The department's emergency management policies aim to build resilience and minimise the impact of emergencies on Victorians, especially people most at risk.
On this page
Emergency management policy
More information
Emergency Preparedness resources
Vulnerable people in emergencies policy
Family violence framework for emergency management
Emergency management policy
The Social services sector emergency management policy (Word) protects Victorians’ health, safety, and wellbeing by outlining how social and community services plan and prepare for emergencies.
The policy applies to services funded, delivered or regulated by the department, including:
- community services that are delivered directly by the department
- agencies delivering services that are funded by the department, as outlined in service agreements, funding plans and other relevant performance agreement documentation
- Specialist Disability Accommodation (SDA) and short-term accommodation and assistance owned by the department
- agencies providing Supported Independent Living (SIL) and short-term accommodation and assistance services with which the department has a funding relationship
- any other agency or service provider, as stated in contractual agreements or regulatory/registration requirements.
Funded agencies providing services in scope for this policy will need to complete the online Emergency Preparedness Attestation form by 30 November.
Agencies not required to implement this policy are also encouraged to use it, and the accompanying resources, to guide their emergency management planning.
Key changes
The policy
The policy has been updated for 2024 to:
- provide updated advice regarding requirements for identifying and assessing risk
- introduce a new subsection on the Australian Fire Danger Rating System to clarify the difference between the Extreme fire danger rating and the Victorian Fire Risk Register - Bushfire (VFRR-B) Extreme bushfire risk
- incorporate flood-specific considerations
- capture cross-border relocation considerations
- update the exemption process from Catastrophic fire danger day relocation.
Attestation
From 1 October 2024, funded and regulated services in scope for this policy are required to attest their emergency preparedness annually prior to the high-risk emergency fire season (by 30 November each year). This is done by completing the online Emergency Preparedness Attestation form in the Service Agreement Module (SAM). SAM can be accessed via the My Agency area of the Funded Agency Channel (FAC).
For further information on how to complete your attestation please refer to the ‘How to complete your attestation instructions’ section and process document.
How to complete your attestation instructions
Funded and regulated services are required to attest their emergency preparedness annually prior to the high-risk emergency fire season (30 November). This is done by completing the online Emergency Preparedness Attestation form in the Service Agreement Module (SAM). SAM can be accessed via the My Agency area of the Funded Agency Channel (FAC).
Please refer to the Completing the Emergency Preparedness Attestation in the Service Agreement Module within the Funded Agency Channel guide for instructions on how to complete your agency’s attestation, including information on how to add or update your agency’s emergency management contact.
The information collected through this process is used to provide the department with an overview of the sector’s emergency preparedness and contributes to the department’s twice yearly attestation reporting process to the Emergency Management Commissioner. It will also inform further development of the emergency management policy, resources and support.
Please note:
- Agencies providing services in-scope for this policy only need to attest to their emergency management preparedness once. They are not required to attest for each individual service they deliver.
- The Emergency Preparedness Attestation form will only be visible and accessible to agencies in scope for the policy.
Policy Resources
Resources available to assist service providers plan and prepare for emergencies include:
- Emergency preparedness forums
- Preparing for emergencies: a reference guide for the social services sector (Word)
- Emergency management plan template (Word)
- Home-based care emergency management factsheet (Word)
- Emergency relocation – bushfire leave early plan (Word)
More information
Contact the Emergency Management Policy and Programs team: EMPolicy@dffh.vic.gov.au.
For more information on social recovery and the department’s Emergency Management Psychosocial Services Panel, visit the DFFH Emergency Management webpage.
Emergency Preparedness resources
The University of Sydney's Person-Centred Emergency Preparedness (P-CEP) toolkit is a valuable and practical resource for service providers to use to actively engage people with disability in making an emergency plan tailored to their support needs and risk situation. The P-CEP capability framework and process tool was co-produced with people with disability, support services, government, and emergency personnel. The P-CEP been demonstrated to increase emergency preparedness for everyone.
All information about P-CEP and the toolkit is available on the Collaborating for Inclusion website.
Australian Red Cross' RediPlan is another useful resource that has been practically designed to help residents develop an all-hazards household emergency plan for all the family by following easy to use instructions. The RediPlan is available on the Australian Red Cross website or via the Get Prepared app, which is a digital version of the RediPlan developed in partnership with NRMA Insurance. The app helps people create a portable emergency plan to take care of themselves, their loved ones, and what's important to them.
The Rediplan and additional emergency preparedness resources are available on the Red Cross website.
Vulnerable people in emergencies policy
The Vulnerable people in emergencies policy, published by the Department of Health and Human Services in 2018, integrates emergency preparedness planning with the delivery of funded services.
The policy applies to organisations funded by the department to provide personal care, support and/or case management services to clients living in the community within the 64 municipal council areas wholly or partly covered by the Country Fire Authority districts.
The policy also outlines funded services and municipal councils’ roles in screening and maintaining information on a vulnerable persons register. The register is specifically for people who require support from authorities to evacuate in the event of an emergency.
For practical guidance to support managing vulnerable persons registers and ‘at-risk’ local facility lists, see the Guidance to Support Managing Vulnerable Persons Registers and ‘At-Risk’ Local Facility Lists (Word).
An evaluation of the Vulnerable Persons Registers, a key component of the vulnerable people in emergencies policy, was undertaken by the department in 2019. A summary of the findings is available in the Vulnerable Persons Registers evaluation - Summary of key findings and next steps.
For tailored information, including how to use the register, see the Vulnerable Persons Register.
Family violence framework for emergency management
The Family violence framework for emergency management supports planning and response to family violence during and after emergencies.
For more information about the framework, see: