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Preparing for Crisis Management

Field Leaders:  Are All field leaders at Reliant are responsible to prepare official team-wide, location-specific crisis management (contingency) plans for and ensure that team members are informed of how to engage with use those plans. Reliant will provide Field Leaders responsible to prepare a risk assessment tool, and it will be the responsibility of the Field Leader to fill that out and provide Reliant with risk assessment plans. Reliant will work with field leadership to finalize contingency plans. Those the team's greatest risks and the contingency plans in the event of each of those risks occurring. These plans will be reviewed and updated on an annual basis (or more often if that serves the local ministry).

• These The risk assessment will outline three to five threats the Reliant staff may face the 3-5 greatest risks to the team and plans for response. They will include information about communication, potential trigger points, responsibilities, and preparedness required of team members (including finance, documents, and other items to have ready).  
• Crisis Management plans will be submitted to Reliant for review and kept on file by Reliant’s international team.
• General team-wide crisis management plans should include things like in-country rallying points, shelter in place locations, out of country rallying points, evacuation plans by air, land, sea, etc. Reliant will provide the Field Leader with tools and templates to complete this. 

Reliant: It will be the responsibility of Reliant to provide the necessary tools and templates for the team to use in order to create crisis management and contingency plans. Reliant will also be responsible to review/approve these Reliant: Review contingency plans and have them accessible for affected parties. 

Reliant Team Member:

• Will be present for annual review of these plans and 
• Ensure that they understand and can respond to the contingency plans. 
• Maintain preparedness levels as outlined in the contingency plans. 

 Each Reliant Team Member will be responsible to have personal/family plans in the event of a crisis. The Reliant Team Member must know and understand the team's contingency plans in various scenarios and how he/she will specifically respond in each event. 

Supervising Field Network: If a supervising field network is present and has approved decision making authority in the event of a crisis, it will be the responsibility of the network to review (and possibly approve) contingency plans. The supervising field network will provide Reliant a clear point person with the authority to make decisions and provide guidance in the event of a crisis. It will also be important for them to communicate with Reliant and the Field Leader Sending Church: As applicable, the sending church will communicate to the Local leadership the resources they hope to provide in case the event of a crisis.  The

Sending Church: If a sending church has pre-approved third party decision making authority as detailed in a signed MOU, it will be the responsibility of the network to review (and possibly approve) contingency plans. The sending church will provide Reliant a clear point -person who will receive communication. The church will appropriately entrust local leadership, the supervising church network, and Reliant with the management of crisis responsibilities and make it easy for each party to fulfill their roles. 

Additional Considerations

• Any team serving in locations where US State Dept security is level 2 or higher may be required by Reliant to secure consultants for risk management and expected to bare the cost of these services. 
• Individuals on teams should realize that team contingency plans may not fully address personal contingency planning which may be needed for individuals or family units. Individuals need to have robust lines of communication and cooperation if there are personal issues that might require their departure from the field.

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person with the authority to make decisions and provide guidance in the event of a crisis. It will also be important for them to communicate with Reliant and the Field Leader the resources they hope to provide in the event of a crisis. 

Decision-Making Authority in the Event of a Crisis

Refer to ......Have basic definitions below. For further info on crisis response refer to..... policies. . ---Sarah Swann will need to add this sentence.

Field Leader: The Field Leader Local Leader: is the primary party responsible to respond to manage risks crises as they develop. The local leader Field Leader may delegate management to another responsible party, as outlined in the contingency plan.   Risk management should follow the principles outlined in contingency plans. The local leader The Field Leader is responsible to balance the local priorities of the ministry with kingdom values and stewardship of personnel. That person The Field Leader should ensure the safety of the team according to contingency plan principles while informing Reliant and other church network supervisors as it is safe and possible to do so. (Is informing Reliant enough? Probably yes in a low-risk setting, probably not so much in a high-risk situation.) and is responsible to implement/follow team contingency plans when necessary. Decisions on team security levels and trigger points will be made by the Field Leader. When real-time immediate decisions on sheltering-in-place and evacuation is necessary, the Field Leadership has the authority to make those. Whenever possible, the Field Leader will be required to involve Reliant and any approved third party decision makers in the decisions regarding crisis response.  

Reliant: As an organization, Reliant shares authority and responsibility and will empower the leadership of a church/ministry partner to make decisions. However, as the employer, Reliant has Reliant: wishes to entrust leadership to the lowest level possible. It retains the right to require its personnel to exit a situation at a safe juncture if it chooses to do so.  

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Reliant

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Reliant Team Member: is Team Member: All Reliant team members are expected to follow any instructions provided by local leadership or Reliant during a time of crisis, making it as easy as possible for leaders to lead effectively.  Workers are also expected to understand ministry principles and values, providing information that is helpful to their ministry’s shared values, and seeking ways to be supportive to the work and their teammates. 

Other Managing Parties: If the Local leader wishes to engage the help of other managing parties, like Concillium, their Supervising Church Network, or Reliant, that should be clarified in the Contingency planning phase. If delegation happens as an incident unfolds, that change needs to be communicated to and approved Reliant, per principles in partnering agreements.  (I took out the supervising field network from this statement.) 

Reliant expects that other parties who are not expressly delegated with crisis management responsibilities will look to Reliant first for information and needs so that those locally managing a situation are free to focus on their first responsibilities related to the crisis and their teams. 

Additional Considerations: 

• If risk dynamics in a ministry location change or heighten, any party (Local leader, worker, Reliant, or Supervising Church Network) may seek removal of Reliant parties from a location. In other words, an individual or family may depart a heightened risk situation in their ministry location if they deem that the risk is greater than they wish to bare and if it is reasonably safe to depart. 
• Reliant expects that no party will be compelled to take on a risk greater than they believe is best.  Thus, if ministry choices lead to greater risk to Reliant Workers, they shall be provided the opportunity to choose not to take that risk. 

Supervising Field Network: If a supervising field network is present and has approved decision making authority in the event of a crisis, it will be the responsibility of the network to provide Reliant a clear point person with the authority to make decisions and provide guidance in the event of a crisis. It will also be important for them to communicate with Reliant and the Field Leader the resources they hope to provide in the event of a crisis. 

Sending Church: In general, sending churches will not have decision making authority in the event of a crisis, especially if an approved supervising field network is present. However, if a sending church is present and has pre-approved decision making authority as detailed in the MOU, it will be the responsibility of the network to provide Reliant a clear point person with the authority to make decisions and provide guidance in the event of a crisis. It will also be important for them to communicate with Reliant and the Field Leader the resources they hope to provide in the event of a crisis.

Third-Party Security Consultants: If the Field leader wishes to engage the help of a third-party security constant (like Concillium), it should be clarified in the contingency planning phase. If delegation to a consultant is expected to happen as an incident unfolds, that change needs to be communicated to and approved by Reliant.