# Presentation: 870681

## Family Involvement in Disaster Planning, Response, and Recovery 

- The Florida Experience
- Conni Wells, Florida Institute for Family Involvement
- Karen Wiggins, FL EMSC

- “I hear many voices speaking about family involvement.  I seldom hear how it looks like.  In my role at the state agency level, I believe that  families and other primary caregivers must be fully involved in planning and service delivery for their children, and it is the responsibility of the system (my and any other agency, program, community supports, etc.)  to assure them the opportunity to be included.”
- Robert, professional

## Family Involvement

- Family definition...
- Playing
- Eating together as a family
- Going to school and church
-  Calling the child’s teacher
- Reading to the child
- Tucking the child in at night
- Asking the doctor questions.
- Requesting help.
- Telling others about the family

## Professionals said...

- 6.  No mechanism for reimbursement
- 5.  Can't find appropriate potential families
- 4.  Lack of child care
- 3.  Families not interested
- 2.  Current job responsibilities of parent
***1.***  *Travel and transportation*

**What keeps families from becoming involved?**

## Families said...

- 6.  Don't have a ride
- 5.  Need to be paid for involvement
- 4.  Don't have anyone to watch child
- 3.**  **Can't get time off work
- 2.  Not sure how to get involved or what to do
***1.  No one has ever asked ***

**What keeps families from becoming involved?**

## Building Partnerships

- Beyond words
- Beyond the surface
- Setting aside personal differences
- Building on commonalities
- Disasters are the common linkage...

## Identifying Partners

- EMSC
- Homeland Security
- Emergency Management
- Fire & Rescue

## Making Connections

- Letter
- Call
- Meeting
- Developing an offer of partnership

## Maintaining Connections

- Focused effort
- Ongoing
- Reality check points
- Marketing of partnership (incentives)

## Disaster Planning

- Family to Family
- Help identify what families do and do not know about disasters
- Educate families
- Educate professionals

## Disaster Response

- Family notification
- Community lead persons
- Advise professionals on family needs
- Assist in evacuations
- Work in shelters and centers
- Resource and back up
- Liaison between families and professionals

## Disaster Recovery

- Community lead persons
- Advise professionals on family needs
- Liaison between families and response teams
- Community based “reality check”

## What CAN Families Do?

- Develop resource materials
- Make calls
- Advocate for programs
- Review policies
- Participate as para-response team members
- Check the reality
- Evaluate and offer feedback

## Slide 14

## FL Experience: Disaster Program

- FIFI Emergency plan
- FIFI state level preparation and response
- FHP community partners
- Disaster follow up and recovery

## FL Experience: Emergency Plan

- State and community plan
- Security
- Ongoing support for families
- Clarity on closure
- Notification of funders

## Florida Institute for Family Involvement Disaster & Emergency Policy 

- FIFI has developed the following policy to guide the office, staff and contractors on Operational Procedures during periods of emergency and disasters.

## FL Experience: Preparation & Response

- Participation in state level EOC calls
- Participation in CMS calls
- Coordination and linkages from state to community family leaders

## Slide 19

## Slide 20

## Slide 21

## FL Experience: Family Health Partners

- FIFI program of family involvement for DOH
- 12-15 families of children in CMS
- Hired
- Supervised
- Paid
- Trained
- evaluated
- Strategically located throughout the state

## Slide 23

## Slide 24

## FL Experience: FHP Community Partners

- Training and resource development
- Predicable and regular calls
- Check in
- Community linkages
- Shelter work
- Recovery follow up

## Slide 26

## Slide 27

## FL Experience: Recovery

- Supplies and resources into communities
- Homeless follow up
- Recovery projects
- Debriefing with state and community partners

## Slide 29

## Slide 30

## Slide 31