National Disaster Recovery Monitoring and Evaluation Database

Social Domain

View other domains on the Recovery Program Design Support page.

"The social environment consists of individuals, families and common interest groups that form whole communities"

Community Recovery Handbook, p. 79

Outcome: Community health levels are appropriate for the community profile

Activities:

Monitoring trends in substance abuse, domestic violence and suicide risk

Indicators:

Alcohol consumption (level and frequency)
Causes of death, by age range
Hazardous drinking rates
Health status of the community affected by the disaster, by age
Hospital admissions by age, sex and clinical category
How often felt depressed (in last 4 weeks)
Instances of trauma related psychosocial issues return to pre-event levels (DV, violence, substance abuse, gambling, suicide, mental health issues)
Level of problem gambling in the community
Life expectancy
Number of GP consultations in last 12 months, per person
People who have seen a GP in the last two weeks
People who have seen a medical specialist in last two weeks
Physical measures (body mass index, blood pressure, etc)
Rates of prescribing for medication for mental health conditions
Self-assessed health status
Smoking level in the population by age and sex
Vaccination levels in the community

Outcome: Community members are able to respond to their own needs and to support the other members of the community

Activities:

Community established a Fire Recovery Action Group to coordinate recovery activities
Community gatherings to hear from visiting psychologist on recovery issues for children
Community information sessions on bushfire awareness and preparedness
Community training sessions on firefighting skills for women
Community training sessions on resilience covering preparedness and responding to hazards
Community Women's Association events on using local farm products
Community workshop to provide strategic direction for the Community Recovery Fund program
Disaster relief appeal fund provided money and donations to households
Economic development agency identified skills gaps in the area and offered training for upskilling
Emergency management training for staff of local NGOs
Health department provided information on child behaviours in recovery

Indicators:

Cared for a person with either a disability, illness or old age in last 4 weeks
Community members have increased capacity and capability to deal with future events
Participation in volunteer activities (frequency, type, etc)
People who have prepared disaster response kits at home
People who knew how to protect their homes
People who say their household has all the items they need for basic emergency preparation
People who say they are more resilient after the disaster
Perceptions that making homes too resilient was too much
Person provides supriport to other relatives living outside the household
Persons needing assistance with core activities
Provided unpaid assistance to persons living outside the household in last 4 weeks
Types of support provided to other relatives living outside the household
Whether unpaid help is provided to a person with a disability

Outcome: Community members can access appropriate services to deal with health needs

Activities:

Community services hub that assists households and individuals to obtain services, advice and support (through a local hub site and/or recovery team)
Financial counselling services
Grants to community organisations - to provide support for health and wellbeing
Health services that provide continuity of healthcare as well as responding to additional health needs arising from the disaster
Mental health services, counselling and support for wellbeing
Referral networks for case management established

Indicators:

Access to a broad range of support
Awareness of psychosocial support
Consultations with dentist/dental professional in last 12 months
Hospital admissions by age, sex and clinical category
Mental health patients with improved outcomes (measured by instruments such as the Beck Depression Inventory, Kessler Psychological Distress Scale or Post-traumatic Diagnostic Scale)
Number of GP consultations in last 12 months, per person
Patient satisfaction with treatment from a trauma response program or service
Patients completing treatment from a trauma response program or service
Patients treated by a trauma response program or service
People accessing mental health services
People who reported having undergone counselling or PTSD treatment
Proportion of affected people who received mental health care
Respondents who did not have trouble accessing GP services
Satisfaction with support services provided
Waiting list time for trauma response program or service

Outcome: Community members have access to appropriate and affordable housing in a timely manner

Activities:

Community engagement to inform recovery planning (e.g. needs assessment, social impact study, recovery teams working in communities)
Council advice on process for rebuilding, insurance and design issues
Council held community information sessions on re-building
Council process for fast-tracking approvals for rebuilding
Grants to households - to assist with costs of clean-up, repair or rebuilding
Habitat for Humanity 'Brush with Kindness' program trained volunteers to help return damaged homes to a liveable condition
Short-term accommodation assistance and temporary housing provided to people whose homes were destroyed or damaged
Temporary accommodation

Indicators:

Community report that current housing situation meets their needs
Habitability of social housing units
Homelessness in the disaster-affected area
Homes that are suitable for local climate conditions (insulation, shading, etc)
House prices and rents by housing type
Household composition as measured by the ABS
Household satisfaction with new dwelling
Households in temporary accommodation
Households in temporary accommodation with rebuilding arrangements in place
Households resettled out of disaster risk zone
Households returned to their pre-disaster homes
Households who have rebuilt, purchased a new property or begun rebuilding process
Housing affordability: households spending 30% or more of pre-tax income on housing
Housing affordability: renters in the city paying more than 50% of their pre-tax income on rent
Housing affordability: renters with <$480 a week after housing costs are paid
Housing finance statistics as measured by the ABS (e.g. value of dwellings financed, construction of dwellings; purchase of established dwellings)
Housing tenure, landlord type, and demographic characteristics of households
Mix of housing stock available for rent or purchase
Neighbourhoods that have recovered at least 90% of population
Neighbourhoods where fewer than 50% of residents have returned
Number and proportion of occupied and unoccupied private dwellings
Number of affordable dwellings in the rental market
People who have moved house, and the reason for moving
Residential vacancy rates
Social housing waiting lists

Outcome: Community members have social networks to support each other

Activities:

Commemorative book on the history of the region and its community
Communication to the community about recovery activities - through events (forums, briefings, etc)
Community art project in memory of a community member who died in the fire
Community events - women's resilience days to support recovery for women affected by the fire
Community events to mark the first anniversary of the event
Community function to acknowledge all the work and support of people involved in the recovery
Community services hub that assists households and individuals to obtain services, advice and support (through a local hub site and/or recovery team)
Events to build community connection
Grants to community organisations - to support community recovery activities (e.g. community building, social networks, arts activities)
MensWatch program established to help men understand the mental health risks in recovery and to support other men
Mental health services, counselling and support for wellbeing

Indicators:

Access to online resources and social networks such as Facebook
Community networks functional and supportive
Divorce rate
Extent to which people felt a sense of community with others in the neighbourhood
Participation in sports organisations and physical activities (by activity type)
Participation in volunteer activities (frequency, type, etc)
People who feel that most people (in community) can be trusted
People who have regular contact with family or friends living outside the household
People who have someone to turn to for support outside the household
Social networks and unity within communities

Outcome: Community members have the knowledge, skills, and resources for dealing with health issues related to the disaster experience

Activities:

Community services hub that assists households and individuals to obtain services, advice and support (through a local hub site and/or recovery team)
Health education and awareness campaigns relating to disaster impacts
Mental health services, counselling and support for wellbeing

Indicators:

Actions taken for health in last 12 months
Bed nets provided to prevent insect-borne diseases
Has access to motor vehicles to drive
Level of exercise undertaken for fitness, recreation or sport in last month
People accessing mental health services
People currently covered by private health insurance
People who delayed medical consultation because could not afford it
People who delayed purchasing prescribed medication because could not afford it
Proportion of people covered by a government health concession card
Relevant website traffic e.g. asbestos safety

Outcome: Community members receive appropriate social services

Activities:

Case management service that assesses the needs of households and individuals and assists them to obtain services, advice and support
Childcare services are made available based on community need
Communication to the community about recovery activities - in writing (newsletters, fact sheets, websites, social media, etc)
Community information point that provides recovery information and advice in response to questions and needs (e.g. hotline, home visits)
Community services hub that assists households and individuals to obtain services, advice and support (through a local hub site and/or recovery team)
Donations of money or goods are collected and distributed to affected residents
Grants to community organisations - to assist with costs of recovery from the impacts of the disaster
Identification cards for people who have lost identification documents required for access to services
Local governments modify development approval and other processes to support timely recovery
Plan repair and rebuilding, and prioritise according to community needs and values

Indicators:

Children who received psychosocial support
Demand for counselling and personal support services
Difficulty accessing service providers (type of service and reason for difficulty)
Families supported by special childcare program
Households who received service referrals from the Red Cross
People receiving support through a case management program
Proportion of requests for assistance that result in services being received
Schools where psychosocial support was provided

Outcome: Community members receive continuity in the education services they need

Activities:

Grants to schools - for clean-up, repair or rebuilding
Schools provide resources and facilities for continuity of education (e.g. alternate locations, online classrooms)

Indicators:

Children attending school, by age and type of school
Children continuing education through temporary schooling arrangements
Children enrolled in preschool and other early childhood education
Children not participating in education
Children who failed a main school subject, by care type
Graduation from public schools
Participation in tertiary education, by age range and education level
Pupil-days disrupted
School closures after disaster
School participation rates, and rates of progression and retention
School results, by age
Schools operating from original location
Schools relocated
Schools reopened after rebuilding
Student engagement (age-standardized rate of exclusions, expulsions, stand-downs and suspensions in school)
Youth not in employment, education or training

Outcome: Displaced populations are reconnected with essential health and social services

Activities:

Case management service that assesses the needs of households and individuals and assists them to obtain services, advice and support
Community services hub that assists households and individuals to obtain services, advice and support (through a local hub site and/or recovery team)
Health services that provide continuity of healthcare as well as responding to additional health needs arising from the disaster
Mental health services, counselling and support for wellbeing

Indicators:

Appropriateness of health and social services provided
Children separated from their families who have been assisted by recovery program
Children separated from their families who have been reunited with relatives and known neighbours
Priority of access for disaster-affected people

Outcome: Households, families, and individuals have the information needed to make decisions

Activities:

Advice and support to households for timely and fair assessment by insurers
Advice to business on how to access available grants, advice and other resources
Advice to households on repairing and rebuilding homes
Community information point that provides recovery information and advice in response to questions and needs (e.g. hotline, home visits)
Community services hub that assists households and individuals to obtain services, advice and support (through a local hub site and/or recovery team)
Donations management system to coordinate receipt and distribution of donations (of money or goods)
Donations of money or goods are collected and distributed to affected residents
Financial counselling services
Grants to community organisations - to provide support for health and wellbeing
Grants to households - to assist with costs of clean-up, repair or rebuilding
Local governments adjust rates and other charges for affected businesses and households
Payments to households and individuals to cover the immediate costs of the impact of the disaster (accommodation, food, personal needs, etc)
Payments to households and individuals to cover the loss of income due to the disaster

Indicators:

Access to a broad range of information
Interactions on social media including online recovery resources and Facebook
Personally knows someone in an organisation to contact for information
Satisfaction with information received
Satisfaction with the range of support services
Visits to online housing damage database and map

Outcome: Leisure, sport and artistic activities are part of the fabric of the community

Activities:

Arts and culture programs and activities
Events to build community connection
Grants to community organisations - to re-establish sport and recreation facilities and services
Grants to community organisations - to support community recovery activities (e.g. community building, social networks, arts activities)
Local facilities and assets are made available and used for a range of purposes to support recovery
Repair and rebuild - community facilities (e.g. halls, sports grounds, places of worship)
Repair and rebuild - public assets (infrastructure or buildings)

Indicators:

Availability of cycling facilities (urban or recreational)
Availability of parks, playgrounds, walking tracks and other recreational facilities
Continuation of arts and culture nonprofits
Continuation of community and youth development nonprofits
Participation in arts and cultural activities (by activity type)
Participation in sports organisations and physical activities (by activity type)
Revenues to arts and culture nonprofits (annual)
Revenues to community and youth development nonprofits (annual)

Outcome: The community is not experiencing excessive stress and hardship arising from the disaster

Activities:

Bereavement community advisory group to provide advocacy and support for the bereaved
Bereavement service to coordinate support for bereaved families
Events for specific groups affected by the disaster
Grants to community organisations - to provide support for health and wellbeing
Mental health services, counselling and support for wellbeing

Indicators:

Alcohol consumption (level and frequency)
Demand for counselling and personal support services, and level of services provided
Hazardous drinking rates
How often felt depressed (in last 4 weeks)
Mental health patients with improved outcomes (measured by instruments such as the Beck Depression Inventory, Kessler Psychological Distress Scale or Post-traumatic Diagnostic Scale)
People affected by the disaster who have symptoms of post-traumatic stress reactivity
People for whom disaster-related issues are no longer having a strong negative impact
People reporting that dealing with insurance had a negative effect on their lives
People who have experienced at least one stressor in the last 12 months
People who reported having undergone counselling or PTSD treatment
People whose quality of life had changed since disaster
Percentage of the population reporting high levels of stress
Physical measures (body mass index, blood pressure, etc)
Rates of prescribing for medication for mental health conditions
Self-assessed quality of life
Severity of mental health issues (measured by instruments such as the Beck Depression Inventory, Kessler Psychological Distress Scale or Post-traumatic Diagnostic Scale)
Types of family stressors experienced in last 12 months
Types of personal stressors experienced in last 12 months
WHO-5 Wellbeing index for emotional wellbeing