Preparedness for Effective Response (PER) is our cyclical approach designed to help us analyze capacities, strengths and weaknesses within a National Society’s response system. It is based on decades of collective experience in preparedness and disaster response across our global network.

Our vision is that all National Societies continually improve their ability to respond to disasters in a way that is timely, appropriate, well-coordinated, relevant and effective.

The PER approach is made up of five phases:

1. Orientation: We explain the approach to a National Society and discuss which internal and external risks and hazards they want to prioritize.
2. Assessment: We assess a National Society’s current response system to identify areas for improvement. This can be done through self-assessment, disaster simulations or reviews during or following an operation.
3. Prioritization and analysis: The National Society then narrows down which areas of its work it wants to focus on and conducts in-depth analysis to identify the barriers they need to overcome.
4. Workplan: Based on this analysis, we help the National Society develop a road-map to increase its response capacity. This includes outcomes, outputs, activities, timelines, targets and a clear accountability framework.
5. Action and accountability: The National Society puts their workplan into action, continually monitoring and reporting on their progress in the long-term.