The Department of Human Services’ Role in Emergency Recovery
Overview
Recovery means 'assisting persons and communities affected by emergencies to achieve a proper and effective level of functioning'. The Department of Human Services (DHS) is responsible for coordinating recovery operations, and planning for recovery.
This audit examined the effectiveness of DHS’s emergency recovery management, including whether:
- planning is comprehensive, current and supported by testing, evaluation and training
- recovery operations are coordinated, efficient and effective.
Recovery planning is not comprehensive or always current. DHS does not use recovery plan tests and operation evaluations adequately to inform planning. While training content and frequency are good, more senior staff need to participate. DHS needs better strategic direction to support consistent recovery capacity across the state.
Overall, DHS coordinates recovery operations well. DHS activates recovery plans quickly and can manage and deliver high volumes of recovery services. Departmental staff respond well to the needs of affected individuals and communities through timely emergency grants, housing and psychosocial services, like counselling. Overall, DHS has developed effective relationships with other recovery partners.
The Black Saturday bushfires severely tested DHS’s capacity to coordinate and deliver recovery services. Service demand, widespread trauma and devastation, and the direct impact on many departmental staff presented major challenges. While this event highlighted areas for improvement, DHS’s commitment of staff and resources and its speedy response in meeting extraordinary requirements was admirable.
DHS needs to support the good efforts of its staff in coordinating recovery by providing systems and enhancements which make their work easier. DHS recognises it can improve recovery operations through better communication and information management systems, and in the way it plans for large-scale emergencies.