Managing family communication during critical incidents
Family Liaison Officer (FLO) Training
Family Liaison Officers play a critical role during crises, serious incidents, and high-risk operations. They act as the primary interface between an organization and the families of affected personnel, often under intense emotional pressure and in situations where clarity, sensitivity, and accuracy are essential.
Effective FLOs must be able to communicate difficult information clearly, manage expectations, and support families while operating within organizational, legal, and operational constraints.
Purpose of the Training
The training equips participants with the knowledge and practical skills required to act as a trusted point of contact between an organization and families during critical incidents. It focuses on maintaining professionalism under pressure, managing emotionally charged interactions, and ensuring families receive timely, accurate, and appropriate information.
Participants develop an understanding of the FLO role across a range of scenarios, including serious injury, fatal incidents, missing persons, evacuations, and prolonged crisis situations. The course also addresses how the role interfaces with crisis management teams, legal advisers, insurers, and senior leadership.
Who the Training Is For
This course is suitable for individuals who may be required to act as Family Liaison Officers or who support crisis response and personnel welfare functions. This includes security managers, crisis managers, HR professionals, operational leaders, risk managers, and others responsible for personnel accountability and family engagement during incidents.
The training is relevant across sectors, including corporate, NGO and humanitarian organizations, energy, extractives, logistics, defense-adjacent industries, and organizations operating in complex or high-risk environments.
Key Areas Covered
This module provides a structured understanding of the Family Liaison Officer role and the practical demands of engaging with families during incidents and crises.
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Defining the responsibilities, limitations, and expectations of the Family Liaison Officer role
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Understanding how the role integrates with wider incident and crisis management processes
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Preparing for family engagement prior to an incident and transitioning into active liaison during a crisis
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Communicating difficult or sensitive information clearly, calmly, and professionally
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Managing emotional responses while maintaining appropriate professional boundaries
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Responding to uncertainty and challenging questions without speculation or overcommitment
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Managing information flow, including what can be shared, when, and with whom
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Ensuring consistency between family communications, internal briefings, and external messaging
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Recognizing legal, cultural, and ethical considerations when engaging with families
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Maintaining personal resilience and managing stress while performing the role
Practical Application and Organizational Impact
The course places strong emphasis on practical application, with participants working through realistic scenarios that reflect the pressures and complexities faced by Family Liaison Officers in real-world situations. These exercises allow participants to apply communication frameworks, manage evolving circumstances, and receive structured feedback on their approach.
Scenario work may include simulations involving serious incidents, fatalities, evacuations, or prolonged uncertainty. Through these exercises, participants gain a clearer understanding of how the FLO role evolves over time and how consistent, professional family engagement helps maintain trust during an incident lifecycle. This practical preparation reduces the risk of miscommunication, reputational exposure, and additional distress for families, while supporting a structured and defensible approach to duty of care, crisis response, and personnel welfare.
By ensuring staff understand their responsibilities, limitations, and place within wider incident management structures, organizations are better positioned to manage family engagement professionally and integrate liaison activity into broader crisis management and recovery efforts.
Delivery Options
Family Liaison Officer Training can be delivered in person or virtually and can be tailored to reflect an organisation’s operating environment, risk profile, and internal procedures. Scenarios and examples can be adapted to align with sector-specific risks, geographic exposure, and organisational structures.
The course can be delivered as a standalone programme or integrated into wider crisis management, incident response, or duty of care training.
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