Debriefing and review

Debriefing and identification of lessons or action points can be an important part of the recovery process. It is also important to ensure that a continuous evaluation of the recovery phase takes place and that any issues identified are captured and acted upon. A formal debriefing process will identify issues from all partners involved in the recovery process. Consideration should also be given to obtaining views from those affected and their communities (residents and businesses).

After an emergency, responders should follow the National Debriefing and Lessons Identified Protocol to capture any issues identified, recommendations to be implemented and planning assumptions to be reviewed and to amend their arrangements accordingly. It would be helpful for the reports to be passed to the Civil Contingencies Development team (CCD), which has a role in debriefing Scottish Government and sharing any lessons identified to build resilience in Scotland.

Debriefing may be carried out at different stages in the recovery, when certain ‘recovery milestones’ are achieved or a certain period of time has elapsed. There should be a continual process for debriefing throughout the recovery phase.