WA Financial Counselling: Disaster Preparedness, Response and Recovery Framework
Shaping how to support communities when disaster strikes
With ongoing changes to its weather and climate, Australia is experiencing more heat extremes, increased droughts, longer fire seasons, and more intense cyclones that severely affect communities across the country.
The Financial Counsellors Association of Western Australia (FCAWA) has engaged the Centre for Social Impact at The University of Western Australia (CSI UWA) to develop and evaluated a disaster preparedness, response and recovery frameworks for financial counsellors in Western Australia.
Financial counselling is a free, confidential and independent service provided by qualified professionals, that assists individuals and small businesses in financial difficulty for as long as needed.
“Reducing disaster risk is critical to supporting communities and economies to be resilient when a shock occurs,” said Dr Mariana Atkins, Researcher at the Centre for Social Impact at The University of Western Australia.
"Financial counselling is an identified key component of support needed to reduce risks and improve the resilience of communities experiencing natural hazards. However, when disasters strike there is often a lack of clear and coordinated response to support communities in their financial recovery journey. We are delighted to have undertaken this important work for FCAWA to help make WA communities more disaster resilient."
The Natural Disaster Financial Recovery Support Project
The Financial Counsellors’ Association WA (FCAWA) has been awarded a grant to deliver the Natural Disaster Financial Recovery Support Project over a two-year period until February 2025. The aims of the project are to:
- Deliver a comprehensive Financial Counselling Natural Disaster Response (FCNDR) Framework, including clear processes and referral pathways, outlining how the financial counselling sector will respond locally, and as a sector, in a coordinated way to natural disasters in WA;
- Provide financial counsellors with best practice training ensuring they are prepared to assist clients who experience an extreme natural event;
- Develop a community education package for financial counsellors and financial capability workers to deliver within their communities;
- Provide resources on current financial support services for financial counsellors and the general public, hosted online on a resource hub;
- Determine the impact of the project on various stakeholders through an evaluation.
CSI UWA has used a Developmental Evaluation approach to the design of the FCNDR Framework. Developmental Evaluation provides support for the design of programs (such as the development of the FCNDR Framework) by providing timely feedback that can be used to adapt and improve the program.
“A key component of this project was identifying training and resources needs to support financial counsellors to best assist communities affected by disasters,” said Dr Atkins.
CSI UWA has conducted an outcomes evaluation which provides information about the observed changes, or ‘impacts’ produced by the project. For example, the outcomes evaluation determines the impact of the training and educational components on the knowledge, skills and confidence of the financial counsellors in assisting vulnerable people to prepare for, manage and recover from disasters.
WA Financial Counselling: Disaster Preparedness, Response and Recovery Framework
The purpose of this Framework is to enhance community resilience to disasters. It informs the WA financial counselling sector, and the broader community, on the role that financial counselling plays in disaster preparedness, response and recovery.
The Framework provides general guidance for agency managers offering financial counselling services, and for financial counsellors and capability workers. It is also intended to be shared with different organisations so that they can better understand the support that the financial counselling sector can provide in disaster management.
In the context of disasters, the services provided by financial counsellors are essential, especially for the most vulnerable. Apart from offering practical guidance and assistance on financial matters, financial counsellors provide emotional support in times of stress, and connect clients with essential services and community organisations, thereby allowing clients to focus their efforts on personal and financial recovery.
Figure 1 presents the ways financial counsellors can work across the various phases of disaster management: preparedness, response, recovery and learning. Clients and the community lie at the centre of the support and disasters are depicted between the preparedness and response phases.
Figure 1: WA Financial Counselling in Disaster Preparedness, Response, Learning and Recovery infographic
Figure 2 outlines the main activities guiding financial counselling support across the various phases of Preparedness, Response, Learning and Recovery grouped into two categories: within their organisation and with community.
Figure 2: WA Financial Counselling and Disasters Framework summary of activities