Organisational ResilienceKate Solomon and Paul Lawrence

6 June 2019

Key Considerations:

We have a clear commitment and duty to support our communities both during incidents and in their aftermath

We have undertaken a major review and refresh of how we will do that

We understand that we can do this better with the assistance and direction of those communities we are trying to support

Aim:

To give you an understanding of the Council’s emergency response arrangements

Emergency Response Nomenclature

GOLD

ThinkStrategic level consideration providing direction to senior managers within the organisation• Defines the strategy and strategic aim• Approves the ‘tactical plan’• Deals with outward-facing challenges (media, stakeholders,

partners)

Policy

SILVER

DirectTaking direction as to relevant policy and creating plans to put this into operation• Implements the strategy via a ‘tactical plan’• Co-ordinates various departments’ inputs• Directs Bronze to achieve the ‘tactical plan’

Coordination

BRONZE

DoUndertaking on the ground actions and activity to ensure plans from tactical are put in action.• Carries out tasks• Manages the scene

Action

LBB Emergency Planning staffing (as at 10 May 2019)

Role Resource

Council Gold 9

Council Silver 13

Loggist 9

LALO 9

Senior Humanitarian Officer 6

Emergency Centre Manager 6

Emergency Centre Volunteer 46

BECC Manager 7

BECC Officers 16

Total 118

Image source: LLA CONOPS

Training and Exercising:

Very important element of maintaining the arrangements

Numerous in-house training events

Safer City 2019

Involvement of our communities in these events in future

Safer City 2020

Any questions?

Contact Details:

Paul LawrenceHead of Insurance020 8359 7197paul.lawrence@barnet.gov.uk

Kate SolomonEmergency Planning Manager 020 8359 2118kate.solomon@barnet.gov.uk

Working with the Voluntary Community

and Faith sector (VCSF)

in an emergency

Strategy and Communications

“The voluntary sector has an important role to play in supporting the statutory

services in the planning, response and recovery phases of most

emergencies…”

“Category 1 responders who include the voluntary sector in their local planning

arrangements will make the overall response more accessible and effective

throughout the community.”

Civil Contingencies Act (revised) 2011

Background

• If an emergency takes place in the borough, our VCSF is well-placed to assist

• VCFS organisations are on the ground and embedded in our communities. They

often have strong links to residents and can command their trust

• The VCFS provides a network through which the Council can communicate

messages to residents

• VCFS groups can assist with coordinating a physical volunteer response on the

ground

• They can also provide useful intelligence from communities to the Council

• Inclusion Barnet are our commissioned VCFS partner organisation with

responsibility for sector support and coordination

Communities Together Network

• 700+ individuals from different VCSF organisations across the borough.

• The CTN database allows groups to be filtered by community group / faith

group / geography

• Some CTN members have volunteered their mobile numbers as emergency

contacts

What other roles could CTN partners offer?

Other key networks and their functions

Barnet Multi Faith Forum

• The BMFF is the council’s strategic partner for faith organisations within Barnet.

• It works together to promote understanding between religious groups within Barnet and to

challenge discrimination concerning age, disability, race, religion and sexual orientation

Town Teams

• Town Teams are independent groups of local residents, business people and community

representatives who come together to make their area a better place to live and work

• While not formally incorporated groups, the makeup of Town Teams makes them potentially

valuable partners for locality based emergency response

• Coordinated by staff in Business, Employment and Skills

Example comms structure

LBB Gold/Silver

Borough Resilience

Forum

Communications

Strategy

Media

LBB External

VCFS

Group VCFS

Group

Residents

Volunteers

Donors

VCFS

Group VCFS

Group

How can VCSF help?

Communications

• Sharing information updates

• Relaying information from the community to EP staff

• Busting myths and challenging hostility

• Disseminating donation advice

Mobilising a response

• Supporting a community response on the ground

Engaging residents face to face

• Managing donations – material and monetary

What else?

Community CohesionProgramme

Objectives

12 month campaign launched 3 June

• Work with our partners to promote community cohesion and celebrate diversity as a

positive social force that makes Barnet a better place to live

• Counter negative narratives by

• holding up a mirror to residents to show how people from all walks of life peacefully live

alongside each other, mix and cohere

• exemplifying this through community groups that share a common interest / purpose

• Deliver a small number of projects that celebrate and highlight community cohesion

Case studies

Five case studies photographed and interviewed for launch comms

Middlesex Association for the Blind Burnt Oak Women’s Group Grahame Park Independent Living Group

Wheelio cycling group Rising Stars children’s sports club

Campaign creative

• Each poster features a case study community group

• Displayed at external sites across the borough

• ‘Campaign in a box’ enables partners to create their own artwork

and social media content and brand their own events

Online hub

• Online campaign hub on engage-barnet website

• Videos and written case studies bring to life the groups and

individuals featured in the poster artwork

• Call to action to all residents: upload a photo and short message

about your experience of life in the borough

• The photos will create an online gallery of

Barnet faces and some will be used in a

physical artwork

• Forthcoming community events are listed,

and residents can submit details of their

own events and activities

Case study video

Together we are Barnet artwork

• A large composite montage made up of photos

submitted to the website

• Creates a gallery of the many people that make

up Barnet

• Finished artwork to be displayed in Colindale

offices, to signify bringing the people of Barnet

into our new headquarters

• The artwork could also be displayed in other

partner buildings

Public event

• Stand at Brent Cross Shopping Centre. 9am-6pm, 4 July

• Council staff will promoting the campaign in person to

residents

• Distributing flyers and badges

• Photo booth will enable residents to record photos for the

Together artwork, or record a video vox pop

Projects

Through My Eyes - young people's photo competition

• Young people invited to submit a photograph that represents their

experience of the positive diversity and cohesion in the Borough

• A funding bid will be submitted to Building a Stronger Britain Together

(Home Office) to deliver this project

• Countering negative narratives about division and youth crime

• Photos will be judged and prizes awarded to the

winners

• An exhibition of the best images will be displayed

in the new UNITAS Youth Zone, then toured

around the borough

Projects

WinterFaiths festival

• On 18 December 2018 the council resolved a motion to instruct Community Leadership and

Libraries Committee to consider ways of bringing residents together during the winter festive

season. In recognition that many faiths celebrate a festival at this time of year

• This will be a cultural programme highlighting the various religious festivals that are celebrated in

Barnet

• Faith groups will be encouraged to open their doors to invite people into their celebrations, and to

stage special events for the festival. Example events include:

• Menorah lightings

• Carol services

• Community meals

• An externally funded Christmas Market has

been proposed and could be branded as

part of the WinterFaiths festival

Projects

One Voice Community Choir

• Run by the Barnet Education Arts trust (BEAT) the Once Voice choirs are made up

of primary and secondary school children from schools across the borough

• The choir’s diverse makeup perfectly embodies the message of the campaign

• A song written by the choir emphasises the theme of togetherness

• We intend to use the sights and sounds of One Voice in the campaign through

video and live performance

World Market

• Proposal to use the new public space in Colindale for a market

• In talks with Estates and Re to encourage procurement of local traders that reflect

the communities in the borough and their food cultures

“If we sing, sing out loud

Tell the world ‘yes, we are proud!’

One by one we’ll pull together

And together we’ll be strong”

If We Sing – One Voice choir

Projects

More to come!

• Strategy team will be working with VCFS groups throughout the year to identify projects and

events that can be highlighted and supported by inclusion in the campaign

• These can also be added as case studies on the website

• Get in touch with suggestions and proposals:

strategy@barnet.gov.uk

Employer Supported Volunteering

ESV - Relaunched for 2019

• All LBB staff are entitled to up to two days paid leave for

volunteering

• Potentially huge in-kind resource for the VCFS

• To boost take-up we have relaunched the scheme in May 2019,

referencing the Together we are Barnet campaign

• Staff can volunteer as individuals or as part of a team

• Teams or individuals can offer professional skills to VCFS in

pro-bono support or advice

• Administered by Volunteering Barnet

• More opportunities needed – how would partners make use of

the offer?