Erasmus K153 Project Looking for Partners!: Caring for the Carers: A Multidimensional Support Project for Disaster Workers

Caring for the Carers is a capacity-building and international cooperation project designed to strengthen the psychological resilience, self-care skills, and professional preparedness of psychosocial support staff working in disaster and emergency contexts. The project is grounded in the recognition that professionals who provide psychosocial support to disaster-affected populations are themselves exposed to high levels of stress, secondary traumatic stress, burnout, and compassion fatigue.

Coordinated by the Ankara Provincial Directorate of the Ministry of Family and Social Services in Türkiye, and implemented in close cooperation with the Ankara Provincial Directorate of Disaster and Emergency Management (AFAD), the project adopts a multidimensional approach to supporting disaster workers. It combines evidence-based training, applied disaster simulations, peer support mechanisms, and institutional capacity development.

The project focuses on enhancing individual resilience through structured training modules on trauma awareness, stress management, self-care, and peer support, while simultaneously strengthening professional competencies through scenario-based disaster simulations conducted in AFAD facilities. These simulations aim to improve psychosocial intervention skills, crisis communication, and decision-making under pressure in realistic disaster settings.

An essential component of the project is international cooperation and mutual learning. Through collaboration with European partner organisations experienced in disaster response and staff support, the project facilitates the exchange of good practices, joint online seminars, and study visits. This reciprocal knowledge-sharing process allows partners to learn from both European approaches and Türkiye’s extensive experience in large-scale disaster psychosocial support.

In addition to individual capacity-building, the project seeks to contribute to institutional sustainability by developing structured staff support mechanisms, supervision practices, and practical guidance materials that can be integrated into existing disaster response systems. By promoting a “supporting the supporters” approach, Caring for the Carers aims to improve the well-being of disaster workers, enhance the quality of psychosocial services, and contribute to more resilient and prepared disaster response systems at both national and European levels.