Report on resolution 5:
– Date: 29.11.2019
– Country: Australia
– Type of entity: National Society
– What measures did your National Society take to strengthen the safety and security of your volunteers? Please check what applies below:
– training on Fundamental principles of the Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement
– What measures did your National Society take to identify and or review potential threats to the volunteers? Please check what applies:
– ensuring that their plans and programmes include measures to reduce and mitigate these risks
– using for example Safer Access Framework and Stay Safe as tools to guide decision making process
– Other: Australian Red Cross has an ethical framework and associated policies. These include work, health safety and organisational risk mitigation policies, processes tools and resources in place for domestic volunteers. This includes but is not limited to:
WHS policy and process with a dedicated IT system to record, report and track incident and injury management;
Organisational risk register, risk assessment template and risk matrix for each program and service that volunteers deliver;
Key policies to ensure volunteer physical, emotional and mental wellbeing is paramount including:
• Aggression prevention and management policy,
• Grievance policy and procedure,
• Inclusion and Diversity Policy,
• Child Protection Code of Conduct,
• Whistle-blower policy.
– What activities has your National Society undertaken to ensure safety and security of volunteers, in cooperation with:
– Public authorities,
– Other partners and stakeholders of influence
Australian Red Cross continuously reviews potential threats to volunteers through established risk assessment processes, and retain record of risk mitigation activities in the organisation risk register.
Australian Red Cross has an established audit and risk committee as part of its governance structure to assess, review, monitor and address identified risks to volunteers.
Australian Red Cross ensures that all volunteers have adequate insurance.
Australian Red Cross shares best practice and challenges with other components of the Movement, and strengthens partnerships with other stakeholders in promoting the safety and security of volunteers.
– Does your National Society ensure that volunteers have adequate insurance or equivalent “safety net” assistance with regard to death, injury, sickness or trauma they may endure while carrying out their duties? In case of absence of insurance or equivalent “safety net”, is your National Society aware of the functioning of the French Fund Maurice de Madre (FFMM) or others? Please check the appropriate box:
Yes
Australian Red Cross volunteers have the following insurance coverage:
• Personal Accident policy covers certain expenses resulting from injury or accident (not illness);
• Public Liability covers for damages people are liable to pay arising out of injury to others, or damage to others’ property, as a result of an incident connected with their voluntary duties;
• General Travel Insurance covers members who are travelling on official Red Cross business and are more than 50km from their usual place of residence. This policy provides a lump sum payment in the event of certain injuries and reimburses the member for non-Medicare medical expenses and loss of baggage.
– How can the RCRC Movement better support you to enhance the safety and security of your volunteers?
Australian Red Cross is keen to see a continuation and strengthening of the joined up approach between the IFRC Secretariat in Geneva and National Societies, including transparent information sharing and open communication to ensure that efforts to enhance the safety and security of volunteers is coordinated.
– What support did you provide to other National Societies for increasing safety and security of volunteers? Please check appropriate box:
– Training,
– Develop standards and guidance on the topic,
– Provision of protective equipment
– What activities have you undertaken to facilitate partnerships towards strengthening the safety and security of volunteers?
Australian Red Cross’ security, health and human resources teams work closely with Geneva and National Societies in the region to ensure that information is shared and coordinated across and within the groups.
– What measures did you take to ensure that volunteers have adequate insurance or equivalent “safety net” assistance with regard to death, injury, sickness or trauma they may endure while carrying out their duties?
Please see answer to question 4, above, on details of Australian Red Cross insurance policy for volunteers. The cover also specifically includes illness or disease that is a direct result of injury sustained during volunteering (or travelling to/from volunteering duties). It is our vision to be harm free. In 2019, as a member of the Volunteer Alliance (a network representing over 80 National Societies), we have been involved in shaping and testing a provisional set of standards for the safety and wellbeing of volunteers. Australian Red Cross is committed to providing and maintaining a safe and healthy environment for any volunteer who may be involved in our work. To achieve our vision of being harm free for every volunteer we:
• Comply with Red Cross work health and safety processes and instructions;
• Continuously make our work environments safer by identifying hazards, assessing them, taking action to eliminate or reduce them, and checking that our actions are effective;
• Think before acting, where necessary modifying our approach or asking for advice or assistance, to eliminate or minimise the associated risks;
• Report incidents, near misses and hazards, as responding to these is vital to improving safety and health at individual, team, state/territory and organisation-wide levels.
– Country: Australia
– Type of entity: National Society
– What measures did your National Society take to strengthen the safety and security of your volunteers? Please check what applies below:
– training on Fundamental principles of the Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement
– What measures did your National Society take to identify and or review potential threats to the volunteers? Please check what applies:
– ensuring that their plans and programmes include measures to reduce and mitigate these risks
– using for example Safer Access Framework and Stay Safe as tools to guide decision making process
– Other: Australian Red Cross has an ethical framework and associated policies. These include work, health safety and organisational risk mitigation policies, processes tools and resources in place for domestic volunteers. This includes but is not limited to:
WHS policy and process with a dedicated IT system to record, report and track incident and injury management;
Organisational risk register, risk assessment template and risk matrix for each program and service that volunteers deliver;
Key policies to ensure volunteer physical, emotional and mental wellbeing is paramount including:
• Aggression prevention and management policy,
• Grievance policy and procedure,
• Inclusion and Diversity Policy,
• Child Protection Code of Conduct,
• Whistle-blower policy.
– What activities has your National Society undertaken to ensure safety and security of volunteers, in cooperation with:
– Public authorities,
– Other partners and stakeholders of influence
Australian Red Cross continuously reviews potential threats to volunteers through established risk assessment processes, and retain record of risk mitigation activities in the organisation risk register.
Australian Red Cross has an established audit and risk committee as part of its governance structure to assess, review, monitor and address identified risks to volunteers.
Australian Red Cross ensures that all volunteers have adequate insurance.
Australian Red Cross shares best practice and challenges with other components of the Movement, and strengthens partnerships with other stakeholders in promoting the safety and security of volunteers.
– Does your National Society ensure that volunteers have adequate insurance or equivalent “safety net” assistance with regard to death, injury, sickness or trauma they may endure while carrying out their duties? In case of absence of insurance or equivalent “safety net”, is your National Society aware of the functioning of the French Fund Maurice de Madre (FFMM) or others? Please check the appropriate box:
Yes
Australian Red Cross volunteers have the following insurance coverage:
• Personal Accident policy covers certain expenses resulting from injury or accident (not illness);
• Public Liability covers for damages people are liable to pay arising out of injury to others, or damage to others’ property, as a result of an incident connected with their voluntary duties;
• General Travel Insurance covers members who are travelling on official Red Cross business and are more than 50km from their usual place of residence. This policy provides a lump sum payment in the event of certain injuries and reimburses the member for non-Medicare medical expenses and loss of baggage.
– How can the RCRC Movement better support you to enhance the safety and security of your volunteers?
Australian Red Cross is keen to see a continuation and strengthening of the joined up approach between the IFRC Secretariat in Geneva and National Societies, including transparent information sharing and open communication to ensure that efforts to enhance the safety and security of volunteers is coordinated.
– What support did you provide to other National Societies for increasing safety and security of volunteers? Please check appropriate box:
– Training,
– Develop standards and guidance on the topic,
– Provision of protective equipment
– What activities have you undertaken to facilitate partnerships towards strengthening the safety and security of volunteers?
Australian Red Cross’ security, health and human resources teams work closely with Geneva and National Societies in the region to ensure that information is shared and coordinated across and within the groups.
– What measures did you take to ensure that volunteers have adequate insurance or equivalent “safety net” assistance with regard to death, injury, sickness or trauma they may endure while carrying out their duties?
Please see answer to question 4, above, on details of Australian Red Cross insurance policy for volunteers. The cover also specifically includes illness or disease that is a direct result of injury sustained during volunteering (or travelling to/from volunteering duties). It is our vision to be harm free. In 2019, as a member of the Volunteer Alliance (a network representing over 80 National Societies), we have been involved in shaping and testing a provisional set of standards for the safety and wellbeing of volunteers. Australian Red Cross is committed to providing and maintaining a safe and healthy environment for any volunteer who may be involved in our work. To achieve our vision of being harm free for every volunteer we:
• Comply with Red Cross work health and safety processes and instructions;
• Continuously make our work environments safer by identifying hazards, assessing them, taking action to eliminate or reduce them, and checking that our actions are effective;
• Think before acting, where necessary modifying our approach or asking for advice or assistance, to eliminate or minimise the associated risks;
• Report incidents, near misses and hazards, as responding to these is vital to improving safety and health at individual, team, state/territory and organisation-wide levels.
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