Emergency Communications Toolkit

This toolkit, designed for Save the Children staff, provides guidance on how to communicate emergency response. It has been developed by members of the All Members Cooperating in Emergencies (ACE) Communications Working Group as a resource for media and communications staff in country programmes whose job it is to communicate Save the Children's emergency response and for media managers or information and communications officers who may be deployed to cover an emergency response.

The document is designed to support staff members in delivering high-quality communications outputs that engage supporters and donors and advocate for positive change for children affected by emergencies and those at risk. From Section 1, the basic principles are:

1.  Do no harm;
2. Focus on children and their long-term needs - "...[C]ommunications should: focus on children’s needs; give children a voice before, during and after the crisis; and address the barriers children face in achieving normalcy in their lives;"
3. Speak with one voice - "When members of Save the Children can find common ground on issues of interest to the media, we become a much stronger voice for children;" and
4. Support child protection and children's rights.

The document outlines preparedness, such as: Is there an emergency preparedness plan? What equipment is needed - for example: "Keep the things you are likely to need on hand, including photography equipment (stills and video), chargers and spare batteries, memory cards, Broadband Global Area Networks (BGANs), cell phones, branded clothing, and consent forms (for case studies and photographs). Develop a list of key contacts”. Roles and responsibilities are outlined for, for example, leaders, media managers, information and communications officers, and country directors. A timeline and communication outputs and processes are delineated in a chart beginning on page 12, including such outputs as briefings, teleconferences, video diaries, case studies, photos, blogs, press conferences, etc. Elements of key messages are outlined to cover the scale of the emergency, how it affects children, the Save the Children response, advocacy "asks", and funding appeal specifics. Channels of communication are listed including organisations like the United Nations (UN), civil society, military, opposition parties, governments, affected individuals, etc. Instructions on carrying out a communications risk assessment are listed beginning on page 17 and include ideas on risk mitigation, including not using photos of staff on the ground and drawing on the participation of local advocacy advisers.

Section 2 describes working with the media, including instruction on:

1. “Protocols for media work in emergencies
2. Sign-off procedure
3. Collecting information about the situation
4. Writing a press release
5. Relating to the media
6. Staff and the media
7. Handling sensitive and negative stories
8. Dealing with journalists in the field
9. Working with local media
10. When the story blows over...”

Section 3 covers photography, film, case studies, and multimedia and includes ethical guidance on use of images: "[A]lways bear in mind that children’s protection and wellbeing take priority over our communications agenda." These chapters include discussions of working with local interpreters and hiring photographers and filmmakers, as well as instructions about how to take photos and get informed consent from subjects. The multimedia section describes the possibilities of the online environment, including audio recording, blogging, tweeting, and attracting users of social networking and broadcasting technology sites to visit the Save the Children website, join the "cause" or group set up specifically for the emergency at hand, and multiply the visibility of the work, the needs, and the advocacy efforts. There is a separate section of good practices on keeping children safe when using imagery and interviews.

Section 4 is on information management, including getting right information, managing resulting outputs, ensuring reliability and timeliness, and communicating with affected communities. "[W]ays you can communicate [the organisation's] response with affected communities:

• Make sure that public materials are translated into local languages.
• Develop a localised situation report, regularly updating people…
• Set up … public noticeboards in key places.
• Distribute public materials in key buildings such as the town hall.
• Keep other NGOs [non-governmental organisations] and UN contacts updated.
• Keep relevant government departments updated.
• Keep key local officials and community leaders updated.
• Use local radio, TV or newspapers to make announcements and give regular updates.
• Take out advertising space in local newspapers or magazines to say what we’re doing to help.
• Hold a public meeting so that local people can come along and hear what we’re doing and ask questions. This may not be appropriate in the early stages of a response or in every context and, ideally, national staff from the country concerned should lead the meeting.
• Support local partners to ensure that communities are getting information about the programmes and activities supported by Save the Children."