General News
6 June, 2024
Emergency volunteer support to be increased
Spontaneous volunteers who turn up to help in times of crisis will be better trained, equipped, and coordinated through a new $5 million grants program.
Spontaneous volunteers who turn up to help in times of crisis will be better trained, equipped, and coordinated through a new $5 million grants program funding councils, non-government organizations, and community groups to prepare for future natural disasters. NSW communities have a long history of stepping up in times of crisis, from Resilient Lismore supporting the local community in the 2022 Northern Rivers floods to the countless volunteers assisting in the black summer bushfires. The Spontaneous Volunteer Support (SVS) Program is designed to ensure that in situations where people decide to spontaneously or informally help during emergencies, organizations are better placed to coordinate this support to complement trained volunteers and emergency service efforts.
“Volunteering enriches the lives of people, strengthening local communities across NSW to be resilient and inclusive,” said the minister with responsibility for volunteering Jodie Harrison. “Communities across NSW have shown throughout many natural disasters that they have a breadth of abilities and compassion in their approach to disaster response and recovery. This program will go a long way to supporting that important engagement and coordination by volunteers.”
The SVS program is one of the outcomes of a state government review to help develop a longer-term vision for emergency volunteering in NSW to ensure its continued sustainability into the future. Recent prolonged and catastrophic disasters, and subsequent inquiries into preparation, response, and recovery efforts, have highlighted the importance of volunteers to the state’s emergency management capability. A review coordinated by the premier’s department on behalf of the State Emergency Management Committee (SEMC) found that while emergency volunteers and the organizations that support them provide a strong foundation for the state’s future emergency capability, an enhanced approach to planning for the future of volunteering is required.
The review involved consultation with more than 4000 emergency volunteers and collaboration with SEMC member agencies, ensuring a comprehensive approach to addressing the challenges and opportunities in emergency volunteering. Emergency volunteering in NSW has strong foundations, with many highly committed individuals and volunteer organizations. “Whether on the frontline or behind the scenes, our emergency service volunteers’ unwavering commitment in the face of unprecedented challenges has been demonstrated time and time again,” minister for emergency services, Jihad Dib said. “This important review underscores our commitment to support and strengthen the emergency volunteering sector and provides a roadmap for the future for our volunteers and the communities they serve.”
Formal volunteering in association with emergency services organizations is at the core of NSW’s emergency management framework. While the number of formal volunteers has remained relatively stable in recent years, some communities—particularly in remote and rural areas—are experiencing challenges in relation to recruitment and retention. In the face of increasing demands as a result of population growth and the escalating impacts of disaster events, NSW emergency volunteers have continued to play an important role in keeping communities safe, helping them to recover, and working to build community resilience.
The review underscores the need for a coordinated whole-of-sector approach to planning for the future of volunteering. Five key recommendations were drawn from the review. These include developing a dedicated action plan, integrating informal volunteers as a part of NSW’s emergency management arrangements, and improving engagement with volunteers. Furthermore, improving the recognition of emergency volunteers and building community capability.
In alignment with these goals, actions will be taken to strengthen the service volunteer workforce such as improving recruitment. The NSW State Emergency Management Plan will be updated to recognize informal volunteers as part of the emergency management framework. A new online volunteering hub will be delivered to promote volunteering opportunities. These outcomes have been developed in alignment with the findings and recommendations of the 2022 flood inquiries, with their implementation to be overseen by the SEMC.
“I encourage people who care about their community and want to make a contribution, no matter how big or small, to visit our new emergency volunteering hub and have a look at some of the exciting and meaningful opportunities that are available,” said minister Dib. “As we face increasing frequency and severity of disasters, it has never been more important for us to support volunteers in their work and make it easier for the next generation to take up the mantle.”
“We know that people who want to volunteer can sometimes find it difficult to commit time consistently, by supporting informal volunteering we are providing another way to help ensure more volunteers are ready when the call comes.” The competitive SVS grant program opens this month.
