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A Systems Approach to Emergency Risk Communication

(ERC)

Module C1

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Learning objectives

By the end of this session, you will be able to:

● Describe why it is important to have a systematic approach to Emergency Risk Communication (ERC) capacity

● List the critical considerations for developing a systematic approach to ERC capacity building at the national and local levels

● Describe building blocks required for developing ERC capacity

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Why is a systematic approach important to building ERC capacity?

● Effective communication is critical but often complex in health emergencies. Capacities to deal with communication need to be systematically built in advance of crises.

● A systematic approach would enable sustained resources (human, financial and others) and a contingency to manage communication during crises.

● The focus should be on national and local systems building, aimed to enhance countries' ability to scale up and make sustainable the ERC capacities, with tools and skills to improve structures, procedures, processes and resources.

● For sustainability, ERC capacities should be built within the health systems framework.

● National planners are already familiar with health systems building blocks. This model is adapted from WHO's approach to health systems.

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Building national and local systems for ERC capacity

Government stewardship of

capacity building

process

Compilation, analysis,

dissemination

Mobilize

and align

Training

and deployment

Set norms and standards

and

quality control

Platforms

for situational assessment

and

monitoring and evaluation

Leadership

and

governance

Information

systems Financing Human

resources

Service

delivery Technology

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1. Leadership and governance

This area focuses on the government stewardship of the capacity building process and includes the ability to:

● Establish and approve high level policy goals including integration of ERC capacity building into health systems strengthening

● Creates national risk communication strategy and plan with sub-national plans as appropriate to translate policy goals into actions

● Set expectations for accountability: integrated accountability mechanism, measure and policy for streamlining reporting

Image: http://www.gainesvillechamber.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/08/leadership-for-website-1024x449.jpg

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…Leadership and governance

● Set regulations and guidelines, including national and local standard operation procedures (SOPs)

● Create a policy dialogue, engage relevant sectors, stakeholders, existing and potential international partners, civil society and funding partners

● Establish funding mechanisms and align existing and new funding

● Create SOPs for operations, scale-up and scale-down as needed

● Create a policy framework and SOPs for international cooperation and for integrating international response into national response efforts

Image: https://www.businessbanter.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/12/parenting-leadership-content.jpg

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2. Information systems

This area includes the ability to:

● Collect and analyse risk communication needs and trends:

● perceptions, trusted sources, traditions and belief, communications channels, ERC influenced by other information (e.g. political, economic, health systems)

● Quickly and efficiently disseminate knowledge to populations, partners and stakeholders through their preferred channel of communication and information; and provide access to information exchange and to conduct conversations needed by communities to help people take protective action during emergencies

● Gather, analyse and apply information on financing and other resources

● existing resources; ways of accessing them; potential funding mechanisms

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3. Financing

This area includes the ability to:

● Establish mechanisms for pooling of health systems and emergency preparedness funds for building ERC capacity

● Align resources for ERC response including for surge capacity at national and local levels

● Commit to national investments to institutional capacity, including physical infrastructure to house personnel; logistics for response; systems and arrangements for translation of products

● Create pre-agreements for integrating ERC in funding proposals and mechanisms, including for international preparedness, response and recovery funds

●

Image:

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4. Human resources

This area includes the ability to:

● Create mechanisms and arrangements for identifying, training (initial and refresher) for dedicated and potentially supportive personnel

● Also offer to other personnel who need or can support risk communication work such as epidemiologists, facility-based and community-based health care workers and auxiliary staff, logisticians, first responders, local NGOs, volunteers, opinion leaders, other sectors such as international staff

● Scale up trainings

● run training of trainers

● develop strategies to include ERC in cascade training

● integrate ERC in health workforce training and development

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… Human resources (HR)

● Establish payment and incentive systems to operationalize and sustain the capacity for staff and volunteers

● Establish regulatory systems (e.g., for deployment according to needs, for quality control and certification and acknowledgement of human resources)

● Establish norms and support

● for work roles

● deployment of support system

● to establish an enabling environment to communicate, cooperate and coordinate effectively with each other for developing HR

Image:

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5. Service delivery

This area includes the ability to:

● Set norms and standards for “service delivery” of risk communication

● people-centered and culturally appropriate services

● access at national and local levels

● Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) and coordination between levels

● Create links to quality control for ERC and to overall emergency response, establish and apply mechanisms or quality control, feedback and reporting

Image:

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6. Technology

This area includes the ability to:

● Establish integrated systems for gauging public/community risk perceptions, beliefs and traditional practices including systems for listening, message dissemination, dialogue, etc. and technology mix for specific contexts.

● Create platforms and mechanisms for the use of new media/social media in line with technological penetration; make pre-arrangements with mobile telephone companies and providers for use of text messaging.

● Create platforms for coordination, quality control, monitoring and evaluation (outputs and outcomes)

Image: http://www.bia-sjsu.org/wp-

content/uploads/2015/04/Camera-

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Inspection-App.png

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Building blocks for ERC capacity

1. Analysis

2. Strategic

communication

3. Translational communication

4. Trust building strategies and

activities

5. Simulation Exercises and after-action

reviews

6. Coordination

skills and capacity

7. Rapid

assessment of stakeholder and

audience

8. Message

development, testing and

revision

9. Community engagement

10. Media

communication

11. Mass media communication

12. Stakeholder

and partner communication

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1. Analysis of ERC

This area includes the ability to conduct socio-economic-political-cultural analysis, national and audience profiles to be carried out in the preparedness phase and be continuously updated during repose and recovery phases for

● the entire population from a broad perspective

● priority groups

● high-risk groups

Photo: http://www.unicef.org/cbsc/images/UNI102880-620x350.jpg

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2. Strategic communication

This area includes the ability to develop or update the national risk communications strategy using a multi-hazard approach focusing on most likely and highest impact hazards foreseen for the country or its sub-levels, as well high-impact international emergencies such as an influenza pandemic to

● Develop ERC strategy and plans

● Revise ERC strategy and plans

● Develop associated SOPs

Image: http://www.saarc-sadkn.org/images/pandemic.jpg

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3. Translational communication

This area includes the ability to build and sustain skills to transform scientific information into contextualized, culturally acceptable and understandable communication and products requiring

● Knowledge and skills for translating scientific knowledge and jargon into language understandable, acceptable to and compelling for key stakeholders

● Mechanisms and skills for translating feedback on fears and perceptions of key audience into evolving and contextualized strategies, actions and messages

● Capacity to use SOPs, templates and tools for this purpose

Photo: WHO/A.Bhatiasevi

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4. Trust building strategies and activities

This area includes building skills to establish and sustain trust-building strategies, tactics and activities that are essential to effective ERC, including but not limited to:

● Listening to and acknowledging audience and stakeholder beliefs, concerns, perceptions, wants and needs

● Use of listening to adapt strategy, plans and actions for ERC

● Early announcement – skills, procedures and political space

● Consistency of message - ability to coordinate messages across actors, including for changing and evolving messages as needed; and on a range of platforms and locations

● Skills and procedures for community and stakeholder engagement and participation

● Making public results of evaluations and reviews

● Admitting mistakes and unknowns

● Developing and using skilled and credible spokespersons

●

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5. Simulation exercises and after action reviews

This area includes the ability to use simulation exercises (SIMEX), in the absence of a real emergency, to test and strengthen, ERC systems and skills. Conduct analysis of SIMEXes and incorporate findings into revisions of national and local ERC strategies, plans and SOPs

● ERC-specific SIMEXes

● Multi-sectorial emergency response SIMEXes in which ERC is a component

● Skill drills for key personnel

● Table top exercises to test SOPs and coordination

Photo: WHO/Yu Zhao

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6. Coordination skills and capacity

This area includes the ability to establish and use coordination mechanisms and protocols between national, local and international partners

● Develop workforce leadership skills to align actions of various levels and partners to meet common goals

● Build coordination platforms, tools and other structures and skills to use them

Photo:WHO/D.Licona

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7. Rapid assessment of stakeholder and audience

This area includes the ability to conduct, analyze and apply rapid assessments of stakeholder group preferences, beliefs, practices and traditions, including use of assessment strategies, platforms and tools such as:

● Knowledge, Attitude and Practice (KAP) studies

● Facilitated and after-action reviews

● Published studies

● Country profiles

● Sociological and anthropological research

● Media and social media monitoring

● Key informant interviews

● Stakeholder consultations

Photo credit:

http://www.standard.co.uk/incoming/article8620966.ece/alternates/w620/SyriaRef

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… Rapid assessment of stakeholder and audience

● Feedback from “first responders”

● Focus group discussions (community leaders and representatives, local personnel, volunteers)

● Ability to continuously review and revise strategy, plans and products based on assessment results

● Integration of community involvement strategies in developing communications actions

● Skills to coordinate evolving tactics and messages across agencies, actors and institutions to ensure coherence and consistency

Photo: WHO

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8. Message development, testing and revision

This area includes the ability to test, contextualize and adapt pre-prepared messages and other core communication materials to meet stakeholder needs, and to address perception, fears and beliefs of different groups. These require expertise, speed and flexibility to

● Develop messages

● Interpret listening tools, including KAP surveys, focus group discussions, facilitated discussions and look-backs, key informant interviews, media monitoring, etc.

● Use relevant message development and revision tools, strategies and logistics for testing and revision of messages and materials

Photo: WHO/A.Bhatiasevi

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9. Community engagement

This area requires that personnel be able to engage with communities according to the most local context possible, including the ability to use

● Relevant approaches, strategies and tactics for community engagement, social mobilization, interpersonal communications, engaging with leaders and representatives, listening skills and tactics, trust building skills and tactics

● Ability to adapt and revise communications Image: http://www.ucd.ie/research/images/2013/detail/781x518-

MALAWI.jpg

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10. Media communications

This area includes the ability to meet the demands of the 24/7 news cycles, to address public and political concern. Strong skills and capacity are required including development of media policies, strategies, SOPs and skills for the most relevant mix of the following:

● Spokespersons

● Media communications (including community, regional, and national and international outlets as relevant)

● Social media communications

● Crisis communications

Image: https://mgmtblog.files.wordpress.com/2014/01/new-media2.jpg?w=672andh=372andcrop=1

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11. Mass media communication

This area includes:

● Social mobilization

● Mass production and use and dissemination of Information, Education and Communication (IEC) products

● Locally relevant strategies: town criers, road shows, street drama, community radio.

● Use of text messaging other technology-enabled tools

Photo:Sankoumba Doukoure

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12. Stakeholder and partner communication

This area includes skills, platforms and strategy for engaging and satisfying information and access needs of stakeholders including:

● Decision makers – briefing Ministers and spokespersons; cabinet briefs, etc.

● Other government counterparts

● National and local authorities, responders

● NGOs, civil society

● Professional associations (i.e., medical associations, travel associations, etc.)

● Private sector counterparts

● UN and international agencies and responders

PhotoL WHO/L. Toure

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Reminder

Key considerations for building national and local ERC capacities includes:

Government stewardship of

capacity building process

Compilation, analysis,

dissemination

Mobilize

and align

Training

and deployment

Set norms and standards

and

quality control

Platforms

for situational assessment

and

monitoring and evaluation

Leadership

and

governance

Information

systems Financing Human

resources

Service

delivery Technology