Planning a care space
Care spaces not only keep people safer at events and venues, but they can help create communities where care and peer support are prioritised.
In a world where many choices around alcohol, drugs and sex are stigmatised or legally punished, these peer support communities uphold trust, communication and autonomy. Care spaces are an important part of harm reduction.
Trust is an important foundation for creating peer support communities. Care spaces should aim to avoid stigmatising behaviours, such as disapproval, punishment and prejudice. Welcome people with an open mind and avoid blaming people for mishaps.
While going above and beyond for people is inherent to compassionate care, having clearly defined policies and procedures to abide by is crucial to help keep all parties safe. Just as the people using the service are affected by the environment around them, so too are the staff of the care space. Limiting impulsive behaviour and having clear structures leads to clear accountability. Patrons who enter the space in a heightened state of distress or inebriation deserve clear and concise care practices, so factor these into your planning.
There are many elements to consider when planning a care space, from kaupapa, to infrastructure, to staffing and more. It’s not an easy process, but when it is done with careful thought and consideration the results can have long lasting, positive impacts on both the event and the wider community.
“Mutual trust empowers individuals to collectively address disruptive behaviour, considering severity and context thereby fostering opportunities for reconciliation and growth.
We aim to avoid stigmatising behaviours such as disapproval, punishment and prejudice. We want to apply our knowledge and our duty of care in a way that expresses itself without resorting to blaming and shaming for mishaps or incidents.
It’s critical to assess our biases and lead from an intersectional lens. Understanding unconscious bias means making sure we are not enacting forms of surveillance for the wrong reasons, because when we open up channels of care and protection we can also inadvertently enact over-vigilance.
Intersectionality identifies multiple factors of advantage and disadvantage. This concept considers the ways in which systems of inequality - such as race, ethnicity, sexual orientation, gender identity, disability and class - intersect, and how we hold ourselves accountable for addressing these disparities. Public spaces are shared environments, and to be intersectional is to understand how multiple identities merge to shape unique experiences and social dynamics.”
— Caitlin, Independent Harm Reductionist
Kaupapa
Defining the kaupapa and ethos of your care space is an excellent place to start the journey. This will help you navigate questions that arise as you plan your space and can guide how you interact with events, venues, staff and guests.
Below are some questions you can ask to help with this process;
Who is the space intended for? Consider what types of harm you want to be able to address in the space.
What purpose do you actually wish the care space to fulfill? Consider how you want the space to be defined, the boundaries or limitations of the service and how to act when those boundaries are met. What goals do you ultimately want the space to achieve?
How will you make the space welcoming to people from all backgrounds and identities? Consider how you want to promote diversity and inclusion for your audience.
How will you make the space accessible? Consider elements such as physical disabilities, sensory needs, and visual, auditory, or cognitive impairments.
What are your guidelines for a code of conduct? Consider what behavioural expectations you want to set for both visitors and staff, so that the space promotes care and respect. How you will manage harassment and reporting inappropriate behaviour?
How can you foster a culture of mutual respect and active listening? Consider strategies which can encourage respect and empathy amongst people in the space.
How does the event you are working within understand patron welfare and the role of the care space? Suggest a review of any existing risk assessments with the event organisers to ensure that there is sufficient investment in mitigation strategies and a realistic understanding of what the care space is able to offer.
Planning timeline
Planning and running a care space takes a lot of work, and a lot of care! You’ll need to be in touch with the event organiser or venue manager and other key people in the days and weeks leading up to the event, as well as during and after.
Here’s a timeline to help you along the way:
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Confirm care space attendance at event. It’s a good idea to have a minimum notice period that event organisers or venue managers need to give, in order to book the care space. You’ll need that time to work through your planning and staffing.
After discussing the care space needs with the event organiser and reaching a consensus on what each party will provide, send the event organisers an agreement to be signed by both parties. This agreement needs to: detail the care space requirements, such as access to power and toilets, meal tickets, staffing requirements, required ticket numbers, on-site medic and security teams, overall fee, etc.
Figure out your staffing, including putting the call out to existing staff as well as advertising for and interviewing new staff or volunteers.
Plan how you’ll set up the space. Take stock of existing gear and resources and add, replace or upgrade anything you need.
Check in with the other event teams, including medics and security. Let them know the care space will be on site and what its purpose will be.
For events with an alcohol license, communicate with the alcohol license holder, determine where their ‘place of safety’ will be located and how the care space will interact with the ‘place of safety’.
Work out how you’ll communicate with event staff, alcohol licensees, medics, security, building management etc. during the event. Aim to have an informal meeting onsite with the other safety teams just before the event starts to talk about your roles.
Contact local mental health services in the area and let them know the purpose of the care space. Building relationships with these services can help if you need to provide handover for someone requiring extra support during or after the event.
Contact survivor agencies, medical facilities and local police to see what they can offer in the event of drink spiking or sexual assault. Contact Safe to Talk for info about medical and sexual violence support available in the area.
Send information and training resources to care space staff and volunteers. Double check and reconfirm their availability closer to the start of the event.
Get basic details from care space staff and volunteers, such as emergency contacts, transport options, physical and mental health requirements, etc.
Plan how you will transport equipment to and from the site and who will set up and pack down the space.
Plan how you’ll train volunteers: on-site or off-site? How far in advance of the event?
Begin writing rosters and planning shift hours and staffing requirements. See the Staffing page for more info.
Revisit your service agreement with event organisers or venue managers, to ensure that they will be able to uphold their obligations, and to get an update on ticket numbers.
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Check-in with volunteers. Whakawhanaungatanga (building relationships) will make for a more cohesive and trusting team.
Record volunteer camping locations so you can find them if need be.
Have introductions and daily meetings with other key stakeholders/care team leaders.
Have opportunities for volunteers to check-in with leaders regarding their wellbeing.
Mid-event check of supplies (e.g. food, fuel, first aid, etc).
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Pack down and cleanup of care space.
Take inventory of gear that needs repairing or replacing (it’s helpful to do this throughout the event as well).
Debrief with event organisers and other care teams.
Debrief with volunteers a couple of days after the end of the event.
Send an invoice to the event organisers.
Download a printable checklist for planning before, during and after here.
Next →
Working with event organisers and others
Next, head to the ‘Working together’ page for guidelines on working with event organisers, venue managers and staff, alcohol license holders, medics, security and more.