| :: Home :: Plans :: Friends and relatives centre |  |
 |
 |
 |
 |
Friends and Relatives Centre
The purpose of a Friends & Relatives Centre is to collect and communicate general information to people enquiring about their friends and relatives who may be involved in an emergency. This will be done sensitively and with reassurance, administrative and emotional support.
Friends & Relatives Centre Plan
The Friends & Relatives Centre Plan is available to view as a pdf document.
(Please note that all plans published on this website are subject to certain conditions, one of which is that they will be reviewed at intervals and, if necessary rewritten in part or in whole. We will not necessarily indicate when a plan is under review, or is being rewritten. The published plan will be updated without notice when these procedures are complete.)
Who opens the Centre?
The opening, operation and closing of a Friends & Relatives Centre during an emergency is the responsibility of the Suffolk County Council Social Care Services.
When will the Centre be opened?
The request for a Friends & Relatives Centre to be opened will come from Gold Command who will be responsible for identifying the need. They will inform the Duty Director who will arrange for the plan to be activated.
Where are the Centres?
They will be established at a location where friends and relatives arriving at or near the scene can receive assistance in locating people. Although this will be governed by the scale or extent of the emergency, consideration will be given to suitable access routes and the proximity of other Centres such as Rest Centres and Survivor Evacuation Centres.
Who staffs the Centres?
The Psychosocial Support Team will provide staffing.
This consists of:
- The initial Response Team: providing administrative, managerial and emotional support for the first 72 hours;
- The Post Disaster Response Team: providing administrative, managerial and emotional support for a longer period through the use of the major voluntary organisations in Suffolk, as required; and
- The Social Care Communications Officer: liaising with the media.
Support will come from:
- The Police Casualty Bureau;
- The Police Family Liaison Officer; and
- Members of Suffolk’s Voluntary Organisations, such as the British Red Cross and St. John Ambulance, Samaritans, Victim Support, WRVS, Suffolk Churches Together.