Providers of social services in the Czech Republic should be prepared for a large-scale and prolonged power outage. The Association of Providers of Social Services of the Czech Republic (APSS ČR) therefore prepared a recommended procedure, outlining how staff in residential social services should act in such an emergency situation so that the impact on clients is as small as possible. The task is all the more important because it is clear that even a power outage lasting several hours will gradually begin to limit, or even completely stop, systems whose functioning we often take for granted.
Topics such as the pandemic, war, and the economic crisis show us that our current era is not as stable as we would certainly like it to be. The changes that the constantly accelerating pace of human society imposes on us place us more and more often in front of tasks that until recently were the subject of science fiction literature. Terms like overload of the energy transmission system, blackout, sudden weather changes, extreme droughts, flash floods, or the energy crisis have therefore had to be added to our everyday vocabulary. The focus and warnings about these threats in relation to the provision of social services (for example in Austria, Germany, Sweden, and other countries), as well as guidelines advising social service providers to develop internal regulations, prepare for these threats, train staff on how to act in crisis situations, and so on, led experts from APSS ČR to create, after careful analysis of foreign sources, references, and professional texts, a recommended procedure for social service providers in the Czech Republic.
"I was surprised at how many European countries already have prepared procedures on how to behave in case of widespread power outages or are preparing these procedures. Of course, no one wants this situation and the implementation of these scenarios is unlikely, but unfortunately it is possible. And even past experiences of regional power outages in Europe show us that, especially in the case of long-term care for seniors, it is necessary to be prepared for this scenario. Therefore, after a careful analysis of existing documents and in coordination, and after consultation with experts, we are issuing these procedures also for Czech social service providers," says Jiří Horecký, president of the Association of Providers of Social Services of the Czech Republic.
The recommended procedure for providers of social services for cases of widespread electricity supply failures introduces providers to the concept of blackout, its consequences, what restrictions may arise in care for clients, and what measures providers should take so that clients' rights are affected as little as possible. It also summarizes what must be done during a blackout in each organization, with regard to ensuring continued operations and functioning.
"The current instability of the world can bring about many different situations; a power outage is one of them. Learning from the previous pandemic, we are not leaving anything to chance and are taking preparation into our own hands. We created a material that will help residential social services understand the impacts," added Daniela Lusková, vice president of the Association of Providers of Social Services of the Czech Republic for the quality of social services and director of Domov U Biřičky.
The recommended procedure is freely available for download on the APSS ČR website in the section Vydáváme –> Odborná publikační činnost, at the following link: https://www.apsscr.cz/media/sluzby/vydavame/odborna-publikacni-cinnost/a5-dp-blackout-2022-final.pdf
source: www.apsscr.cz www.socialnisluzby.eu www.listysp.cz www.facebook.com/Socialnisluzby