . . . . .49

4.1. What is PFA? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 50
4.2. Supportive communication and practical help . . . . . . . . . . 52
4.3. Ethical behaviour . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 54
4.4. When and how to refer a volunteer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 55
Psychological
First Aid
for Volunteers 4
Section
Monitoring and Evaluation

of Volunteer Support
5. Monitoring and Evaluation of Volunteer Support . . . . . .59

5.1. Setting up the system . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 60
5.2. Developing indicators . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 66
5.3. When to monitor . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 68
5.4. Evaluating and learning . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 71 5
Section
6
Caring for Volunteers · table of contents
The following tools are indicated by the symbol

They are also available online at www.ifrc.org/psychosocial and can be printed as handouts.
1. Fostering resilience . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10
2.
Warning signs of burnout . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14
3.
Managers and volunteer resilience . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19
4.
Messages to volunteers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28
Support activities before, during and after an emergency . . . . . . . . . . . 34
5.
Worksheet A: Recruitment and selection . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 35
6.
7. Worksheet B: Orientation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 36
Worksheet C: Briefing and training . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 36
8.
9.
Worksheet D: Contingency planning . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 37
10. Simple questions about someone’s emotional state . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 37
11. Self-care reminders for volunteers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 40
12. Worksheet E: Team meetings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 41
13. Worksheet F: Monitoring individual and team stress . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 41
14. Worksheet G: Supervision and additional training . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 42
15. Worksheet H: Peer support and referral . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 42
16. Worksheet I: Team and individual reflection . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 44
17. Worksheet J: Appreciation of volunteers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 44
18. Worksheet K: Peer support and referral after a crisis event . . . . . . . . 46
19. Strategies for formalizing peer support . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 47
20. Tips for peer supporters . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 48
21. PFA: A step-by-step guide . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 51
22. Four key elements of PFA . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 52
23. Do’s and don’ts in supportive communication . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 58
24. Strategies for collecting M&E information . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 61
25. Set-up questions for M&E . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 62
26. Sample volunteer psychosocial support survey . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 64
27. Developing indicators . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 66
28. Tips for monitoring during large scale or complex emergencies . . . . . . . 69
29. Tips for monitoring during small scale emergencies . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 70
7
Photo: Olivier Matthys/IFRC
Section
Section
Section
Section
1
Resilience, Risk
and Responsibility Section
Caring for Volunteers · Resilience, Risk & Responsibility
Photo: Japanese Red Cross

“I don’t know what words I can use to describe those people’s
situation best. Whatever words we have used to talk about the
symptoms in previous disasters these descriptions seem totally
inadequate to describe this situation … I could only do my best,
that’s all I can say. I was beside the families and I felt affection for
them and I cried. According to our psychosocial manual, the care
giver is allowed to cry but not to break down in tears.”
Akemi Nitta, Japanese Red Cross psychosocial nurse, after the triple disaster in March 2011
In this section, we will look at some core con- How each person responds to stress – whether
cepts in relation to the psychological wellbeing they develop psychological problems or show re-
of volunteers working in emergency settings: silience – is influenced by many factors, includ-
ing the nature and severity of the crisis event,
1. Resilience – a person’s ability to cope in personality and personal history, and available
times of adversity support systems. Volunteers who are personally
2. Risk – risks in the work that volunteers do impacted by the crisis in which they are helping
3. Responsibility – responsibility at different may have an additional vulnerability to stress,
levels for volunteer wellbeing. but they – as well as all volunteers – may benefit
from training and support from peers and the
organization.
1.1 Understanding resilience
The interacting social, psychological and biologi-
Resilience is a person’s ability to cope with chal- cal factors that keep people resilient are called
lenges and difficulties, and to restore and main- protective factors. They reduce the likelihood of
tain a new balance when the old one is challenged severe psychological effects when encountering
or destroyed. It is often described as the ability to hardship or suffering. Belonging to a caring fam-
‘absorb shocks and bounce back.’ ily or community, maintaining traditions and
Fostering resilience
National Societies can create conditions that foster resilience in individual volunteers
and response teams. For example, consider these helpful measures:
• E ncourage reasonable working conditions through policies and strategies.

• Provide accessible guidance and support from managers and peers.
• Create an organizational culture where people can talk openly and share problems,
and respect the principle of confidentiality.
• Arrange regular meetings which bring all staff and/or volunteers together and foster
a feeling of belonging to a team.
• Create a work culture where getting together after a critical event is the norm, e.g.,
a peer support system.
• Show appreciation for the work of volunteer.
10
cultures, and having a strong religious belief or emergency response teams, as they take on the
political ideology are all examples of protective difficult tasks of helping others in crisis.
factors. For volunteers working in emergency
settings, other protective factors may include the 1.2 Risks to volunteer wellbeing
motivation to help others, a good social support
system, being able to leave work behind and take In choosing to assist in difficult situations, vol-
a rest, and the ability to give support to and re- unteers may be exposed to destruction, death,
ceive support from team members. stories of loss and grieving of survivors, and
sometimes insecurity in the crisis environment.
For example, after the bomb and shootings in In addition, the traditional heroic role of RCRC
Norway in July 2011, the Red Cross encouraged staff and volunteers includes expectations that
volunteers to talk openly about their reactions they are selfless, tireless, and somehow super
and regular debriefings were organized. A special human even in the face of overwhelming tragedy.
programme was implemented to train and assist The demands of the situation may far exceed
staff and volunteers in local branches to provide their capacity to help, and at the end of the day
support to affected young people and their rela- they often feel they have not done enough.
tives returning home after the tragedy.
But it is not the exposure to trauma or extreme
Providing clear information about and easy ac- circumstances that most often causes stress for
cess to available support is also essential. Know- volunteers. Those who act as helpers often find
ing there is support available, if and when it is meaning in their work, and through this they are
needed, provides a safety net to volunteers and able to cope with the situations they are exposed
“A simple way of ‘seeing’ Photo: Danish Red Cross
and acknowledging
someone is that each
day the team leader,
programme manager or
delegate greets everyone
with a handshake, looking
the volunteers in the eyes.
This gives us an idea if
volunteers and staff are
doing all right or not.
Hereby they know that
we care for them, and
they will go the extra mile
for us. In Dadu I came
in every morning before
time to greet everyone by name with a handshake. I am sending them out
to do something really challenging and I will be busy in the office all day,
so they need to know I am with them in spirit.”
Ea Suzanna Akasha, team leader for PS volunteers in SWAT, Pakistan
11
to. Instead, volunteers (and staff) face a more experiences, when providing care and relief to
frequent kind of stress that comes from working others. In their compassion for those who are
conditions and organizational issues. suffering, volunteers may expect themselves to
Let us look more closely at some of the main risks deny their own needs and work tirelessly. Their
to the psychological wellbeing of volunteers: own situation and problems are pushed into
the background. For example, they may feel it is
• Exposure to traumatic events and stories not alright for them to go to their home for rest,
• Unrealistic expectations when others have lost their homes, or to enjoy
• Heroic aspirations seeing their families when survivors have lost
• Working conditions loved ones. Of course, these expectations are
• Organizational issues. unrealistic and easily lead to high levels of stress.
Volunteers’ own needs and reactions must be
Exposure to traumatic events and stories addressed at some point.
Exposure to certain terrible things – such as
graphic scenes of destruction, or injury or death Heroic aspirations
of children – are particularly difficult for any re- In addition, some volunteers are motivated by
sponder. Volunteers may feel guilt at the death of the idea they can ‘save the world.’ When they
someone they take care of, and must cope with are unable to meet the overwhelming needs of
their own fears about death and suffering as they beneficiaries in crisis, they may feel inadequate.
assist others. Some volunteers may work in close Some beneficiaries may also have unrealistic ex-
proximity to the crisis event – on the ‘front lines’ pectations of what the volunteer can do for them.
of helping people very recently or severely af- Volunteers may be unprepared for facing the
fected. frustration and anger of beneficiaries who feel
their needs are not being met.
Being a witness to traumatic events – or hearing
stories of trauma and loss of survivors – can be Working conditions
very distressing for the volunteer. In addition, as Harsh working conditions related to the nature
volunteers often come from affected communi- of the emergency can cause chronic stress for
ties, the crisis may have impacted them and their volunteers. They may perform physically dif-
families directly. They may have lost relatives or ficult, exhausting and sometimes dangerous
their property may be destroyed. Volunteers may tasks, or be expected (or expect themselves)
have the same needs for assistance as the benefi- to work long hours in difficult circumstances.
ciaries they are helping. Volunteers may find themselves working in a
prolonged crisis, and becoming increasingly
Unrealistic expectations detached from their own family and home life. If
Volunteers are often poorly prepared for their they become part of a collective crisis – such as
own emotional reactions to the impact of their a massive natural disaster – or if they face moral
“It was half past six or seven o’ clock at night and we started doing street searches to look
at infrastructure and to call out to see if anybody needed any help. It was very quiet and
strange – pitch black. It felt like a movie. It definitely didn’t feel like our city. When we had to
go back in the next day, we could see how bad it actually was.”
Paul Davenport, volunteer in Christchurch, New Zealand after the earthquake
12
Indonesia. Photo: Yoshi Shimizu / IFRC
and ethical dilemmas, their stress is increased. When stress from working conditions and organi-
They may feel inadequate to deal with the task, zational issues is not addressed, volunteer well
or overwhelmed by the needs of the people they being and the quality of their work can be affected.
are trying to help.
Burnout
Organizational Issues Chronic work-related stress from all of these fac-
Organizational issues have a very big impact on tors puts volunteers at special risk of burnout.
the stress and wellbeing of volunteers and staff. Burnout is an emotional state due to long-term
Stress can be caused by the following kinds of stress, characterized by chronic emotional ex-
organizational issues: haustion, depleted energy, impaired enthusiasm
and motivation to work, diminished work ef-
• An unclear or non-existent job description or ficiency, a diminished sense of personal accom-
unclear role in the team plishment, and pessimism and cynicism.
• Lack of information about the crisis. Poor
preparation and briefing for the task A survey of the wellbeing of the volunteers who
• Lack of boundaries between work and rest assisted after Cyclone Nargis in Myanmar in 2008
• Inconsistent or inadequate supervision was conducted in cooperation with the Yangon
• An atmosphere at the workplace where volun- University. It showed that almost one in 10 volun-
teer wellbeing is not valued and where their teers was feeling extremely depressed or burned
efforts are not being acknowledged and appre- out. One of the reasons was lack of appreciation.
ciated. The Myanmar Red Cross took serious action
13
“In the beginning, I felt sympathetic toward the traumatized children. Over time, it started to
get to me; I felt exhausted and I cried every time thinking about it. This exhaustion affected
my studies and friendships. My colleagues advised me to consult psychological support.
Psychological support helped me to understand the situation I was in, and to deal with it in
order not to affect my life.”
Ahmad, 24 year old, Syrian Arab Red Crescent volunteer
and began organizing appreciation ceremonies 1.3 B

eing responsible for
for the volunteers, as well as encouraging hubs/
branches to be more aware of the volunteers’
volunteer wellbeing
wellbeing and to support those who needed it. Volunteers work within the framework of Na-
Among the initiatives was an international photo tional Societies as they help in emergency re-
exhibition highlighting the work and stories of sponses. That framework can be supportive and
25 of the volunteers. protective for volunteers, when everyone in the
system understands the risks of the job and ac-
Burnout implies that stress factors have taken tively supports resilience and wellbeing. Thus,
over and that the person is so exhausted they are volunteer wellbeing is everyone’s responsibility
no longer able to distance themselves from their – managers, staff and the volunteer themselves.
situation. They may forget about their own needs However, each group has different responsibili-
for rest and recreation, and eventually find that ties and we will elaborate on these later.
they have no more energy available, and thus
nothing more to give in the form of support to One way to increase the resilience of volunteers
others. Often the affected person is the last one and response teams is to ensure everyone under-
to realize what is happening. For this reason, it stands what they are likely to encounter in emer-
is important for the whole team to understand gencies and how it can affect their psychological
the causes of stress and burnout and to be able to wellbeing. If a manager, for example, does not
recognize the signs early on. understand and value the importance of sup-
porting staff and volunteers through the risks
Warning signs of burnout
Look out for warning signs that volunteers could be close to burnout:
• Physical symptoms, such as headaches or sleep difficulties
• Behaviour changes, such as risk-taking or drinking too much alcohol
• Relational problems, such as temper outbursts or withdrawing from colleagues
• Becoming less efficient at work or having difficulty concentrating
• Developing a negative attitude toward the job or organization, or toward beneficiaries themselves
• Emotional distress, such as continuous feelings of sadness.
14
Myanmar. Photo: Myanmar Red Cross
of the job, he or she may not create a supportive At these key points, measures can be taken to re-
and reasonable working environment for the duce the likelihood that volunteers will develop
team. The system of support then breaks down, stress-related problems. Equipped with informa-
affecting the whole team. To avoid burnout, eve- tion and support from the National Society, vol-
ryone involved in the work must be aware of and unteers are then better able to:
respect personal and practical limitations, and
take responsibility to treat each other with re- • Manage their stress
spect. Everyone plays a role in keeping the team • Work effectively in a team
and themselves healthy and functioning well • Seek help when they need it, and
together. • Sustain their own wellbeing through the
demands of the job.
National Societies have an obligation to support
the wellbeing of their volunteers before, during
and after the emergency response.
15
Before the emergency response, the

After the response is over, volun-
primary intervention consists of good, solid
teers need appraisal of their work and
information about the tasks at hand, about
signs from others that they and their
stress and how to cope with emotional reac-
work have been valued. Reflecting
tions to difficult situations. Such informa-
together with a supervisor or peers
tion prepares helpers to detect their own
after the response can help volunteers
reactions and offers options for self-care and
to understand and come to terms with
peer support.
their experiences.
In addition, it may take some time for

volunteers and staff to process what
During the emergency response, it is they have seen and heard during the
important to remember that the needs of crisis – and what they were and were
volunteers and staff are often similar to the not able to do for others.
needs of those they are supporting. They too
benefit from support that reduces the likeli- It is helpful to follow-up with volun-
hood of developing stress-related problems. teers over time to assess their needs
A supportive environment is one of the for support.
many crucial factors in minimizing stress.
“In the field, sometimes disagreement among

the psychosocial officers on what to do
happened, usually because of the high tension
of work. What we did to solve the problem was
sit together, sharing what we felt and openly
Photo: Indonesia Red Cross
discussing. It usually worked.”

Nurmala Sati, Indonesia Red Cross volunteer who helped after flash
floods and the Mt. Merapi eruption
16
Photo: Australian Red Cross/Bradley Kanaris
“It’s always very tiring, that stuff, because you’ve got

people’s misery in your face all the time.”
Rosalind Miriam, Australian Red Cross, working in Brisbane after the floods in 2011
After the armed conflict in 2011, the Libyan Red to be challenging. At times, volunteers and staff
Crescent recorded the experiences of some of the may show signs of serious stress reactions or
volunteers there. The National Society realized other mental health problems. Each programme
that it had not been well prepared to handle the should have a referral mechanism for individuals
reactions of young volunteers being sent into in need of professional support.
conflict areas as ambulance drivers or first aid-
ers. The lessons learned have now formed the All of these measures – before, during and after
foundation of a new psychosocial programme in – not only assist the wellbeing and recovery for
Libya, supported by a number of movement part- volunteers as community members themselves,
ners like the Danish and Italian Red Cross and it also helps to keep volunteers motivated and
the Palestine Red Crescent. engaged.
In prolonged crises or massive events, the per-

sonal situation for the volunteer may continue
17
“When I volunteered in the PS programme, I was still a medical student.

Immediately after qualifying, I worked as a doctor in a small outgoing health
team in the devastated villages in Pakistan after the big floods in 2010. The most
valuable thing I learned was the art of listening. Now I understand the power
of listening and the importance of respecting others. When we respect others,
we will get their respect in return. I also learned to accept the feelings in such
tense and horrible moments. I am not coming from a village community, so many
times the other staff members would help me understand the situations and
communication of poor villagers. They helped me because I respected them. I am
a better doctor now because of my time in the PS team.”
Zeeshan Solangi, volunteer for Pakistan Red Crescent
18
Managers and volunteer resilience

Managers play an important role in creating a supportive team dynamic by showing
concern for the wellbeing of individual volunteers and the team as a whole.
They can:
• Ensure reasonable working hours and conditions for volunteers
• Prepare job descriptions or make clear what is expected
• Prepare and train volunteers for their task in the field
• C
heck in with volunteers to see how they are coping during the emergency re-
sponse
• H
ave regular team meetings during the emergency to check in with the team and
offer support
• Encourage volunteer work to be carried out in pairs
• Set up peer support or buddy systems
• Offer information about stress and its impacts
• Encourage good coping strategies
• Support volunteers who have experienced especially difficult events
• Show appreciation and let volunteers know they are valued members of the team.
19
Communicating
the Message
New Zealand. Photo: David Wethey

2
Section
Caring for Volunteers · Communicating the Message
“I joined the Red Crescent, as I felt so sad on behalf of my suffering nation after the
2010 floods. I wanted to do something. I had no idea about psychosocial support and
thought I would be handing out food parcels. Already on the second day I went with a
psychosocial delegate to the destroyed villages. I saw her offering psychological first aid
to a woman who had lost her older son in a traffic accident some years ago and had
now lost a lot in the floods. Then I realized that food is not everything and psychosocial
support is the basic need of all human beings. I learned a lot that I now use with family
and friends. There are many problems in our society and psychosocial support helps in
all sectors. As for me, as a volunteer, it refreshes the soul, and I feel relief when I share
my own stories.”
Yazir Quazi, Pakistan Red Crescent volunteer
Communicating the message that psychosocial it is only for people who are mentally ill. Some
support is available and important for volunteers volunteers – and even some staff or managers
involves several strategies: – may feel that psychosocial support is only for
people who are weak or “can’t handle the stress of
1. Making sure volunteers understand the work.” Biases and misconceptions still exist
what psychosocial support is about psychosocial support, and need to be ad-
2. Developing strategies to ensure dressed so that everyone can come to a common
psychosocial support happens understanding about its importance.
3. Informing volunteers about available
support and how to access it.
What is ‘psychosocial?’
The term ‘psychosocial’ reflects something
2.1 Understanding psychosocial all people share. As human beings, we
all have feelings and thoughts that affect
support how we react to life situations and how
we relate to others – in both positive and
The term ‘psychosocial’ can mean different negative ways. Recognizing that stress
things to different people. Ways that volunteers can affect our feelings, thoughts, physical
health and relationships is the basis for
understand the term can be influenced by their
‘psychosocial support and well-being.’
language, culture and customs; training they
When we are under special stress, such as
have had about psychosocial programmes or
the stress of working in emergencies, we
stress management; and their personal experi-
need to pay more attention to our psycho-
ence and history. social health, as well to psychosocial sup-
port for ourselves and each other.
Some people understand the term to mean coun-
seling or psychotherapy, while others may believe
22
Stress management chosocial support strategies are implemented.

It is essential that the management and staff of It is also important that managers and staff un-
the National Society communicate the message derstand their own work stresses, particularly in
to volunteers working in emergencies that their emergencies; how those stresses affect their well-
psychosocial health and wellbeing is a priority. being and behaviour toward others; and what
This means that the management and staff also support is available to them. If a manager is un-
need to believe in the message they are sending. able to see his or her own stress and its impacts
Line managers who are sensitized to the impor- – or doesn’t believe in psychosocial support – he
tance of volunteer support can best ensure psy- or she may send a negative message to volunteers
“It was deemed that if staff and volunteers could not cope,
Photo: Carina Sørensen
then they should not engage themselves with such work.

Their emotional needs were not discussed. Even some of
the staff objected to receiving psychosocial support in the
beginning, saying ‘I chose to become a paramedic, not a
social worker.’ Now all that has changed.”
Chaim Rafalowski, disaster management coordinator, Magen David Adom
23
that would keep them from seeking support first aid policies. Others have created separate
when they need it. Managers, staff and volun- psychosocial support policies.
teers who have received training in psychosocial
interventions in general (e.g. for beneficiaries) In developing strategies for psychosocial support
often better understand reactions to stress and of volunteers, begin by addressing the following
are more sensitive to people’s need for support. three points:
They gain a clearer understanding of themselves
– how they react and what helps them to cope. • What – what kind of support can we pro-
This understanding can be applied, not only to vide?
help themselves manage stress, but also to help • Who – who provides the support? Who is
their peers and beneficiaries. eligible to receive support?
• When – how often and under what circum-
It helps to keep the messages about psychosocial stances?
support positive and in terms that all volunteers
can understand and accept. The policies and strategies at Federation level
(box below) can provide a starting point.
What kind of support will your National

2.2 Walk the talk – developing Society provide?
You are probably already doing many things in
support strategies the training and general care for volunteers that
help in their psychosocial support as well. Many
There is no one way of developing a strategy for strategies are very low cost, and can be main-
volunteer psychosocial support. Some National streamed easily into the ways you currently pre-
Societies have placed psychosocial support stra pare and manage volunteers during emergency
tegies within general volunteering policies or response. You may find in this toolkit other stra
Federation Guideline or policy

resource
Psychological “ The International Federation and the National Societies shall provide psy-
Support Policy chological support as a long-term and reliable commitment to ensure that the
(2003) psychological aspects of relief work are professionally implemented and make
a crucial difference to the population, volunteers and staff affected by disaster.”
Volunteering in “ National societies must ensure that there is a possibility for volunteers to re-
Emergencies (2007) ceive adequate and systematic psychological support.”
Strategy 2020: “ National societies are committed to improve quality standards, capacities and
Enabling action 1 volunteer retention by creating a welcoming and socially inclusive environment.
This environment means providing volunteers with training, supervision, regular
evaluation and recognition, development opportunities that include design-
ing and improving the work in which they are involved, insurance protection,
equipment, psychosocial support and a supporting local structure relevant to
the tasks that they carry out.”
24
Photo: Tomas Bertelsen
“A situation like this calls for a lot of team work to eliminate any possibilities of error. Team
work is a winner! While at any scene of a crisis or emergency, I work closely with my
superiors and other volunteers. If it is time to carry survivors out of the debris, I take part.
It does not make any sense if I leave work for others as I stand and look on. In Bukoto, my
main role was first aid and I am confident I did it to the best of my knowledge.”
Nabaggala Phiona, volunteer for Uganda Red Cross
tegies that would be relevant and useful to your Who will provide the support
situation, which may take some investment of and who is eligible to receive it?
staff or other resources. Whatever strategies you Supervisors and team leaders play an important
decide upon, the important thing is to be sure role in preparing volunteers for their work, keep-
you include all the points of the response cycle ing an eye on their wellbeing, supporting and
– before, during and after – in order to be truly appreciating their efforts. But supervisors are
effective. not alone in this job. They also need to have the
backup of senior managers, and the time and
You are always welcome to contact the Psycho resources to support volunteers, in order to make
social Centre (at [email protected] ) this a priority. This includes giving supervisors
or a health manager from one of the IFRC zones basic training not only in supporting volunteers,
or regions for more information about what but also in caring for their own psychological
other National Societies do. wellbeing.
25
Myanmar. Photo: Myanmar Red Cross
Remember that volunteers themselves are a re- resources, try to match psychosocial support
source in the psychosocial support system. They strategies with the needs of your volunteers and
have their own strategies for handling stress and the context in which they work.
ideas for what kind of support they would like
and may be most helpful for themselves and When will support be provided?
their team. Peer support mechanisms can be put Consider when and how often psychosocial sup-
in place to provide a network of support, utiliz- port will be provided, and under what circum-
ing and building upon the resilience of volun- stances. Some types of support involve prepara-
teers and the emergency response team. tion and training of volunteers to understand
their risks, available support and how they can
Another key point is determining who is eligible best use their own coping resources.
to receive support. According to Federation poli-
cies and strategies, all volunteers must be able Consider the feasibility and relative advantages
to access adequate and systematic psychological of providing this ‘before-kind-of support’, well
support as a long-term and reliable commitment before an emergency happens. If that is not pos-
of the National Society. sible in an acute emergency when new volunteers
are joining to help, you may still be able to pro-
Although not all volunteers will need the same vide a psychosocial briefing and orientation and
level of support, they all should be able to ac- some written information.
cess appropriate support when they need it.
Some may get the benefit they need from regular Other types of support involve routine individual
team meetings, peer support or a generally sup- and team support measures during and after the
portive work environment. Others may require emergency. The more these are mainstreamed
more regular supportive supervision or perhaps into the organizational culture and way of work-
a referral to a professional. As you consider your ing of teams and supervisors, the more likely
26
“It is very stressful work, but the Red Cross provides Photo: Oryx Media
us with training and opportunities to debrief and

support one another. For me, meeting my clients
makes me feel relieved, especially the children,
because I learn a lot from them and they make me
laugh. It does happen sometimes that I meet very
sick persons and then of course I do not feel fine.
What I do is that when I get home, I sing and share
my pain with my own children, and pray for them,
and I will feel okay after that.”
Buyisiwe Flora Ndlovu, South African Red Cross facilitator working with
people affected by HIV and AIDS
they are to happen without much additional ef- It is important to remember that not everyone
fort. will want or need professional-level support dur-
ing or after working in an emergency. However,
In certain circumstances, it may be useful to plan for those who do, try to have mechanisms in
for additional psychosocial support for volun- place to assess their need for referral and provide
teers. For example, for volunteers working face to easy access for them to receive it. In some con-
face with seriously distressed survivors, confront- texts, volunteers may be able to directly access
ing death, or working long hours in a protracted confidential professional support, with infor-
crisis, it may be useful to have a mandatory regu- mation and resources provided by the National
lar team meeting, supportive supervision or end- Society.
of-response reflection meeting. It may also be
useful to have a counselor or psychosocial sup- In Syria the volunteers who worked during the
port advisor sit in on such meetings to support unrest were offered ‘defusing sessions’ every Fri-
the supervisor and give extra support to individu- day afternoon. The sessions were for groups of
als or the team as needed. volunteers and facilitated by a professional psy-
chologist, who also offered individual counseling
Making some psychosocial support measures to those who needed it.
mandatory, rather than ‘on-demand,’ will make it
easier for volunteers to seek support.
“Some children became to act negatively toward me. Sometimes, they

would frown at me and refuse to interact with me. When I asked the
psychologist, he told me the kids might be jealous because I am paying
attention to some kid more than the others. The psychologists advised me
to change the way I carry on the activities, and deal with this age group.”
Muhannad, 23 year old Syrian Arab Red Crescent volunteer
27
“We have this booklet about coping with personal crisis and it is just brilliant. I always try
and make sure I hand out as many of those as possible. It’s the sort of thing that can have
a carry-on affect, long into the future. I say to people, ‘Please keep it somewhere where you
keep bumping into it so that you can keep reading it.’ They’ll read it the first time and they’ll
think, ‘Oh this is great,’ but then they’ll forget it five minutes later because their brain’s a
bit mushy. But the more people read it, the more they can help themselves and help other
people down the track. It’s that longer-term recovery stuff that’s so important.”
Rosalind Miriam, Australian Red Cross volunteer
Messages to volunteers
You may want to cover the following information in your messages:
• The importance of volunteer psychological wellbeing to your National Society

• P
ossible stressors of the job and stress reactions, and how you can cope with
them
• T
ypes of support available and clear direction on how to access it (procedures,
contact details)
• E
xpectations of the volunteer in managing stress; attending activities for prepara-
tion, supervision and reflection; and working supportively in a team.
Consider giving the information at various points in time, so that the message gets
repeated through the response cycle and serves as a reminder to volunteers.
Key points in time and places where you can communicate about stress and
psychosocial support include:
• During the recruitment process

• W
ithin policies, codes of conduct, and terms of reference they receive upon
joining the National Society
• During training sessions
• During briefing and orientation for a specific emergency
• In ‘pocket information’ they can carry with them to the field (e.g. tool 11 page
40)
• During individual and team supervision meetings
• During reflection meetings at the end of the day or at the end of a mission
• D
uring follow-up communication (written or verbal) after the emergency has
ended.
28
Syria. Photo: Ibrahim Malla/SARC
“Some of the problems we face relate to cultural differences. Once, while providing
support for a group of Iraqi mothers, I asked them, ‘Are you happy‘ in Syrian dialect. The
response was very negative. It turns out that the phrase for ‘Are you happy?’ in Syrian
means ‘Were you beaten?’ in Iraqi dialect.”
Rasha, 27 year old Syrian Arab Red Crescent volunteer
2.3 Informing volunteers to raise awareness of psychosocial support for

volunteers for everyone in the National Society.
All of the psychosocial support messages, poli-
cies and strategies that you put in place are only Information about psychosocial support is best
worthwhile if volunteers know about and under- given by staff at different levels of the National
stand them! Consider the language(s) of your Society (headquarters, managers, field team
volunteers, their reading level and their culture leaders). However, it is often helpful to designate
and customs when providing information about someone to be responsible for informing vol-
psychosocial support. Try to keep messages clear unteers of the importance of psychosocial sup-
and simple, and provide directions on the pro- port and the associated policies and procedures.
cedures for accessing support – including phone Consider who is best placed to do that within
numbers or other contact details. Finally, it is your National Society. For example, this could be
helpful to prepare the messages before any emer- someone in human resources or staff involved in
gencies happen. managing volunteers. Ensure that local branches
designate someone to be responsible for the
Have information visible in different formats, message.
such as posters, leaflets and pocket information,
29
“What has helped me the Photo: Jerome Grimaud
most in coping with the

daily situation is the daily
meetings we had with all
the team members and the
delegate. We were sharing
our difficulties we were facing
every day and how to solve
them. Meeting every day and
sharing with other volunteers
has helped me a lot because
I realized I was not alone
facing difficulties. We were
supporting each other. We had
a strong team.”
Frants Dorilas, psychosocial support
volunteer for Haiti Red Cross
“The leader is holding the psychological wellbeing of the group in his or her arms in a kind
of emotional embrace. When a leader creates this kind of environment, it is easier for staff
and volunteers to feel safe, to open up, to admit not knowing everything and to ask all the
stupid questions. Remember, when one volunteer is posing a question, three others will
have had the same thought. It will be easier to have fun and to relate. And it will be easier to
share what is challenging or emotionally difficult. Volunteers and staff will come to us with
issues that they need help in solving. They may need someone giving advice, may need to
be listened to. I never had anybody coming with insignificant issues or asking for favours.”
Ea Suzanna Akasha, team leader for PS volunteers in SWAT, Pakistan
30
Response Cycle and Section
Volunteer Psychosocial Support:

Before, During and After
Section
Section
Section
Tuvalu: Photo: Rob Few/IFRC-freelance

3
Section
31
Caring for Volunteers · Response Cycle and Volunteer Psychosocial Support: Before, During and After
With information and support, individual vol- • W

orking long hours or for a prolonged time in
unteers and emergency response teams can an acute mass emergency, such as a large natu-
function more effectively. No matter how simple ral disaster
or elaborate your psychosocial support for vol- • Assisting in response to violent situations and
unteers is, be sure it includes information and armed conflicts
interventions at all three stages of the emergency • A
ssisting in situations with human rights vio-
response cycle: Before, during and after. lations, such as ethnic violence
• Handling dead bodies, or witnessing or work-
In this section we will cover: ing with massive loss of life
• Working in situations with injury or death of
1. Support strategies at each phase of children.
the response cycle
2. How to match the needs of your volunteers We never know when a major emergency may
with the type of work they do and the happen. As far as possible, consider contingency
resources of your National Society plans for particularly difficult emergency respons-
3. Basic and additional strategies which you es before they happen, and the extra measures
can tailor to your organization that might be helpful to volunteers. In addition,
4. Peer support having certain minimum psychosocial support
measures in place for volunteers in a routine way
ensures that they – and you – have a basis for
3.1 Support strategies sustaining their wellbeing, if and when they are
called upon for difficult tasks (see worksheet D).
at each phase
The time before an emergency happens offers In some situations, it may be useful to consider
opportunities for preparation and planning, the extra or specific types of training or preparation
time during a crisis is important for ongoing for volunteers, more attention to monitoring
support, and the time after a crisis is important their wellbeing and supporting them during the
for recovery, reflection and improving future crisis response, or additional types of reflection
response. and post-crisis support activities. This might be
the case for example for very young volunteers
Possible volunteer support activities at each who have less life experience. During a major
phase are expanded in the sections below. music festival in Denmark nine young men
among the audience suffocated due to overcrowd-
ing. Hundreds were injured in the mayhem that
3.2 Matching resources followed, and Red Cross volunteers managing a
first-aid post were immediately called in to sup-
and needs port. They were prepared to treat injuries but not
In order to ensure you provide adequate psycho- for a deathly disaster nor for the chaos and confu-
social support for volunteers, take into consid- sion following the tragedy, where hundreds of
eration the differences in their exposure to risk. festival-goers were in distress, searching for each
Some volunteers may assist with routine activi- other, trying to get information about what had
ties or help in response to a single, contained happened to friends.
event, such as providing support to a family who
has experienced a fire at their home. However, Danish Red Cross deployed professional as-
other responders may work in prolonged crisis sistance to help both those affected and the
settings or particularly severe situations. The volunteers, and follow-up sessions were organ-
following crisis situations may be particularly ized. However, some young volunteers developed
difficult for volunteers: severe psychological problems and needed to be
32
Photo: Oryx Media

“In Nyanga, the team of 10 regular volunteer carers meet each friday for debriefing.
We support and assist one another to solve challenges encountered during the week.
Psychosocial support cannot be quantified. It cuts across all of our work. When I joined
the South African Red Cross in 2005, there was no name attached to this work. We were
just doing it naturally. Then, in 2007, we started to talk about formalizing the programme
which is still cross-cutting.”
Linda Ncapayi, Operations Manager for the South African Red Cross in Western Cape
referred to more long term treatment. 3.3 Basic and additional

“In this case it was clear that the youngest volun- strategies
teers were those most affected by the accident
and the aftermath”, says Nana Wiedemann, di- The sections below suggest psychosocial support
rector of the PS Centre, who coordinated the psy- strategies for each phase of the response cycle.
chosocial intervention and later organized the They include basic strategies that are useful for
follow-up sessions for the volunteers. all National Societies, and additional measures
that you can put in place depending on your re-
After the tragedy – and the lessons learned – sources and situation.
Danish Red Cross decided to improve its prepar-
edness by training all first aid managers in PFA Use the following worksheets to see what you
and to support free sessions with a psychologist currently have in place in terms of basic and ad-
to volunteers who needed it. ditional measures, and what might be helpful to
further develop in each phase – before, during
33
and after. Think creatively about how to use your Before: Inform and prepare
existing resources and structures to tailor sup- The 2009 report from the PS Centre about the
port to your volunteers according to their tasks psychosocial support in 19 National Societies
and needs. Remember that doing something is showed that most societies wished they had had
better than doing nothing. Even small things can contingency plans for support to volunteers in
have a big impact in creating a culture of support place before big events happened. Strategies not
for volunteers in your National Society. only prepare and equip volunteers for risks they
may face, but are also important in preparing the
organization and line managers to be aware of
psychosocial wellbeing of volunteers and know
how best to support them.
5
Consider the procedures and strategies you cur-
Support activities before, rently have in place in your National Society for:
during and after an emergency
A. Recruiting and screening volunteers
Consider the following support activities before, B. Orienting volunteers to the organization and
during and after an emergency: work
C. Briefing and training volunteers to help in
emergencies
Before
D. Developing contingency plans.
INFORM & PREPARE
– before a crisis happens or before the volunteer
(see worksheets A-D)
is sent to help.
• Recruitment and selection
In regards to recruiting and screening volunteers
• Orientation
(see worksheet A), some volunteers have previ-
• Briefing and training
ous experience with facing traumatic events in
• Contingency planning
their lives, and many may come from the affected
community. Particularly in large-scale emergen-
cies, it is likely that many volunteers will have
During
been directly affected and participating in help-
MONITOR & SUPPORT
ing efforts can be therapeutic for them.
– during active response to a single event or
prolonged crisis.
Assisting as volunteers can empower them, give
• Team meetings
meaning to their own experience, help them to
• Monitoring individual and team stress
feel part of a larger community, and to feel they
• Supervision and additional training
are making a difference. However, it is also im-
• Peer support and referral portant to screen volunteers in the situation, as
far as this is possible, to be sure they are up for
the tasks of helping in emergencies. Although
After some National Societies have resources to screen
REFLECT & REFER
spontaneous volunteers on the spot, in the im-
– after the crisis is over, or when the volunteers
mediate aftermath of a crisis when people are
end their work.
facing life and death situations, it may not be
• Team and individual reflection
feasible for you to do this.
• Appreciation of volunteers
• Peer support and referral A week or so after the immediate crisis, when
staff and volunteers are together and the organi-
34
zation is functioning in a more systematic way, and peer support is outlined in more detail at the
then you will be better able to screen volunteers. end of this chapter. Training line managers for
volunteers is especially important to be sure they
In the screening process, it is important to assess have the knowledge and tools to provide support
how the volunteers understand and have dealt when it is needed.
with their previous experiences. They should
have some emotional distance from difficult ex- Another “before” measure to put in place is con-
periences and be aware that work in emergencies tingency plans within your National Society (see
can also trigger feelings from the past. Screening worksheet D). Developing contingency plans in
may help to identify those volunteers who may advance can help National Societies to be pre-
become overwhelmed by working in a crisis set- pared for particularly difficulty or overwhelm-
ting (See tool 10 for sample questions you can use ing emergency events. When plans are in place,
when screening potential volunteers). ensure volunteers and managers know their roles
and responsibilities regarding self and team care,
Once volunteers have been selected, consider and how to access additional support when need-
the importance of orientation, briefing and ed. It is also essential that contingency plans are
training (see worksheets B and C). For example, included in the budget, and that the procedure
training equips both volunteers as well as other for releasing the funds is clear and simple.In this
staff and managers in basic support techniques, way, support can happen quickly to help volun-
such as psychological first aid and peer support. teers in acute crisis situations.
Psychological first aid is described in section 4
Worksheet A: Recruitment and selection

Basic
When recruiting and screening potential volunteers, do you currently:
� Discuss tasks they may perform in difficult situations?
� Emphasize the importance of their wellbeing?
� Ask about their resources and strategies to cope with stress?
� Routinely ask about their previous experience with crises or stressful events, how they coped and
how they feel now about the event(s)?
Additional
Do you currently:
� Emphasize the shared responsibility of the volunteer and National Society in ensuring their wellbeing?
� Give information about available psychosocial support for volunteers?
� Have screening & recruiting guidelines and train staff in those guidelines?
� Screen volunteers using professional crisis responders or psychosocial personnel?
35
Worksheet B: Orientation
Basic
When orienting volunteers to the organization and crisis work, do you currently:
� Provide information on the stresses of emergency work and how it may impact their wellbeing?
� Talk about good self- and team care strategies?
� Ask volunteers what kind of strategies they use and what support from their team members and su-
pervisors would be most helpful to them?
Additional
Do you currently:
� Provide both verbal and written information about stress and coping in their orientation talk and materi-
als?
� Provide verbal and written information about psychosocial support resources available to volunteers
through the National Society, including contact details for referral sources?
Worksheet C: Briefing and training
Basic
When briefing and training volunteers to respond to a specific emergency, do you currently:
� Include information about specific stresses relevant to the crisis situation (e.g., encountering death or
serious injuries)?
� Emphasize the importance of self- and team care?
� Assess together the readiness of the volunteer for this mission?
� Explain how volunteers can access support from their supervisor or peers?
� Include psychological first aid (PFA) in first aid training for all staff and volunteers?
� Train all line managers and supervisors in individual and group PFA?
� Have crisis responders share their experience during training to normalize stress reactions,
emphasize self-care and the importance of accepting support?
Additional
Do you currently:
� Explain how volunteers can access support from their supervisor or peer supporters?
� Emphasize the importance of attending individual and team meetings for support and supervision?
� Give contact details and instructions for volunteers to access confidential psychosocial support
(e.g., from a mental health professional)?
� Train all volunteers in recognizing symptoms of stress and basic self- and team-care?
� Ensure all managers have tools for individual and group crisis support?
� Train all managers in how and when to refer volunteers for professional psychological support?
36
“This is a unique situation. I have never worked in a situation like this
Photo: Japanese Red Cross

before, where people have been moved because of a nuclear risk and don’t
know when or if they will be able to return to their homes. Some people are
angry and some people are not.”
Japanese Red Cross psychologist Keiko after the triple disaster in March 2011
Worksheet D: Contingency planning
Basic
In planning for unexpected serious events, do you currently:
� Have a plan to support volunteers working in especially difficult circumstances (e.g., within the orga-
nization or by referral)?
� Know up-to-date referral resources and mechanisms in your area?
� Have a line within your annual budget for funds to cover psychosocial interventions for volunteers in
difficult circumstances if they arise?
� Know who has the authority to release funds for interventions?
Additional
Do you currently:
� Have a referral system in place, where support is provided by semi-professional volunteers and su-
pervised by professionals?
� Have a referral system in place for confidential, professional psychological support?
� Have a system in place to supervise and support line managers who provide support to volunteers?
10
Simple questions about someone’s emotional state

Some simple questions to ask in order to get a sense of the emotional state of the volunteer are:
• “How is your current situation?”

• “Did you lose someone in the emergency?”
• “How are you feeling now about what happened to you/your family?”
• “How much time do you have available to help?”
• “In what ways do you think you can help and are there certain things you might find too difficult to do?”
Remember that if volunteers are in shock, they may still be able to do – and benefit themselves from –
some simple routine tasks to assist.
37
Photo: Jerome Grimaud
“My house collapsed during the earthquake … that night I found myself
walking in the streets. I did not know what to do and where to go. After a
few days I approached the psychosocial team of the Red Cross to become
a volunteer. After the first day of the training, I already felt better. The trainer
listened to me and I learnt that I could also listen to others. Before I was
wondering what I could do … how to restart something in my life. After the
training, I had regained hope.”
Erline Francois, Haiti Red Cross volunteer
38
“I’d have to say it has been quite challenging. It’s a whole new
Photo: Rodney Dekker

experience for me. I became a member of the Red Cross volunteer group
a couple of years ago, but this is my first emergency situation so I had
to call on some of my old skills as a school teacher. I believe the people
have handled it extremely well and I think that’s because they’ve felt
supported. The RC teams that I’ve worked with have been phenomenal
and I think also the important thing is that they’ve had local faces and
that’s why I’ve stayed on board for as long as I have.”
Gail Hogg, who worked as a volunteer for Australian Red Cross after the 2011 floods in Victoria State
During: Monitor and support As a manager, give special attention to volunteers

One of the most important support measures exposed to critical events in the line of duty. If
you can put in place as a manager during the you have support networks and referral resources
emergency is to create a supportive and open in place, make sure they are prepared and ready
atmosphere for volunteers, so they feel comforta- to go. For example, mobilize volunteers and
ble to ask for support when they need it. As a line staff who are trained in psychological first aid
manager or supervisor, be proactive in creating a and peer support to assist where appropriate.
culture of mutual team support by: You may want to alert the referral resources you
have – such as (semi-) professional support staff
• Talking openly about stress and psychosocial within or outside the agency – to be on standby,
support, so volunteers feel able to express their in case they are needed. Remember that manag-
feelings and concerns without fearing conse- ers and supervisors may also need extra support
quences. and supervision, as they assist volunteers who
• Enhancing a sense of belonging and together- are directly impacted.
ness through regular team meetings.
• M aking yourself available for supervision or pri- Consider the procedures and strategies you cur-
vate conversations with individual volunteers. rently have in place in your National Society for:
• Reaching out to volunteers that you feel may
be in distress or in need of support. E. team meetings
• Respecting confidentiality to create a safe envi- F. monitoring individual and team stress
ronment for volunteers to seek support. G. supervision and additional training
H. peer support and referral.
Encourage volunteers to use good self-care strat-
egies as part of their responsibility to wellbeing. (see worksheets E-H)
There are many things volunteers can do – and
already do – to take care of themselves while When a staff member, volunteer or response
working in difficult situations. Being deliberate team is impacted by a critical event, consider
and active about their self-care not only helps providing information and support not only to
volunteers withstand the rigours of emergency those affected, but also to others involved in the
work, it also enables them to help beneficiaries response. Friends and colleagues of those di-
more effectively. See tool 11 for self-care remind- rectly impacted may also need reassurance and
ers that you can include in your messages to appropriate information. Providing some facts
volunteers or use as a handout. about the situation will help to dispel rumours.
39
“After 10 years working in emergency relief, I felt myself beginning to respond too slowly
to important situations that required quick decision-making. I felt like I was moving in slow
motion. I remember wondering if this was what burnout felt like. I didn’t want to find out,
so I actually put myself on a break. I had seen colleagues who had hit the wall and burned
out, and it would take them a year or two to recover.”
Hortence
11
Self-care reminders for volunteers
• If you feel overwhelmed by the situation or your duties, try focusing for a while on simple and routine
tasks. Let peers and supervisors know how you feel and be patient with yourself.
• If you experience a critical event, talking with someone about your thoughts and feelings may help you
to process and come to peace with any unpleasant experiences.
• Some reactions are normal and unavoidable when working in difficult circumstances.
• Take care of your own body and mind.
• Get enough rest and sleep.
• Limit your intake of alcohol and tobacco.
• If you have sleep difficulties or feel anxious, avoid caffeine especially before bedtime.
• Exercise to relieve tension.
• Eat healthy foods and keep regular meal times.
• Keep in touch with loved ones.
• T
alk about your experiences and feelings (even those that seem frightening or strange) with colleagues
or a trusted person.
• L
isten to what others say about how the event has affected them and how they cope. They may share
useful insights.
• Express your feelings through creative activities, like drawing, painting, writing or playing music.
• Play and take time for fun.
• Consciously try to relax by doing things you enjoy, meditation or yoga.
40
12
Worksheet E: Team meetings
Basic
When conducting team meetings, do you currently:
� Brief volunteers at the beginning of each work day to prepare and encourage them?
� Debrief volunteers at the end of each day to ask what they experienced and how they are coping?
� C
reate a culture of support among team members and openness to seek help and support when
needed?
Additional
Do you currently:
� Hold additional, routine team meetings during work in especially difficult circumstances?
� H
old special team meetings, if volunteers themselves are impacted by a critical event, to provide
information, assess needs and offer additional support?
13
Worksheet F: Monitoring individual and team stress

Basic
When monitoring individual and team stress, do you currently:
� Establish and ensure volunteers take work breaks and time away from the emergency to go home
and rest?
� Check in with individual volunteers and teams to see how they’re coping and getting along together?
� Encourage good self and team care strategies?
Additional
Do you currently:
� Rotate volunteers who are performing particularly difficult tasks into less stressful work to give them
breaks?
� C
reate a schedule of shifts for volunteers working long hours in a sustained emergency so that no
one volunteer works too long?
� Provide individual and group PFA as needed?
� E
stablish routine meetings for all staff and volunteers working in particularly difficult settings to check
in with a (semi-) professional psychosocial support person?
41
14
Worksheet G: Supervision and additional training
Basic
When supervising and training volunteers, do you currently:
� Make sure managers are accessible to volunteers who need supervision or support?
� Give volunteers opportunities for supervision at regular intervals during an emergency response?
� Supervise volunteers on-site during their fieldwork?
Additional
Do you currently:
� Ensure managers have access to supportive supervision by professionals?
� Provide additional training as needed for volunteers responding in especially difficult circumstances?
rovide managers additional training as needed for supporting volunteers, including refresher training
� P
in PFA and peer support?
15
Worksheet H: Peer support and referral
Basic
When implementing peer and professional support for volunteers, do you currently:
� Encourage team members to look out for each other?
� Have volunteers work in pairs in difficult settings?
� Establish ‘buddy systems’ for mutual support among team members?
� Develop a referral system for volunteer support within the organization or with locally available
counselors (including those from faith communities)?
� Share information with volunteers about how to access available, confidential support?
Additional
Do you currently:
� Develop and activate peer support networks?
� Provide supervision of peer supporters by trained staff or semi-professionals?
� D
evelop and keep up-to-date a roster of (semi-) professional psychosocial support resources for
volunteers in need of referral?
� P
rovide timely, confidential referral to a professional for volunteers in need of extra support or
those exposed to critical events?
42
”It was overwhelming. The media were everywhere, and Private photo
we were surrounded by groups of armed police. The

entire event was somehow isolated and encapsulated. I
remember there were 10-12 hearses lined up. You are
not really prepared for such situations … you turn on the
autopilot and just focus on the job before you. We couldn’t
change what had happened. However, I tried to prepare
mentally based on what I had seen in the media, and I
am glad I went. It would have been difficult to sit at home,
and I am grateful that I could do something. Afterward we
had excellent follow-up. None of us were allowed to leave
before having talked to a psychologist and luckily I have
not been struggling with any issues since.”
Andreas Brosø, Norwegian Red Cross volunteers who assisted after the mass shooting at Utøya in July 2011
After: Reflect and refer The process of recovery may be different for each
After witnessing and working in a crisis situation, volunteer, and there is no set time for how long
volunteers should not expect they can go imme- recovery takes. In prolonged crisis situations, the
diately back to ‘life as usual.’ Encourage them to personal situation of the volunteer may continue
take time to rest, re-connect with loved ones and to be challenging. In addition, some may wrestle
move slowly back into usual routines if possible. with the overwhelming demands they encoun-
tered and what they were and were not able to
Many people will process the experience of liv- do to help others in terrible situations. Those
ing through or working in an emergency over exposed to particularly traumatic or difficult ex-
time – reflecting on what they learned, moral or periences may need additional support to recover
ethical dilemmas they encountered, and the hu- and make peace with their experiences. Although
man suffering they have seen. Assist volunteers professional help may not be available in every
in understanding and coming to terms with their context, try to put in place referral resources
emergency experiences by providing space and for extra support when needed, including peer
time for reflection. support, supervision and professional or semi-
professional consultation.
In individual and team meetings, volunteers can
share feelings, give and receive feedback about Consider the procedures you currently have in
the work and their role, and be recognized and place in your National Society for:
appreciated for the work they have done. Invest-
ing time to listen to volunteers honours their I. Team and individual reflection
opinions and helps to keep them motivated and J. Appreciation of volunteers
engaged to help in the future. This is also a time K. Peer support and referral after a crisis.
when the organization and volunteers can talk
about lessons learned in the response and the (see worksheet I-K)
support they received, so that improvements can
be made in the future.
43
16
Worksheet I: Team and individual reflection

Basic
When helping volunteers reflect on their emergency experiences, do you currently:
� Bring team members together after the crisis has ended for reflection and appreciation of their work?
� M
eet individually with volunteers after the crisis has ended to reflect and assess their need for addi-
tional support?
� T
ake the opportunity in individual or team meetings to give information about common feelings after
crisis work, and how to deal with difficult emotions?
Additional
Do you currently:
� Arrange individual or team meetings with psychosocial support persons (within the organization or
outside sources) to provide information on stress and coping?
� H
ave managers or other designated staff check in with volunteers by phone or in person 1 month
after the crisis response to assess their well-being and need for additional support?
� A
sk volunteers their feedback on psychosocial support offered to them before, during and after the
crisis response in order to make improvements in the future?
17
Worksheet J: Appreciation of volunteers

Basic
To acknowledge the work of volunteers in the emergency, do you currently:
� Thank volunteers and acknowledge their work individually and in team meetings?
� Provide a token or letter of appreciation to volunteers?
Additional
Do you currently:
� A
rrange formal and informal events, rituals or ceremonies to acknowledge and appreciate the work of
volunteers, after the crisis has ended?
� Ensure some visibility e.g. in newsletters and magazines?
44
Japan. Photo: Rob Few/IFRC-Freelance
3.4 P
eer support support. When using outside referral, make sure
they have a deep knowledge and understanding
Peer support is a very effective approach for help- of the National Society and the work that volun-
ing volunteers to cope with stressful situations, and teers do.
makes good use of the resources within the organi-
zation and among volunteers themselves. As the There are many ways to provide peer support.
name suggest, ‘peer support’ means offering assis- Informal peer support includes ‘buddy systems,’
tance to someone at the same level as the supporter. where two volunteers or a volunteer and staff
member are paired together to watch out for and
Peer support is an active process and requires peers support each other. They may work side by side in
to be engaged in supporting each other and creating the field, enhancing safety and checking in with
the time and space to talk together about reactions, each other through the day to see how the other
feelings and how to cope. The following are key ele- person is coping. The buddy can suggest that the
ments of peer support: volunteer takes a break, if he/she sees signs of
stress emerging, or even recommend that the other
• oncern, empathy, respect and trust
C stops working if the stress is serious. A ‘buddy’ can
• Effective listening and communication also be available after the emergency is over to re-
• Clear roles flect together about the experience.
• Team work, cooperation and problem-solving
• Discussion of work experience. Even professionals use the ‘buddy’ system. In Japan
after the earthquake, tsunami and nuclear disaster,
Peer support usually can happen quickly, once peer two very experienced psychology professors were
support systems are in place. Often peer support asked how they managed to deal with the situa-
is enough to prevent volunteers under stress from tion. Professor Kazuki Saito answered: “It is very
developing other problems. They learn from each important that the two of us always work together,
other about ways of coping, and also further develop we couldn’t do it on our own. This is called the
their own coping skills by helping each other. Peer ‘buddy system’”. It may also be useful to pair ex-
supporters share experiences and provide each oth- perienced staff or volunteers with those who have
er short-term assistance, but they are NOT coun- less experience, particularly if it is the volunteer’s
selors and the aim of peer support is not to replace first time working in a crisis setting. The experi-
professional help. Professional psychosocial support enced person can serve as a resource for the new
staff can play a role in training and supervising peer volunteer with practical tips for coping, safety and
supporters, and helping them to troubleshoot and support, and the ins and outs of volunteer work
refer peers who may need additional professional with the National Society.
45
“I was working as a psychosocial volunteer after the floods in 2010 and 2011 in
Pakistan. Often I would be facilitating games with big groups of children. Some days
there would be up to 70 children engaged in play activities. One day there was a child
of around nine years of age. He was disabled with polio and he wanted so much to be
in the ball game, but he could only stand and not run. So he participated the best he
could. When we were leaving, he begged me to give him a ball. I felt so bad inside,
because I myself love to play cricket, and I felt his pain and his needs. I knew how
intensely he wanted to be part of the group. It was against the rules to hand over toys,
but I called my programme manager and told him of my feelings and he gave me
permission to bend the rules for once. I still think I did the right thing and I am glad my
programme manager understood me.”
Shakeel Birmani, Pakistan Red Crescent Society
18
Worksheet K: Peer support and referral after a crisis event

Basic
To continue supporting volunteers after the crisis, do you currently:
� E
ncourage team members to continue to be in touch with each other for peer support following the
crisis response.
� R
efer volunteers for additional support as needed and possible within the organization (e.g., by peer
supporters or staff trained in psychosocial support)?
Additional
Do you currently:
� Offer peer supporters supervision by (semi-) professionals?
� R
efer volunteers for confidential, professional psychological support through referral networks within
or outside of the organization?
46
19
Strategies for formalizing peer support

To formalize peer support within your National Society,
consider the following strategies:
• P
rovide training in how to be an effective peer supporter, including training in communication
skills, psychological first aid and how to recognize and refer peers who need additional help.
• Provide regular supervision for peer supporters with a (semi-) professional.
• O
rganize willing volunteers into a peer support team to reach out to other volunteers, particu-
larly new recruits. This team can connect with peers at the different phases – before, during and
after the emergency – to raise awareness of available support and provide assistance.
• O
rganize peer support groups, led by experienced and trained volunteer peer supporters or
by a (semi-) professional. Meeting in groups can decrease any fear or stigma about expressing
emotions and seeking help.
47
20
Tips for peer supporters
Working in stressful situations, all members of the team need to be supportive of each other. The follow-
ing tips can help all volunteers to offer peer support in the best way – you may want to use the list as part
of your messages or distribute it as a handout:
Tips for peer supporters
1. Be available If you are asked to provide support, try to be available. Al-

though not everyone will want to talk, people who have been
through a stressful experience usually appreciate knowing
someone is there for them. Be available without being intrusive.
2. Manage the situation If needed, help to make sure the person is safe, protected,
and locate resources has some privacy and has access to the help they need, e.g.,
a doctor if they are injured.
3. Provide information Provide the person with accurate information, if you have it, in
order to help them put their situation in a more objective and
manageable perspective.
4. Assist a person to Respect the person’s ability to make decisions and manage
establish personal the situation. Listen and support them as an equal colleague
control in making decisions. Allow them to express feelings without
judgment.
5. Give encouragement Some people feel guilty, blame themselves or lose a sense of
self-esteem during stressful situations. Encourage the person
to have a more positive view, by offering objective, alternative
explanations and thoughts.
6. Maintain confiden- Confidentiality is a cornerstone of all peer support. It is es-

tiality sential to the integrity of the entire process. Do not share your
colleague’s story with others or provide details about them to
others. If other concerned volunteers ask questions, suggest
they speak directly to the person.
7. Provide follow-up Sometimes it may be appropriate to provide some follow-up

for the person you are helping, by giving them a call or check-
ing with them in person. Be low-key and non-intrusive when
providing follow-up, but do keep any promises you make to
be in touch.
48
Norway. Photo: Ståle Wig/NRC
Psychological
First Aid
for Volunteers 4
Section
Caring for Volunteers · Psychological First Aid for Volunteers
Psychological first aid (PFA) is a cornerstone of Volunteers who are in shock or crisis may have
the support offered by the Red Cross and Red difficulties thinking clearly and knowing what
Crescent movement to survivors of emergencies to do, to cope with the situation and how to
and people affected by conflicts. In this chapter help themselves. Their sense of time may be dis-
we will explore how PFA can also be used by staff turbed, and they may feel very vulnerable or mis-
and volunteers to support each other. understand what is being said and done. Others
may cope relatively well with a distressing event
The types of distressing events that staff and vol- in the moment, but have thoughts and feelings
unteers may encounter include the following: about it later on.
• Witnessing death, serious injury or destruction In this section we will cover:

• Hearing traumatic stories from survivors of
emergencies 1. What is PFA?
• Being themselves injured in the line of duty 2. Offering PFA: Supportive communication and
• Encountering anger, threats or actual violence practical help
• Hearing stories about abuse or witnessing in- 3. Ethical behaviour
jury of children 4. When and how to refer a volunteer who
• They or their family being directly impacted by needs extra support.
the emergency.
Remember that volunteers who work in a pro- 4.1 What is PFA?

tracted crisis situation may be repeatedly ex-
posed to distressing stories and events, or may PFA is caring support, offered to volunteers who
suffer from chronic stress. have experienced a very distressing event or situ-
ation. It involves showing them warmth and em-
Each person responds differently to very dis- pathy and listening to them. It also involves mak-
tressing events, depending on their personal re- ing the surroundings safe for them and helping
sources to cope, how they perceive what has hap- them to deal with practical needs and problems.
pened and the support they receive from others. With this support, the volunteer can get stronger
When volunteers experience a very distressing and regain the capacity to think and take care of
event, some may feel overwhelmed, vulnerable, themselves and others.
anxious, uncertain or confused. They may experi-
ence sudden emotional upset, grief, anger or a The following is a step-by-step guide for pro-
sense of a hopelessness, or even feel apathetic viding PFA to volunteers. This can be used as a
and numb. handout for volunteers to take into the field (see
tool 21):
“A six-year old Iraqi girl drew red and black circles over and over again. We asked her what
she was drawing. ‘I am drawing my brother,’ she answered. It turned out that the girl had
seen her brother blown to pieces, and she was drawing him as she saw him for the last
time. Listening to this girl’s trauma made my heart feel heavy and gradually depressed me.
Although for me, it is just a story, but for her, it is a part of her life.”
Bisher, 25 year old Syrian Arab Red Crescent volunteer
50
21
PFA: A step-by-step guide

• Make contact with the volunteer as their supervi- • Ask if the volunteer is tired and needs a place to
sor or peer supporter. rest and/or a place to go.
• If possible and necessary, remove the volunteer • Ask the volunteer what has happened and listen
from the stressful situation to a safe place and to their experiences, concerns and feelings. If
limit their exposure to distressing sights, sounds they do not wish to talk, just stay with them.
or smells. • Reassure them that their reaction is to be ex-
• Protect the volunteer from bystanders, other pected, given what they have just experienced.
curious staff or volunteers, and the media. • Ask the volunteer if they have someone to look
• Make sure the volunteer is warm enough and after them or someone to talk to at home. Help
offer a blanket if needed. them connect with loved ones.
• Provide the volunteer with adequate food and • Provide factual information about where and
fluids, but avoid alcohol. how they can get specific services or resources.
• If you need to leave the volunteer, make sure
someone else stays with them.
“The Christchurch search

and rescue group often
didn’t have power and
water when they went home
at the end of the day. They
were balancing their own
personal response to what
had happened to their city,
in addition to volunteering
every day and some of
those guys were really
impacted,” says Kristen
Proud from Australian Photo: David Wethey
Red Cross who was sent

to New Zealand after the earthquake in Christchurch to help set up a psychosocial
support programme and also assist the Red Cross staff and volunteers. She explains
that individuals are naturally going to have a big emotional response to a large event like
a natural disaster or an earthquake. “Every single individual who is involved is impacted
and that ricochets and goes home with them. It impacts on their family; it impacts on
their friends. I think incorporating psychosocial support immediately, as New Zealand
Red Cross were able to identify, was really helpful for them and assisted in ensuring that
their staff will recover from this.”
Kristen Proud from Australian Red Cross
51
4.2 Supportive communication of trust and safety. Be yourself and show your
and practical help natural warmth and caring for the volunteer in
distress.
Offering PFA effectively involves supportive com-
munication, as well as general care and practical 2. Listen attentively
help. Although we communicate and interact Take time to listen carefully to the volunteer’s
with each other every day, ‘supportive communi- story. Telling their story often helps volunteers
cation’ is a skill that requires special awareness of to understand and come to terms with what they
one’s words and body language and one’s attitude have experienced. Let volunteers know you are
and attention to the volunteer in distress. This listening by giving them your sincere attention.
includes showing empathy, care and concern; If you are supporting a volunteer at the scene of
listening attentively and without judgment; and an accident, listen and talk with him/her calmly
keeping confidentiality. until other help arrives.
Convey that you are listening attentively not only

with your words, but also your body language.
22 Non-verbal communication includes gestures,
movements, facial expressions and sounds, such
as sighs or gasps. Each culture has its own partic-
Four key elements of PFA ular ways of behaving appropriately, but gener-
ally the following are important to keep in mind:
Keep these four key elements in mind
when offering PFA to volunteers:
• Turn
toward or face the volunteer when they
1. Stay close are speaking.
2. Listen attentively • Display an open posture by keeping your arms
3. Accept feelings uncrossed.
4. Provide general care and practical help. • Keep an appropriate distance so you show in-
terest without appearing too intimate or pushy.
• Avoid distracting gestures or movements.
• Make appropriate eye contact.
• Appear calm and relaxed.
1. Stay close
A person in crisis temporarily loses his or her ba- 3. Accept feelings
sic sense of security and trust in the world. The Keep an open mind to what the volunteer is say-
world may suddenly seem dangerous, chaotic or ing and accept their feelings and interpretation
unsafe, and volunteers may even lose their belief of events. Don’t try to correct the facts or judge
in the goodness of human kind. Supervisors or their perceptions of how things happened. Hav-
peer supporters can help the volunteer to regain ing empathy and respect for the person will help
a sense of safety and trust by staying close and you to accept their feelings. Empathy is the abil-
remaining calm, even if the volunteer is very anx- ity to see and feel from the other person’s point
ious or emotional. Be prepared that some volun- of view, and to display personal warmth. No mat-
teers may express violent outbursts of emotions, ter what reactions the affected volunteer may be
such as shouting or rejecting help. Maintain con- having, demonstrate a sincere, positive regard for
tact calmly or stay nearby, in case they need help the welfare and worthiness of the affected volun-
or would like to talk about what has happened. teer.
Above all, be genuine, real and honest in order 4. Provide general care and practical help
to help the affected volunteer to rebuild a sense When volunteers have experienced a crisis situa-
52
Photo: Philippa Croome, Daily Monitor
“One of the biggest challenges I encounter is risking my life, when I have to work in times
of insurgencies, like the recent walk to work during the unrest. As a human being I get the
eerie feeling that a stray bullet could easily land on me, but I put such feelings behind me,
and focus on saving as many lives as possible. Sometimes some of these tragedies happen
when we least expect them, so we find ourselves having to go out on rescue missions
without enough equipment and logistics at our disposal.”
Michael Seengeno, Uganda Red Cross volunteer who was ‘immortalized’, when he rescued a baby from a burning house
tion or are in shock, it is a great help if someone support them to regain control of their own situ-
lends a hand with practical things. This can in- ation, consider their options and take their own
clude contacting someone who can be with the decisions. Although the volunteer who has been
volunteer, arranging for children to be picked through a distressing event may feel confused
up from school, driving the volunteer home, or or vulnerable in that moment, they are still a
helping the volunteer to get medical care or other person with skills and resources of their own.
support as needed. Encourage their ability to help themselves and
empower them to feel resilient and resourceful.
Be sure to follow the wishes of the volunteer and Keep a practical focus and help volunteers begin
don’t take over too much responsibility. Rather, meeting their own needs.
53
4.3 Ethical behaviour their right to take their own decisions, and be
sensitive to their questions and needs.
When offering PFA to a volunteer who is in dis-
tress, adhere to standards of ethical behaviour. Confidentiality is an essential part of ethical
Remember the codes of conduct for Red Cross behaviour in offering PFA. Keep private what an
and Red Crescent staff and volunteers. Any staff affected volunteer shares about their feelings and
member or peer supporter offering PFA should experiences, and the details of their situation.
be trustworthy and follow through on things Maintaining confidentiality assures all staff and
they promise. Never take advantage of the re- volunteers that their privacy will be respected, if
lationship with the affected volunteer. Respect and when they may need support (see tool 23).
“I lost my cousin to Photo: Sri Lanka Red Cross Society
the tsunami. He was

very close to me. He
was my best friend.
I never understood
how he could lose his
life at a very young
age. I was very angry
at everything. I used
to have bursts of
anger at my family
and friends. One day
a foreigner came to
our school. He spoke
about our emotions
and how we feel
about the tsunami
and the destruction many of us have witnessed. I began to understand as to what
happened; also I came into acceptance of the events that have come to pass. I am
good in drawing. This person from the Red Cross made us to draw about the things
we feel on the school walls. This was a good exercise for me to share my emotions.
These exercises helped me to tackle my anger and be a better person. Later on I went
to our local Red Cross branch in Galle and I joined as a volunteer. It’s a fulfilling feeling
to help others, especially my community. I volunteer specially at programmes which
are held in schools in order to help other kids just like me who need to understand
and cope with the destruction that happened.”
Saman Chandrasiri, volunteer for Sri Lanka Red Cross
54
New Zealand.
Photo: Antony Kitchener
“Essential to this recovery process is finding support, whether that is through friends, family
or just someone to talk to. The Christchurch Red Cross staff and volunteers were amazingly
supportive of each other and very connected. They would know if someone wasn’t OK and
bring them in to me. They had a family atmosphere and I felt part of that spirit.”
Kristen Proud, Australian Red Cross psychosocial worker in New Zealand after the earthquake
4.4 W
hen and how to refer
Make sure that volunteers who are seriously dis-
a volunteer tressed are not left alone. Try to keep them safe
Most volunteers will recover well over time from a until the reaction passes or until you can get help
distressing situation with help from those around from managers or professionals.
them and basic support. However, some volun-
teers may have serious distress reactions or their Each National Society should have a referral
distress may last for a long time after the event mechanism for volunteers in need of professional
has passed. Distressed volunteers will probably support. If you do not have sufficient resources, it
need referral for more specialized care if: might be possible to set up agreements with local
health care facilities or local NGOs.
• They are so severely distressed that they are un-
able to function or take decisions for their life Two examples from around the world (next
• They might harm themselves page):
• They are a danger to anyone else.
55
Belgium
The Belgian Red Cross offers training in psychological following a dramatic knife attack on a children’s nurs-
first aid to its volunteers. The training course is called ery, text messaging was used to reach all responders
‘Schokdemper’ or ‘shock absorber’. The course on the day following the event, offering the opportunity
(which is open to all) teaches the volunteers how to to call in, if anyone needed to talk. More than 90 per
react to critical incidents, how to care for victims and cent of the responders mentioned the message later
how to care for themselves. A shorter version of this on and felt it was supportive. People were also called
training has also been introduced to Medical Interven- directly, but this took a little longer.
tion Service personnel. A short session on the psy-
chosocial impact of critical incidents is also part of the When providing psychosocial support to volunteers
basic training. and staff, an important question to ask is: “Are you
worried about a colleague?” This is because respond-
Everybody can access the services of the Red Cross ers tend to forget about themselves. Asking this ques-
Social Intervention Service following an event. Inter- tion helps to identify people who do not initially want
ventions can be organized, on request, for groups to talk themselves. They then receive a non-intrusive
or individuals. A group of trained Social Intervention call with an offer to talk.
Service volunteers conduct both group interventions
and individual conversations. After two to three ses- Psychological defusion and reflection meetings aim
sions, the volunteers know whether a person needs to to help pre-existing groups functional again. These
be referred to external sources of support. For groups, kinds of meetings are not always used, but they are
both defusing sessions and reflection meetings are one possible intervention amongst others. They allow
organized. The aim is to regain trust within the group. the group to get the whole picture of the event, clarify
misunderstandings, regain trust, normalize reactions,
All volunteers and staff are eligible for support. Infor- identify lessons learned and spot persons affected
mation about the service is provided during trainings who need more support. For groups of staff and
and in internal publications. When there is a need, the volunteers who were less directly affected by the crisis
Social Intervention Service intervenes directly. In 2009, event, group meetings are offered.
Paul first found himself not coping at home a few days after the disaster. The second
time, it took him by surprise. “We were all getting very tired,” he remembers. “You try to
go home and you’ve got aftershocks happening all the time, it’s not normal. I was put in
charge of one site and I got down there and I was all ready to go. I had my kit and I was
going to get changed in the van and then: I forgot my boots. I forgot my safety boots. It
was just a little thing. It completely threw me and I had a meltdown, panic attack. I got
back to base and told them, ‘I can’t be here I’ve got to get out of here’. I made my way
back to the Red Cross base and talked to Kristen, which was really helpful. It was really
nice to know that there was help there if you needed it.”
Paul Davenport, who volunteered after the earthquakes in Christchurch, New Zealand
56
Colombia. Photo: Jean-Luc Martinage/ IFRC
COLOMBIA
The Colombian Red Cross psychosocial programme Some research on psychosocial support to volunteers
targets both Red Cross volunteers and paid staff. It has been done in the branches, and there was also
provides psychosocial support in emergencies and a mental health study in 2008. The Colombian Red
disasters, and in programme areas, such as HIV/AIDS, Cross Society has also built instruments to measure
domestic violence, internally displaced people and vol- risk factors and protective factors in mental health.
unteer care. All branches of the Colombian Red Cross
Society must have a team or a person who knows The Colombian Red Cross Society has a psychosocial
and works with the programme, and who belongs to toolkit with a selection of material and readings. The
the psychosocial network. Each branch also has psy- National Society also has guidelines, regulations and
chosocial support groups for volunteers and staff that policies that focus on psychosocial support.
develop activities.
Psychosocial support to volunteers is formalized in
The psychosocial programme includes ‘Mental Health the psychosocial support policy of the National So-
to Red Cross.’ Within the programme, there are three ciety. Here, two target groups are defined: persons
levels of training. The first level is very basic, and fo- affected by emergencies, disasters or violence or liv-
cuses on introduction and orientation, identifying risk ing in vulnerable conditions, and volunteers and staff
factors related to mental health, referral to profession- involved in humanitarian interventions. It further states
als and awareness-raising campaigns. The second that the psychosocial support should be tailored to fit
level focuses on community-based counseling, psy- the needs of the people involved, and that it should
chosocial workshops and psychological first aid; the support them during the adaptation to new situations
third level is about professional support. and strengthen their coping skills and recovery. In the
policy, the National Society commits itself to recogniz-
Volunteers are made aware of the support available ing the role and value of volunteers, to providing volun-
through the psychosocial support groups, who give in- teers psychosocial support, as well as the opportunity
formation about the programme. Volunteers who need to be trained and guided by psychosocial support
more specialized support are referred to professionals. professionals.
57
23
Do’s and don’ts in supportive communication

The following table provides a recap of what to say and do, and what not to say and do in com-
municating in a supportive way with volunteers in distress, and maintaining ethical behaviour:
What to say and do What not to say and do

emember a person in crisis temporarily
R on’t ask the volunteer to recount all the
D
loses their basic sense of trust and security in details of any traumatic experience they
the world. Stay close to the volunteer to help have had.
them feel more safe and secure.
tay calm, even if the volunteer you are help-

S on’t give your opinions of the volunteer’s
D
ing is very emotional. situation.
e prepared that volunteers may express

B on’t tell the volunteer your troubles or
D
strong emotions, such as angry outbursts, share someone else’s story.
when they are in acute distress.
isten attentively and carefully so you fully

L on’t tell the volunteer’s story to others.
D
understand the volunteer’s story and what Keep what they tell you confidential, unless
their concerns are. it is necessary to keep them or someone
else safe.
cknowledge their grief, tears, sense of loss

A on’t correct facts about what happened
D
or other feelings they may share. or perceptions of the sequence of events.
e comfortable with silence. Be willing to sit

B on’t touch the volunteer, unless you know
D
quietly with the volunteer if they wish. it is acceptable to them.
sk questions as necessary to clarify the

A
volunteer’s experience and what they need.
ake eye contact, as appropriate, and keep

M
your body relaxed and in an open posture.
ccept the volunteer’s feelings and their in-

A
terpretation of what has happened without
judgment.
If the volunteer refuses help, let them know

that they can still receive help in the future if
they want it.
58
Monitoring and Evaluation
of Volunteer Support
Nigeria. Photo: Benoit Matsha-Carpentier/IFRC

5
Section
Caring for Volunteers · Monitoring and Evaluation of Volunteer Support
Since volunteer support is the responsibility of In this section, we will cover:

the National Society, monitoring and evaluation
(M&E) helps you to know if the support is work- 1. Setting up the system
ing well, and perceived as helpful by volunteers. 2. Developing indicators and ways to measure
them
In this section, we will cover how to set up your 3. Monitoring through different events
M&E system for volunteer psychosocial support, 4. Evaluating and learning
what information is relevant for you to know
e.g., useful indicators, and how to check on the
support provided during small and large events. 5.1 Setting up the system
As new situations arise for your National Society
over time, M&E also helps you to know how to The kind of information you may want to collect
adjust your support to meet changing needs of relates to the following three questions:
volunteers in emergencies.
• What is in place?
Why do we monitor and evaluate? • How are people using it?
• Accountability – ensuring we’re accountable • How well is it working?
not only to donors and beneficiaries, but also
to our staff and volunteers What is in place?
• Relevance – ensuring support we provide is This includes not only the support activities you
useful for volunteers implement as a National Society (like training
• Efficiency – ensuring volunteer support is and orientation), but also the knowledge, skills
timely and at reasonable cost and practices of volunteers. Everyone has ways of
• Effectiveness and Impact – ensuring support coping and handling stress in their life. Volun
has the desired effect for volunteer wellbeing teers bring knowledge and skills to their work
• Sustainability – ensuring benefits of support and some may even bring psychosocial or other
continue, even after the current emergency. relevant expertise to the ways they cope and sup-
port their peers.
“I lost many friends in the earthquake. Photo: Jerome Grimaud
At the beginning I could not cope. I

cried for several days. I even thought
that it would have been easier if I had
also died during the earthquake. I
wanted to help but I couldn’t find the
strength and the courage. I was feeling
guilty. Then I joined the psychosocial
team of the Red Cross. It has been
the most important experience of my
life. I have done what I had never done
before. I grew up personally through
this programme.”
Mickerlange LeBlanc, Haiti Red Cross volunteer
60
Syria. Photo: Ibrahim Malla/SARC
24
How are people using it?
How people make use of what’s in place depends
upon their knowing it exists (e.g., that there is Strategies for collecting
information or support available) and how ac- M&E information
cessible it is to them. There may be strategies or
protocols that look good on paper, but may not How can you collect the information you need for
be effective simply because they are not being setting up your system? The following approach-
es will help you know what volunteers need and
utilized.
what resources are already available:
How well is it working? 1. Talk to your volunteers, staff and managers

Critical reflection on the effectiveness of volun- (e.g., in focus groups, interviews) about their
teer support helps you to know how to adjust understanding and perceptions of volunteer
existing support, add new methods and maybe stress and the available support.
abandon ones that are not effective – both in
2. Conduct an anonymous survey for volunteers,
terms of impact on volunteer wellbeing and cost-
staff and managers to assess their knowl-
versus-benefit.
edge about volunteer stress and coping (see
a sample survey below). Make an inventory of
your current resources – human, material and
financial – and find out how effectively those
resources are currently being used.
From the information you gather from these dif-

ferent sources, you will have a clearer picture of
what is in place to build upon, and what you may
need to develop to fill in any gaps.
61
25
Set-up questions for M&E
The following table offers some questions to consider related to ‘what’s in place,’ ‘how it is used’
and ‘how well it’s working’ across some specific domains. These questions can be used for set-
ting up or evaluating your current system, and for monitoring over time.
Domain Needs & Resources

Knowledge & skills • W hat do volunteers already do to care for themselves and team
members?
• What do staff and volunteers know about individual and team stress,
and how to manage it?
• How many volunteers and staff are already trained in peer support,
psychological first aid or stress management?
• How do managers understand volunteer stress?
Understanding • ow well do volunteers currently feel supported by the organization?

H
wellbeing • What kinds of existing support do volunteers find helpful?
• What other kinds of support do volunteers feel they need?
• What are the main stresses volunteers feel they are facing, e.g.,
heavy workload, not understanding their role, confronting trauma in
the field?
• How well do staff and volunteers feel their teams function together?
• How do managers and supervisors understand their role and respon-
sibility in supporting volunteers?
Materials • A re there materials on stress and stress management?

• Are there training materials for peer support and psychological first
aid?
• Are there written protocols for supervising volunteers, and referring
staff or volunteers who need additional support?
• Are the available materials being used and distributed,e.g., do man-
agers and supervisors know about protocols and existing resources?
Human resources • H ow many staff and volunteers act as peer supporters?

• Who has psychosocial support capacities within or outside of the
organization, e.g., in-house counselor, local professionals for referral?
• Are there experienced staff or volunteers willing to share their per-
spective during orientation or training of volunteers, or act as a bud-
dy?
• How many managers are trained in supportive supervision and PFA?
Financial resources • W hat kinds of things are we doing that are cost-free, e.g., talking with
volunteers about wellbeing during their orientation to the organiza-
tion?
• What other strategies would we like to develop and what might they
cost?
• What funds are available to develop other needed strategies?
62
Afghanistan. Photo: Ali Hakimi/IFRC
Sample anonymous baseline survey suggestions to improve volunteer support.

for volunteers
The following sample survey for volunteers is In conducting surveys, remember these helpful
designed to elicit what volunteers currently tips:
know and do, in terms of stress and coping, their
knowledge of available support from the Nation- • Keep
information confidential and anony-
al Society, and their perceptions of the adequacy mous. This may increase the number of people
of that support. It includes both quantitative and willing to take the survey and their honesty in
qualitative questions. answering questions.
• K
eep questions simple for respondents to un-
The quantitative questions are marked on a derstand and answer.
four-point scale. The results can be compared • K eep the survey as brief as possible to increase
among respondents (e.g., perhaps most or all the number of people willing to respond.
respondents give the same response to a particu- • Include
both quantitative and qualitative ques-
lar question) and the overall sum can be used as tions.
a gauge for how effective or ineffective current • W ith quantitative questions, make sure the
psychosocial support strategies are working. responses go in the same direction to make
The higher the number you get in the survey, the analysis and comparisons easier. For example,
more effectively strategies are working. in the questions below, a response of ‘4’ will
always indicate something positive about psy-
The qualitative questions give volunteers an chosocial knowledge, skills or strategies cur-
opportunity to express their opinion or make rently in place.
63
26
Sample Volunteer Psychosocial Support Survey

Volunteers are an important part of the work of our National Society in emergencies. In an effort
to better provide support to our volunteers, we kindly request your input on this survey. This will
help us to better understand how we can support your wellbeing. This is an anonymous survey –
PLEASE DO NOT WRITE YOUR NAME ON THIS PAPER.
Please circle the number that best fits how you feel about the question being asked:
1=strongly disagree, 2=disagree, 3=agree, 4=strongly agree
I have a good understanding about the kinds of stress I may

1. 1 2 3 4
encounter volunteering in emergencies.
2. I know how to recognize signs of serious stress in myself. 1 2 3 4
3. I have effective strategies for managing my stress. 1 2 3 4
I know how to recognize signs of serious stress in my team

4. 1 2 3 4
mates.
I know how to support members of my team during stressful
5. 1 2 3 4
times.
6. My manager/supervisor cares about my wellbeing. 1 2 3 4
y manager/supervisor is available if I need to talk with him/

M
7. 1 2 3 4
her.
8. My manager/supervisor will reach out to me if I am in distress. 1 2 3 4
I know how to get extra help with stress from the organization,
9. 1 2 3 4
if I need it.
I have received information about stress and coping from the
10. 1 2 3 4
National Society.
his National Society provides useful support to volunteers in
T
11. 1 2 3 4
coping with emergency work.
y work has been acknowledged by my manager/supervisor
M
12. 1 2 3 4
and the local branch.
Please tell us …
What is the National Society currently doing that is helpful for you in coping with stress?
What is the National Society currently doing that is harmful for you in coping with stress?
What suggestions do you have for us to better support our volunteers?
Thank you for your time in responding to this survey!
64
Photo: Sri Lanka Red Cross Society
“It was a nightmare for me. Flooding everywhere. All I heard was run...run...
run... Lost everything what we built and earned. My elder sister and her two
kids escaped from that flash flood. Still I remember how my husband asked us
to escape. We took shelter at temporary camp, set up by the Red Cross. I was
looking for my husband. He never returned thereafter. I saw his body after two
days. I was fed up with everything. What this life was. Lost everything. I was
clueless of what to do next. Didn’t even take my meals. But it all changed, my
thinking, my feelings after I was introduced to the psychosocial programme. It
was another person who I befriended at the camp who introduced me to this
programme. I realized I was not the only woman who faced this situation. The
programme gave me more strength to face life. After several months I wanted
to repay in any way I could to the Red Cross, that’s why now I volunteer for the
programme.”
Ruwani Wathsala – Volunteer for the Sri Lanka Red Cross Society
65
5.2 Developing indicators develop useful indicators from the perspective

of staff and volunteers and that include both
Developing useful indicators can help you to individual and team well-being. The tool also
measure the support you put in place for your suggests how you can most easily collect infor-
volunteers. The tool below describes how to mation about your indicators.
27
Developing indicators
How can you develop indicators to measure psychosocial support for volunteers?
Choosing which indicators to use in measuring psychosocial support for volunteers depends
upon:
• Initial assessments of volunteer wellbeing and needs
• How volunteers and staff define ‘psychosocial wellbeing’
• How volunteers and staff define ‘good support.’
By far the best way to identify useful indicators of psychosocial wellbeing is by talking with staff
and volunteers to get their perspective. For example, ask them how they recognize if a colleague
is doing well or not, and how the team is functioning together.
There are three indicators typically used in psychosocial support interventions:
• E motional wellbeing: Trust, hope for the future, sense of control, confidence
• Social wellbeing: The ability to interact, assist others, solve problems actively
• Skills and knowledge: Learning how to manage one’s stress or support colleagues.
For volunteer psychosocial support, it is useful to develop indicators for both individual and team
wellbeing. Individual stress can affect the functioning of team as a whole, just as team dysfunc-
tion can affect the wellbeing of individual members. A well-functioning team can provide a buffer
for the stresses of the work and be a support community for volunteers. Examples of individual
and team wellbeing are:
• Individual: a score on a self-report questionnaire that measures how well a volunteer feels s/he
can manage his/her stress after receiving training.
• Team: the percentage of team members who participate in peer support activities.
What are the ways you can collect information about the indicators?
Consider routine ways of collecting information that do not overburden staff or volunteers. For
example, if your National Society routinely trains volunteers for their job or provides them infor-
mation on stress and coping, you can:
• K eep records of how many volunteers are trained

• Have volunteers fill out a knowledge and satisfaction survey at the end of training
• Keep records of materials given to volunteers during orientation or briefing.
66
These tables include both quantitative and teers feel training or peer support is for them.
qualitative indicators. Quantitative indicators Other ways to capture information include meet-
are things that can be counted, such as the num- ing logs and surveys. The following tables pro-
ber of volunteers trained or using peer support. vides some sample indicators at each phase of the
Qualitative indicators measure the perceived emergency and suggestions for ways to capture
quality of support, such as how helpful volun- information about the indicator.
Before
Before an Emergency Sample Quantitative Sample Qualitative

Indicators Indicators
• Recruitment and • E xisting materials on stress and • V olunteer perceptions on useful-
selection coping for volunteers (record of ness of existing materials
• Orientation existing materials) • Volunteer perceptions on useful-
• Briefing and training • Numbers of volunteers who re- ness of training in stress and cop-
• Contingency planning ceive information on stress and ing
coping during recruitment and • Supervisor perceptions of useful-
orientation (record of information ness of training in how to support
given) volunteers
• Numbers of volunteers and staff/ • Staff and supervisor perceptions
supervisors trained in stress and of the adequacy of contingency
coping (training log) plans (this information can be
• Existing contingency plans and obtained by different means –
numbers of supervisors who know anonymous survey, open-ended
about them (record of contingency questions, verbal feedback, inter-
plans, survey of supervisors) views, focus groups)
During
During an Emergency Sample Quantitative Sample Qualitative

• Team meetings • Numbers of volunteers who know • Volunteer perceptions of their
• Monitoring individual where to get help if they need it main sources of stress and how
and team stress (anonymous survey) well they are coping with the cur-
• Supervision and • Number of individual and team rent emergency
additional training meetings held by supervisors to • Volunteer perceptions of support
• Peer support and support volunteers (meeting log) by their supervisor and peers
referral • Numbers of volunteers receiving • Supervisor perceptions on how
additional training in stress and confident they feel to support
coping (training log) volunteers
• Numbers of peer supporters • Volunteer satisfaction with addi-
trained (training log) tional training
• Percentage of team members • Volunteer satisfaction with the
making use of peer support referral process (for those referred)
(anonymous survey) • Volunteer perceptions of useful-
• Numbers of referrals made for ness of additional psychosocial
volunteers to receive additional support provided (see above)
psychosocial support (referral log)
67
After
After an Emergency Sample Quantitative Sample Qualitative

• Team and individual • N
umbers of reflection meetings • V
olunteer perceptions of ongoing
reflection held (meeting log) stress and ability to cope after the
• Appreciation of • Numbers of volunteers who at- emergency
volunteers tend reflection meetings (meeting • Volunteer perceptions of the use-
• Peer support and log) fulness of reflection meetings
referral • Numbers of volunteers making • Volunteer perceptions of how well
use of peer support after the supported they feel by peers and
emergency (anonymous survey) supervisors
• Appreciation events held (event • Volunteer perceptions of how well
log) their work is appreciated by su-
• Number of referrals made for pervisors and the National Society
volunteers to receive additional • Volunteer perceptions of useful-
psychosocial support (referral log) ness of additional psychosocial
support provided (see above)
5.3 When to monitor a prolonged crisis situation. During these situa-

tions, it is important to check in with volunteers
Monitoring and evaluating volunteer support is a and teams on a regular basis to be sure the sup-
continuous process that involves checking, learn- port provided is enough to help them sustain
ing and feeding back the information gathered to wellbeing. If you are in touch regularly with your
improve support to volunteers. As a manager or team, then it is easier to gauge when individuals
supervisor, you are always monitoring the well- may need extra support or referral.
being of your volunteers. But there are certain
key points in time when it is important to check Small-scale events include one-time emergen-
in with volunteers and make sure the system of cies, such as a volunteer(s) assisting a family af-
support is working well, particularly when large fected by a fire, or incidents where a volunteer(s)
or small-scale events happen that involve volun- is injured, threatened or has witnessed some-
teers. (See tools 28 and 29 for tips for monitoring thing particularly traumatic e.g., the serious in-
volunteer support for large or small scale events.) jury or death of a child.
Large events or complex situations may include Whether involved in small or large-scale events,
volunteers assisting in response to a mass disas- it is always good to get staff and volunteers to-
ter, a violent incident affecting many people or gether to discuss if the support was enough. It is
68
28
Tips for monitoring during large-scale or

complex emergencies
The following are tips for monitoring during large-scale or complex situations:
• Prepare volunteers for assisting in a complex situation by briefing them on what they may encounter
and finding out if they are up to the task at hand.
• In a prolonged crisis, hold short, daily briefing and debriefing meetings and ask team members how
they are holding up.
• Schedule regular supervision meetings for individuals and teams responding in complex situations to
provide technical, as well as psychosocial support.
• Check in with individual volunteers on a regular basis and ask how they are coping and if they need
additional support.
• Consider involving a professional psychosocial support person to check in with individuals or teams
working in a very complex or distressing situation.
• When assistance in a large-scale event finishes, take the opportunity to evaluate how individuals and
teams are coping, and how the support was for them:
Conduct an anonymous survey to find out how volunteers are coping, what
support was offered to them and what support they actually used
Hold a focus group to ask about the support provided and how to improve
support in the future.
Hold a meeting with volunteer supervisors or team leaders to ask how they
feel individual volunteers and teams coped during the crisis, what support was
most helpful, and what additional training or information they may need to bet-
ter support volunteers in the future.
often helpful to do this some time after the event their experience and how it may have affected
has ended, such as a month or so afterward. them. They can also better assess what support
was most helpful and what further support they
Checking in with volunteers and supervisors needed at the time – or perhaps still need. It is
some time afterwards gives the opportunity especially important to do this after a large-scale
for them to process the event, and to reflect on or mass emergency has occurred.
69
29
Tips for monitoring during small-scale

emergencies
The following are tips for monitoring volunteer support during small-scale events:
• Try to find out if the event involved seriously distressing incidents that the volunteer(s) may have
been exposed to.
• Check in with the volunteer(s) to ask how their experience was and how they are feeling.
• Check in with the volunteer(s) to find out if they know about and are utilizing available support
(e.g., peer support, in-house or external psychosocial support).
• Ask the volunteer(s) if they feel the support they are receiving is enough.
• Keep an eye on the volunteer(s) involved in small-scale events to monitor their behaviour and how
they seem to be coping.
• If a volunteer has been directly impacted be sure to:
• Check in with them as soon as possible to see how they are
• Prepare to receive them in the office by providing a quiet space to rest, food or drink, and – if
needed – professional medical or psychosocial evaluation
• Find out what support they have available at home, and help them to contact loved ones if they
request it to be with them.
70
Solomon Islands. Photo: Rob Few/IFRC-Freelance
5.4 Evaluating and learning

In addition to regular monitoring, it is helpful If you have the time and resources, consider also
for your National Society to take time once a year providing the space for managers, staff and vol-
to look at the support you provide volunteers, unteers to discuss the report and provide feed-
bring together the lessons learned from the ex- back. For example, you can arrange a meeting to
periences of the past year and see what improve- find out “how we’re doing with volunteer wellbe-
ments can be made. You can use the information ing” and to make a plan for following up with
you have gathered along the way, such as reports, suggestions to improve.
meeting logs and surveys and include this in
your annual report.
71
“Caring for volunteers” is a toolkit
developed to help National Societies,
so they can assist volunteers – before,
during and after a crisis. Although
the focus is on volunteers, it will also
provide useful tools for staff. Whether
you belong to a large or small society,
whether you are often involved in
emergencies or mainly work through
social programmes, you can adapt
the information in this toolkit to your
own particular needs.
Samoa. Photo: Rob Few/IFRC-freelance
The PS Centre is hosted by:
This toolkit is supported by:

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Caring for

Frontpage: Haiti Red Cross

Design and production: KLS Grafisk Hus A/S

Editor-in-Chief: Nana Wiedemann

Warm thanks to all those National Society volunteers and

Thank you for valuable funding from:

Norwegian Red Cross and Finnish Red Cross

The Psychosocial Support Centre is hosted by

We would be happy to receive your comments, feedback

Mongolia. Photo: Rob Few/IFRC-Freelance

Tunisia. Photo: Tunisian Red Crescent

Norway. Photo: Ståle Wig

“Put on your own oxygen

Clear message It is of course difficult to prepare for every type

Photo: Lasse Nørgaard

• are feasible for your National Society

1. Resilience, Risk and Responsibility . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9

1.1. Understanding resilience . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10 5

1.2. Risks to volunteer wellbeing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11

1.3. Being responsible for volunteer wellbeing . . . . . . . . . . . . 14

2. Communicating the Message . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21

2.1. Understanding psychosocial support . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22 5

2.2. ‘Walk the talk’ – developing support strategies . . . . . . . . . 24

2.3. Informing volunteers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29

Response Cycle and Section

3. Response Cycle and Volunteer Psychosocial Support:

Before, During and After . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 31

3.1. Support strategies at each phase . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 32 Section

3.2. Matching resources and needs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 32

3.4. Peer support . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 45

4. Psychological First Aid for Volunteers . . . . . . . . . . . . .49

Monitoring and Evaluation

5. Monitoring and Evaluation of Volunteer Support . . . . . .59

The following tools are indicated by the symbol

Photo: Japanese Red Cross

• E ncourage reasonable working conditions through policies and strategies.

“A simple way of ‘seeing’ Photo: Danish Red Cross

and began organizing appreciation ceremonies 1.3 B

Warning signs of burnout

Before the emergency response, the

In addition, it may take some time for

“In the field, sometimes disagreement among

discussing. It usually worked.”

“It’s always very tiring, that stuff, because you’ve got

In prolonged crises or massive events, the per-

Photo: Olivier Matthys/IFRC

“When I volunteered in the PS programme, I was still a medical student.

Managers and volunteer resilience

• Ensure reasonable working hours and conditions for volunteers

• Prepare job descriptions or make clear what is expected

• Prepare and train volunteers for their task in the field

• Encourage volunteer work to be carried out in pairs

• Set up peer support or buddy systems

• Offer information about stress and its impacts

• Encourage good coping strategies

• Support volunteers who have experienced especially difficult events

New Zealand. Photo: David Wethey

Caring for Volunteers · Communicating the Message

Stress management chosocial support strategies are implemented.

1. Resilience, Risk and Responsibility . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9

1.1. Understanding resilience . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10 5

1.2. Risks to volunteer wellbeing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11

1.3. Being responsible for volunteer wellbeing . . . . . . . . . . . . 14

2. Communicating the Message . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21

2.1. Understanding psychosocial support . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22 5

2.2. ‘Walk the talk’ – developing support strategies . . . . . . . . . 24

2.3. Informing volunteers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29

3. Response Cycle and Volunteer Psychosocial Support:

4. Psychological First Aid for Volunteers . . . . . . . . . . . . .49

5. Monitoring and Evaluation of Volunteer Support . . . . . .59

• E ncourage reasonable working conditions through policies and strategies.

• Ensure reasonable working hours and conditions for volunteers

• Prepare job descriptions or make clear what is expected

• Prepare and train volunteers for their task in the field

• Encourage volunteer work to be carried out in pairs

• Set up peer support or buddy systems

• Offer information about stress and its impacts

• Encourage good coping strategies

• Support volunteers who have experienced especially difficult events

Federation Guideline or policy

• The importance of volunteer psychological wellbeing to your National Society

• During the recruitment process

2.3 Informing volunteers to raise awareness of psychosocial support for

referred to more long term treatment. 3.3 Basic and additional

• Take care of your own body and mind.

• Get enough rest and sleep.

• Limit your intake of alcohol and tobacco.

• Exercise to relieve tension.

• Eat healthy foods and keep regular meal times.

• Keep in touch with loved ones.

• Play and take time for fun.

• Consciously try to relax by doing things you enjoy, meditation or yoga.

• Provide regular supervision for peer supporters with a (semi-) professional.

6. Maintain confiden- Confidentiality is a cornerstone of all peer support. It is es-

• Witnessing death, serious injury or destruction In this section we will cover:

Remember that volunteers who work in a pro- 4.1 What is PFA?

What to say and do What not to say and do

tay calm, even if the volunteer you are help-

e prepared that volunteers may express

isten attentively and carefully so you fully

cknowledge their grief, tears, sense of loss

e comfortable with silence. Be willing to sit

sk questions as necessary to clarify the

ake eye contact, as appropriate, and keep

ccept the volunteer’s feelings and their in-