Australian Red Cross Delegates Program

25Indicator 14: Two monitoring visits undertaken.Monitoring visits were undertaken with delegates and their managers in Haiti andPanama, Afghanistan, and Fiji to identify any support needs delegates may have,as well as document mission achievements.Monitoring sessions were conducted with delegates at the Asia regional meeting,which included delegates on mission in Cambodia, China, Indonesia, Philippinesand Vietnam.Field monitoring also occurred with delegates based in Geneva, Kiribati andPhilippines while Australian Red Cross international program staff were travelling foradditional reasons.Several delegates and their managers commented specifically on how appreciatedthese monitoring visits were, as they reiterate the support available to delegates, anddemonstrate Australian Red Cross’ commitment to continuous program improvement.Feedback to inform program improvement was also collected during a DelegatesProgram Reflections Workshop, which was attended by 12 experienced bilateraldelegates in Melbourne in May 2012. A key outcome of this activity was thedevelopment of an Action Plan and recommendations for improvements in threeareas: program operations; program quality; and delegate and program support.This information was supplemented by information collected through the annualdelegates engagement survey, which sought to collect feedback from the entiredelegate talent pool in a number of areas including delegate motivation andengagement, training, and program support. Recommendations have also beendeveloped to address specific issues raised through the survey, which will beimplemented throughout the course of the 2012/13 financial year.These monitoring visits and feedback mechanisms assisted with strategy andplanning activities, including workforce planning, opportunities forshadowing/mentored missions, prioritisation and budgeting of trainingopportunities, and the development of a delegate engagement strategy for the2012-2013 financial year.Photo: Andre Ullal, left, from Australian Red Cross, and Mahnoor Khan, from Pakistan Red Crescent, survey floodaffected areas during an evaluation visit to northern Pakistan. Andre Ullal was in Pakistan in 2011 to assess AustralianRed Cross funded shelter projects for people affected by the massive 2010 floods. Photo: Australian Red Cross /Ade Sonyville.