Recovery: Helpful Resources

Name: Recovery: Helpful Resources
Start: 0001-01-01
End: 0001-01-01
Location: National

Discover related resources in the
Recovery Collection

Australian Disaster Recovery People Capability Framework

The Framework, developed by the Community Outcomes and Recovery Sub-committee (CORS) on behalf of the Australian New Zealand Emergency Management Committee (ANZEMC) and approved nationally in late 2024. It provides a consistent, nationally agreed approach to strengthening disaster recovery capability across Australia and New Zealand.

Co-designed through extensive consultation with jurisdictions, the Social Recovery Reference Group and the Jeder Institute, the Framework supports the mobilisation of skilled recovery personnel, establishes a baseline for recovery workforce development, and complements existing jurisdictional arrangements while allowing flexibility in implementation.

Responding to the growing frequency and complexity of disasters, it outlines seven common recovery role profiles, each describing the core skills, knowledge and attributes required for effective recovery practice.

The Framework provides governments, non-government organisations and community organisations with a practical tool for workforce planning, recruitment, professional development and interjurisdictional resource sharing, while also supporting broader national recovery initiatives and capability-building efforts already being adopted across some jurisdictions.

Download the framework here

Recovery Capitals in use

Understanding and using Recovery Capitals research | Bushfire Natural Hazards CRC

This video follows Rowena Frost, Municipal Recovery Manager for the Surf Coast Shire Council in Victoria, as she explores the research findings and recovery guide with Prof Lisa Gibbs from the University of Melbourne, learning how to use the research to improve relief and recovery with her local community.

Bushfire and Natural Hazards CRC research has released a documentary series that focuses on research related to warnings, public information campaigns and recovery. The documentary follows communications and engagement practitioners from different sectors as they meet the researchers and learn how they can apply this knowledge to their own work.

Resources

Disaster Recovery Toolkit for Local Government | Emergency Management Victoria

The Disaster Recovery Toolkit for Local Government provides a range of tools, resources and literature to help local government and communities prepare for, respond to and recover from disasters. The toolkit is the result of a collaborative project with the 10 local councils most affected by the 2009 Victorian bushfires. Read more.

National Disaster Recovery Needs Assessment Guidelines

Recovery Needs Assessments, in the context of disaster, are critical to the success of recovery programs.

Needs are individual and contextual, dependent on what was in place prior to the disaster as well as the community's priorities moving forward. A Needs Assessment identifies gaps in the resources and services available to assist disaster effected communities to recover. These gaps form the basis of recovery program design and the ongoing process of monitoring and evaluation.

The Guidelines were designed to support jurisdictions with a nationally compatible approach to undertaking disaster recovery needs assessments. Read the guidelines here.

Recovery Debrief and Toolbox | Whakatāne District Council

The Whakatāne District Recovery Debrief and Toolbox is a snapshot of activities undertaken and is designed to provide the local and wider New Zealand community with insights and “tools” that may help during future recovery efforts. Read more.

Communicating in Recovery | Red Cross

Communicating in Recovery is a best-practice guide for people or organisations managing information in a post-emergency environment. It is targeted and practical, can be applied to any type of emergency in any geographical area and can be used in large or small emergencies.

It includes information on recovery, different communication methods and audiences and also offers advice on dealing with the media and advocating for forgotten emergencies. Read more.

Cards for Calamity | Hummingly

Cards for Calamity is designed help people navigate life after disaster. Comprised of tales, tips and tricks, these 70 cards make life a little easier. In practical and profound ways, they guide people through the weeks, months and years after disaster. Read more.

National guidelines for managing donated goods (2011) | Government of South Australia

Disasters often trigger a national response and attract enormous volumes of donated goods from individuals, communities and businesses. Authorities responding to disasters must manage these donations. This sizable task can include the need to transport, store, sort and deliver donations as well as dispose of unneeded or inappropriate goods. Implementing these guidelines will enable all levels of government, the corporate and non-government sectors, communities and individuals to more effectively address the needs of disaster affected people. Read more.

Resources

Community Trauma Toolkit | Emerging Minds

Disasters and other traumatic events can impact the well being of infants and children. Children rely on adults for safety and security, they will need opportunities to express how they feel and reassurance. The Emerging Minds: National Workforce Centre for Child Mental Health’s Community Trauma Toolkit is a suite of resources to help workers, parents and carers to support children before, during and after a disaster or traumatic event.

The Toolkit is tailored to six key audiences: health and social service practitioners, general practitioners, first responders, community leaders, educators, and parents and caregivers. The resources can then be filtered by the disaster or traumatic event timelines. It contains a variety of information and tools including videos, podcasts, training workshops, infographics and downloadable factsheets. Read more.

Communities in Disaster (YouTube video) | QLD Department of Communities, Disability Services and Seniors

Trauma psychologist Dr Rob Gordon talks about the complex process of community recovery from disaster. This video explains the different stages of the social dimension, supported by animated graphics that illustrate the changing community.

Supporting the Supporters

Supporting the Supporters is a practical guide in how to support those who have a role in the long term post-disaster recovery in communities. This resources aims to cultivate a better understanding of the nature of the weight supporters carry and ensure that interactions and efforts actively lighten the load rather than inadvertently contribute to it.

Supporting the Supporters provides implementation tips and messages for the various roles from funders and recovery authorities to the supporters themselves, as well as featuring 12 key principles of support. Read more.

Recovery Wellbeing Hub | Department of Environment, Land, Water and Planning, Victoria

The Recovery Wellbeing Hub is a resource developed by the Victorian Department of Environment, Land, Water and Planning. The hub pulls together various tools with a focus on protecting the mental health and wellbeing of those involved in emergency recovery and providing the necessary support. Read more.

A perspective on the effects of stress on decision making following disaster | East Gippsland Primary Core Partnership

This model was developed by Emily White, Andrew Brown, Lee Coller and Tiana Felmingham. After the summer bushfires of 2019/20, as the Covid-19 pandemic unfolded, they observed the importance of understanding how community stress and many levels of decision-making form complex feedback loops that influence outcomes for the community. This resource helps to explain how stress, trust and decision making are influenced after major disruption, and acts as a guide for decision making during these times. Read More.

Resources

Leading in disaster recovery: a companion through the chaos | Global Disaster Preparedness Centre

A pocket book of wisdom from over 100 recovery leaders who share the messages they wish they’d had. This Companion shares hard-won wisdom and practical strategies. These are the messages others wished they’d had, and tools for putting these ideas in place because in a pressured environment with many priorities, hearing the message is often not enough. We have distilled the wisdom of more than 100 leaders in recovery who have gone before. Read more.

Lessons Learned by Community Recovery Committees of the 2009 Victorian Bushfires: Advice we offer to communities impacted by disaster | Red Cross

This report has been developed by a group of community members who have each played a role in their community’s recovery and renewal. The need for the report has been inspired by our belief that as community members we can and should share our lessons with other communities impacted by disaster. This is not a formal report prepared by government bodies or any other organisation but a report by communities, and for communities. Read more.

Resources

Impacts of Creative Recovery | Creative Recovery Network & Foundation for Rural & Regional Renewal

The Creative Recovery Network (CRN) undertook a study of five diverse arts-led projects, funded by the Foundation for Rural & Regional Renewal (FRRR), to support recovery of rural communities following different disaster events. The Impacts of Creative Recovery report confirms that arts projects have a unique ability to build long-lasting community resilience, wellbeing and local capacity for disaster preparedness, response and recovery. It also highlights that creative recovery programs have the capacity to mitigate disaster impacts, as well as the disempowerment that so often results from the stresses and strains of disasters. Read more.

Creative Responders Podcast | Creative Recovery Network

The Creative Responders podcast was created by the Creative Recovery Network. It platforms how the arts and creativity can support and strengthen communities as they prepare, respond and recover from the impact of disasters. The podcast features one-on-one conversations between Creative Recovery Network’s Scotia Monkivitch and the creative leaders, emergency management experts and community members on the frontlines supporting disaster impacted communities. Read more.

Last Updated: Oct 2026