EQuiP: Developing Network-Oriented Quality in Psychosocial Crisis Management for Public Administration 

Natural hazards, major emergencies, terrorist attacks, forced migration, or pandemics can all lead to crises that pose significant challenges for both government institutions and civil society. In recent years, such crises have increasingly overlapped – a phenomenon referred to as a polycrisis. Such complex situations often result in increased psychosocial strain on individuals and social groups. Addressing them demands undertaking multifaceted tasks that require coordinated collaboration between state and civil society actors. However, appropriate structures and frameworks to support effective cooperation in psychosocial crisis management beyond the acute phase — during which Psychosocial Emergency Care is provided and generally limited to the first seven days — are still lacking. 

The research project EQuiP – Developing Network-Oriented Quality in Psychosocial Crisis Management for Public Administration focuses on strengthening community resilience. It explores how the capacity for sustained and coordinated action in crisis contexts can be secured and enhanced in the long term for both public administration and civil society. A key aspect is to ensure that psychosocial support structures are not only deployed in short-term responses following a disruptive event but also incorporate medium- and long-term needs, highlighting the necessity of aligning emergency care, crisis, and risk management as part of a comprehensive psychosocial crisis management approach. The goal is to develop a practical guideline that significantly enhances networking and collaboration between state and non-state actors in psychosocial crisis management and ensures lasting improvements beyond the acute emergency phase. 

The project seeks to establish a practice-oriented framework that systematically enhances cooperation and networking between governmental and non-governmental actors in psychosocial crisis management, strengthening their capacity for sustainable action beyond acute emergency response.  

A central component of the project is the development of a blended learning training programme that enables participants to prepare for complex crisis situations and to structurally anchor new approaches to psychosocial crisis management in the long term. 

The project is funded by the Federal Ministry of Research, Technology and Space (Bundesministerium für Forschung, Technologie und Raumfahrt – BMFTR) under the funding directive Civil Security – Ensuring and Enhancing the capability of the state and administration to act in times of crisis. The project is sponsored by the Association of German Engineers (Verein Deutscher Ingenieure – VDI). The Berlin School of Economics and Law (Hochschule für Wirtschaft und Recht Berlin – HWR Berlin) coordinates the project in collaboration with its partners: Alice Salomon University of Applied Sciences Berlin (Alice Salomon Hochschule Berlin – ASH), the Frankfurt am Main Public Health Department (Gesundheitsamt Frankfurt am Main), and the Berlin Senate Department for the Interior and Sport (Senatsverwaltung für Inneres und Sport – SenInnSport). 

Associated partners: 

• Notfallseelsorge/Krisenintervention Berlin 
• Notfallseelsorge Frankfurt, Diakonisches Werk 
• Kriseninterventionsteam ASB München 
• Landeszentralstelle Psychosoziale Notfallversorgung (PSNV) Mecklenburg-Vorpommern 
• Der Beauftragte für Polizei- und Notfallseelsorge der EKKW
• Landesfeuerwehrschule Schleswig-Holstein, Landeszentralstelle PSNV 
• Erzbischöfliches Ordinariat München, Notfallseelsorge 
• Berliner Feuerwehr- und Rettungsdienst-Akademie 
• Feuerwehrseelsorge Hamburg / Leitung Notfallseelsorge 
• Bundesamt für Bevölkerungsschutz und Katastrophenhilfe (BBK) 
• Medical School Hamburg GmbH 

Project Duration: October 2024 to September 2027