Lead the identification and management of systemic and chronic risks
Overview
This standard is about identifying and managing long term ongoing risks that gradually weaken the economic, social, and security resilience of organisations, places and communities. Unlike sudden emergencies, these risks develop over time and are often complex, interconnected and harder to identify. They require coordinated working and cannot be addressed through traditional emergency response alone.
This standard focuses on taking early, preventative action to reduce vulnerability before risks escalate into emergencies and major incidents. It requires organisations and partners to work together to build shared understanding, plan and take joint responsibility for managing risk.
This standard is for individuals operating at a strategic level. It applies, but is not limited to, Chief Resilience Officers, Liaison Officers, Local Resilience Forum Chairs, Strategic Coordinating Groups Chairs, Chief Executives, Chief Operating Officers, Strategic Directors, Senior Resilience Practitioners and Accountable Emergency Officers.
Performance criteria
You must be able to:
1.evaluate and analyse legislation, statutory duties, codes of practice and guidance to determine organisational responsibilities, priorities and approaches
2.collaborate with partners and stakeholders to lead the management of ongoing, complex chronic risks, ensuring interoperability.
3.identify the long-term drivers of vulnerability at local, regional and national levels, ensuring organisations and partnerships remain prepared and adaptable
4.analyse how long-term risks interact with sudden events, including how chronic pressures can increase the likelihood or impact of emergencies
5.lead joined up evidence gathering with partners, academics and technical experts to strengthen risk understanding and decision-making
6.develop and implement system-wide strategies to manage chronic risks, including actions to:
- reduce risk (mitigate)
- adapt to change
- make use of opportunities (exploit)
- maintain essential functions (continue)
- stop unsustainable activities (terminate)
7.interpret cascading infrastructure and interdependency data provided by the government to assess impacts across local supply chains and services, using shared data and cross-sector understanding
8.enable vulnerability assessments recognising how risks affect people, relevant communities, and systems differently, in partnership with stakeholders
9.facilitate shared ownership of risks that do not sit with a single organisation, ensuring clear accountability across partners
10.strengthen governance and assurance arrangements to support transparent decision-making, information sharing and accountability across organisations and agencies
11.influence long-term investment decisions to address chronic risks, ensuring they are not overlooked in favour of short-term priorities
12.use data and modelling techniques to analyse cascading risks and dependencies across interconnected infrastructure and services.
13.undertake continuing professional development and share evidence based good and innovative practice in this occupational area
Knowledge and Understanding
You need to know and understand:
- legislation, policies, guidance and good practice to lead the identification and management of systemic and chronic risks
- the context and limitations of legislation, policies, guidance and good practice
- the difference between acute (sudden) risks and chronic (long-term) risks, as defined by the government, and how they interact.
- how risks develop over time, including how ongoing pressures can increase the likelihood and impact of major incidents
- the main approaches to managing systemic risk: mitigate, adapt, exploit, continue and terminate
- critical national infrastructure, critical local infrastructure, supply chains, and how different sectors depend on each other
- how to map and understand connections between risks, including how impacts can spread across systems
- how social and behavioural factors influence risk, particularly for vulnerable individuals and communities
- the principles of resilient system design, including how to build systems that can adapt and withstand disruption
- the sources of data, how to apply them, and how these factors influence place-based mitigation strategies.
- relevant national and international policies relating to long-term and systemic risks
- how to use data and predictive tools to analyse how disruptions spread across interconnected systems.
- the role of reflective practice in evaluating performance, identifying areas for improvement and professional development