Projects

In addition to the basic activities Impact also carries out projects financed by third parties:

  • Project Arranging Commemoration ceremonies

Commemoration of a disaster is a valuable component of processes of grief. Ritual, community, places and monuments are important aspects of commemoration ceremonies, which have to be realized as a combined action of the proper authorities and the persons concerned. Listening to victims, surviving relatives and policy makers, and studying relevant literature and commemoration ceremonies that already took place, Impact formulates advices and background information for governments to organize ceremonies that meet a range of perspectives, desires and expectations. The project is financed by the Ministry of Security and Justice and will be finished December 2011.

  • Facilitating psychosocial support for uniformed service members

In 2010 Impact published the Dutch multidisciplinary guidelines for psychosocial support for uniformed service members. Following up on these guidelines, Impact is now undertaking a project to describe the provision of psychosocial support for uniformed service members. Up to which point are employers responsible for psychosocial care and who takes over this responsibility after this point? And how do these responsibilities relate to those of employees? These questions will be addressed in this project. The project is financially supported by the ministry of Safety and Justice.

  • Needs based analysis of psychosocial care for postactive service members

Impact is starting a needs based analysis to inventorize the size and psychosocial care needs of the group postactive uniformed service members with trauma related problems from the fire brigade, ambulance, police and defense. Also, the extent to which needs are met, will be part of the analysis. The project is funded by de Basis.

  • Guidelines psychosocial support for uniformed service workers

First published in December 2010, these guidelines were developed in cooperation with the uniformed services of the ambulance, fire brigade, army, police and sea rescue institutions. It provides tools for the uniformed rescue worker, collegues and organisations to come to optimal psychosocial support after shocking events. A second edition was published in January 2012.

An English version of these guidelines will soon be available on this website.
The guidelines were presented at ECOTS 2011 in Vienna. For the presentations click here and here. For more information, please contact Hans te Brake.

  • Sterke Schouders (Broad Shoulders)

In relation to the guideline development for uniformed service workers, 'Broad Shoulders' unveals the stories of twelve uniformed service members and shows how they cope with some potentially traumatising on-the-job experiences. The book also gives an insight into perceptions of help-seeking behaviour by uniformed service workers within organisations, and the effects of public opinion.

  • Update Rampenspirit (Update Disaster Spirit)

Already in 2005, Impact developed a booklet to assist religious care takers after disasters. As the name says, Update Disaster Spirit now updates this booklet to incorporate the (network) role of religious care takers in the acute and after phase of disasters. Recent literature as well as regular meetings with key informants in the Netherlands have been used to keep a strong link with what is currently happening in this field and to provide recommendations on important issues. Attention is predominantly focussed on interactions of religious care takers, municipalities and other stakeholders, and issues surrounding the visibility of religion and spirituality during commemorations.

Update Disaster Spirit was presented at ECOTS 2011 in Vienna.

  • Resilience Monitor

In 2009, Impact started the project Resilience Monitor. Aim is to develop an instrument to be able to measure psychosocial resilience in individuals after disasters. Based on a literature review, interviews with key informants and an advisory board, six factors were included in the questionnaire: Psychological Resilience, Social Cohesion, Social Economic Position, Impact and Behaviour (in disaster scenarios) and Factual Knowlegde of disasters. The questionnaire made use of validated instruments for the specific factors, where possible. In june 2010, 1361 Dutch respondents participated in online research with the questionnaire. Based on explorative and SEM-analyses a model for psychosocial resilience is presented.

Download the English version of Resilience Monitor report. 

Results of the Resilience Monitor were presented at ECOTS 2011 in Vienna. Click here for the poster presentation and here for the oral presentation. 

Impact also participates in a number of European projects.