How the LRF responds
Humanitarian Assistance Centre plan
The death of a relative or friend, or serious personal injury will in almost every case change lives forever. We know that the sensitivity and effectiveness of support people get in the first hours and days after such a trauma have a profound effect on how and whether they eventually come to terms with what happened. The work of Humanitarian Assistance Centres is therefore absolutely fundamental to getting this right.
A Humanitarian Assistance Centre can provide a single focal point for humanitarian assistance to survivors, family and friends and all those affected by an emergency. A Humanitarian Assistance Centre's staff can act as their advocates – providing basic information, advice and practical help as well as emotional support.
Bedfordshire and Luton Local Resilience Forum will co-ordinate practical and emotional support to those affected by any emergency, and work together to ensure it is immediately available and clearly sign-posted, whether in 'physical' or 'virtual' form.
The purpose of a Humanitarian Assistance Centre is to:
- act as a focal point for information and assistance to bereaved families and friends of those missing, injured or killed; survivors; and all those directly affected by, and involved in, the emergency, including the wider community
- enable those affected to benefit from appropriate information and assistance in a timely, co-ordinated manner
- where necessary, enable forensic samples to be gathered in a timely manner, to assist identification
- offer access to – and guidance on – a range of agencies and services, allowing people to make informed choices according to their needs
- ensure a seamless multi-agency approach to humanitarian assistance in emergencies, which should minimise duplication and avoid gaps.
Experience suggests that rest and reception areas, which should be set up immediately, can deal with the immediate needs of individuals caught up in an emergency. Within 48 hours, the needs of those affected begin to get more complex, and the more sophisticated and integrated support which a Humanitarian Assistance Centre provides may become necessary.
The purpose of any Humanitarian Assistance Centre must be to meet the specific needs of people who have been affected by any emergency. Disasters such as the Indian Ocean Tsunami in 2004 and major multi-agency exercises have shown that different emergencies will require different responses. The first consideration should be how to get the support to the people, rather than necessarily expecting people to travel to the support.
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