Assessment 3 Template
Student Name |
|
|---|---|
Student Number |
|
Business name |
Beyond Blue |
|---|---|
Industry name |
Helping Mental Health Issues |
Business Background |
Non Profit Organisation |
Industry Background |
NGO |
Part 1 – Business Risk register
Business Background:
Beyond Blue is an Australian non-profit organization formed to help people in the country experiencing mental health issues. It provides important services including a 24/7 helpline, an online chat for counseling, as well as numerous support and educational efforts to demystify the area of mental health. Beyond Blue is predominantly dependent on the funds collected from public and government grants as a source of income on which it mainly depends to fund its operations. It serves clients who experience anxiety, depression, and any other mental health disorder relying on Beyond Blue support when they are distressed the most.
The organization belongs to the Mental Health and Support Services industry, which remains among the most crucial segments of the healthcare system of Australia. That is why at this stage of the gel importance of Beyond Blue responding to the need for support services in the context of the growing awareness of mental health is felt acutely. Consequently, the disruption of its services might cause a lot of havoc for the people and societies that rely on it.
Industry Background:
The mental health sector in Australia remains comparatively new but has been growing at a fast pace, and more organizations are coming up. The case of COVID-19 has made people more sensitive to mental health services than ever before. Thus, many non-profit organizations such as Beyond Blue have assumed the role of a lifeline to persons who are suffering the effects of this era, emotionally. But this also implies that the organization is very susceptible to operational interferences. The organization is recognized as non-profit, which means having limited funding resources hinging on the external environment, changes in the economic climate, and unpredictable public participation in financing (Frohlich, et al., 2023, p.8).
However, with the current delivery of mental health services being made around the clock through IT systems, issues of IT disruptions and compromised data integrity pose a service delivery threat. With these factors in mind, it becomes imperative that Beyond Blue have a solid BCP that would witness the organization continuing to support all stakeholders yet floods destroy our society.
Part 1 of the Business Risk Register discusses the basic definition of business risk as well as identifying and assessing the external and internal risks that threaten a business.
Since Beyond Blue operates without interruption, risk management is critical to its operations. As we mentioned in the Risk Management Plan, the organization
experiences risks including, IT system breakdowns and external cyber threats. These risks, while varied, share one common outcome: they can interfere with your plans to offer mental health services when one is most required.
Risk Name |
Risk Description |
Likelihood |
Impact |
Priority |
Mitigation Measure |
IT System Failure |
An ultimatum of failure of all its structures will hurt the efficiency of online as well as telephone services.
|
Medium |
High |
1 |
Maintain a standby server, and cloud backup, and constantly run diagnostic tests on the servers. |
Cybersecurity Breach |
Deliberate or accidental access to the confidential data of the patients and hence the violation of patient’s rights to privacy.
|
Medium |
Very High |
1 |
Focus on using the best encryption tools, using different authentication methods, and, finally, examine cybersecurity at least twice a year.
|
Natural Disasters (Flooding) |
Living-room chairs displaced amidst on-site flooding at Beyond Blue operations including on-premises servers and workspaces are impeded (Novaglio, et al., 2022, p.212).
|
Low |
Medium |
3 |
Distance working arrangements for staff and develop off-site data storage centers for the organization.
|
Pandemic/Health Crisis |
Personal sick leaves resulting from the prevalent health emergencies hiking the need for mental health, but shortage of human capital.
|
High |
High |
2 |
Switch to a hybrid or fully remote approach and hire contract workers during peak service time.
|
Loss of Funding |
Lack of funds, which means that donations or grants are not coming in as before with a consequent effect on a slowdown in the overall functionality of the organization and human resource procurement constraints. |
Medium |
Very High |
2 |
Increase funding sources by involving the private sector, crowdfunding, and reserve funds for funding during the organization’s difficult financial periods (Kamstra, et al., 2023, p.423).
|
Part 2 – Business Impact Analysis
When evaluating the possibility of affecting the business, it is obvious that some activities are essential to Beyond Blue. For instance, 24/7 Helpline Services and Online Chat Counseling are two main areas of Mental Health through which Beyond Blue operates. These are services that offer help to those in need of it, especially in situations that may put the lives of the users at risk, and any interruption may lead to the loss of many lives, apart from the company. The Business Impact Analysis shows that any disruption, even the slightest, that impacts these services causes monetary repercussions and, most critically, jeopardizes Beyond Blue’s credibility.
As the helpline and chat service are required to provide lots of real-time support, the organization cannot afford to have lots of downtime in these areas. A short RTO is less than or equal to 24 hours for these services, which means that having a good plan to respond and recover quickly is crucial. In this regard, the organization uses cloud support and remote copies to restore services in case of an interruption.
Outreach and Awareness Campaigns unlike the previously discussed tasks do not have a fixed time frame, however, they are also paramount to the functioning of any community. Altered here can hinder long-term public trust in the organization especially if campaigns’ disruptions accrued by delayed campaigns deny correct messages from reaching the most vulnerable groups of people with mental health issues. Maintaining the consistent execution of these activities means utilizing digital technologies and other communication means during disruption (McCosker, Kamstra, & Farmer, 2023, p.276).
Last, the Staff Training Programs are relevant when it comes to the aspects of managing the existing crises. These programs help staff make sure that their knowledge and application of mental health strategies and technological tools of the organization are well updated. Any delays in staff training can prevent Beyond Blue from expanding functionality during a time of crisis when there is an increased call for mental health support.
Critical Business Activity |
Description
|
Impact of loss (describe losses in terms of financial, staffing, loss of reputation etc) |
RTO |
|---|---|---|---|
24/7 Helpline Services |
Mental health support over the phone |
The clients lose significant credibility, and potential clients unable to get help end up in harm.
|
12 hrs |
Online Chat Counseling |
Mental health support via live chat services |
Losses linked to money and reputation, the lack of an opportunity to attend to users who prefer to remain anonymous. |
24 hrs |
Outreach and Awareness Campaigns |
Community engagement and advocacy for mental health awareness |
Less exposure, perceptions and lowered reputation, and initial failure to reach out to high-risk populations (Fernandez, et al., 2023, p.279)
|
48 hrs |
Staff Training Programs |
Training to upskill workers in crisis management |
Lack of the ability to expand during a crisis, inadequate staffing readiness to manage a surge.
|
72 hrs |
Part 3 – Incident response plan
As with any core service organization, Beyond Blue needs to react quickly to a situation, especially where that situation is interrupting some of the most critical services the organization provides. The Incident Response Plan takes measures to handle possible incidents, like failure in the IT systems, cyber-attacks, and disasters. Dr correlated shows that each type of incident needs separate response strategy in making sure services that are disrupted are back on as soon as possible.
For example, in the case of IT System Failure, the organization has to quickly implement the backup server and inform the staff and users about the temporary unavailability of the system. As for the helpline, this service is the core of Beyond Blue, and returning it to normal is a dire necessity, and any slowing down in this sphere may lead to drastic consequences expecting users in need of an emotional boost or support (Steiner, A. and Farmer, J., 2024, p.3).
A Cybersecurity Breach on the other hand mandates complex procedures of halting operations of the infected systems, informing clients of possible data loss, and investigating the particular breach to avert future incidences. This type of incident is a concern not only for the availability of the services but also for the faith that people have in the services and therefore communication should be efficient throughout the process.
Dispersed Place: For ordinary business operations, like Natural Disasters, which may cause flooding, for instance, some staff may be forced to work from home as the organization implements cloud solutions. Environmental factors are therefore effectively managed when services are delivered from remote locations while possessing a well-prepared workforce and real-time access to basic systems.
Incident Type |
Actions are required to eradicate/resolve the incident |
Resources are required to resolve the incident |
Who is responsible for remediation actions |
Systems/services to be prioritized |
Systems/services will be affected during the remediation process and how |
IT System Failure |
Transfer operations to reserve servers and utilize cloud solutions, inform clients |
Backup servers, IT support team |
IT Manager |
Helpline systems, online chat services |
Telephone and internal computer networks may be momentarily down |
Cybersecurity Breach |
Turn off systems, inform the users, and analyze the intrusion.
|
Cybersecurity team, external consultants |
Cybersecurity Lead |
Data protection systems |
Data stored on online systems and internal databases may sometimes become inaccessible for a while |
Natural Disasters (Flooding) |
From remote work in this pandemic: Transition, Backup
|
Remote access systems, backup storage |
Operations Manager |
Online services, communication systems |
This means that the organization's on-premises servers as well as all internal office systems will be impacted (Fitzpatrick, 2022, p.116).
|
Pandemic/Health Crisis |
Activate remote work situations, hire interim employees, and use health check procedures. |
Remote work platforms, HR resources |
HR Manager |
Service delivery and employee health management systems |
Physical contact such as workstations, doors, and meetings will be frozen |
Part 4 – Recovery Plan
An Incident Recovery Plan is vital when the company needs to restore important business processes after an incident. This plan is designed to outline direction on how to bring operations back online as quickly as possible with little to no disruption of services since the helpline should be up and running within the shortest time possible.
Besides, the Recovery Plan outlines the service restoration resources such as IT support, cloud infrastructure, and extra personnel. Since recovery actions should be implemented immediately, the tasks are divided among several key personnel who are responsible for their performance.
Beyond helpline & online counseling during recovery, it maintains focus on its crucial ones by treating them as services rather than products. Also, the integration of digital means in organizing outreach campaigns as well as the training of its staff guarantees that recovery processes only have to be optimised in terms of technology (Dang, et al., 2020, p.4).
Critical Business Activities |
Preventative/Recovery Actions |
Resource Requirements/Outcomes |
RTO |
Responsibility |
24/7 Helpline Services |
Implement redundancy systems, regular maintenance checks |
Cloud backups, IT monitoring team |
12 hours |
IT Manager |
Online Chat Counseling |
Move to cloud-based hosting, perform regular security audits |
Secure cloud systems, remote chat support |
24 hours |
Cybersecurity Lead |
Outreach and Awareness Campaigns |
Shift campaigns to social media, leverage influencers (Gamieldien, et al., 2022, p.958) |
Social media tools, communications team |
48 hours |
Communications Director |
Staff Training Programs |
Conduct remote training, increase the frequency of drills |
Online learning platforms, trainers |
72 hours |
HR Manager |
Part 5 – Reflection on BCP Readiness
The four management phases of the Business Continuity Plan are assessment, readiness, reaction, and recovery and they are critical more so to an organization like Beyond Blue that has a critical role in offering support services such as mental health support. Here’s one recommendation for each pillar to improve Beyond Blue’s readiness:
1. Assessment:
Recommendation: Conduct risk evaluation operations once and twice a year, and employ predictive modeling to predict future risks.
Explanation: Since mental health emergencies could come at any time, external environment analysis is done continuously (e.g., economic shifts or political changes impacting funding). This will effectively enable Beyond Blue to constantly update its BCP depending on the new trends in the market.
2. Preparedness:
Recommendation: Cross-train employees and make sure all or most of the workers know about emergency preparedness.
Explanation: Anticipating in the mental health field should involve staff readiness in light of the capability of other casual staff to undertake higher supportive roles. Cross-training will cause employees to know the duties and responsibilities of other employees, which will enable the organization to be ready in case there is an absence of some employees or high traffic volume in the organization (Farr-Wharton, et al., 2023, p.782).
3. Response:
Recommendation: Perform at least an annual simulation of a disaster to see whether the disaster response measures developed were effective.
Explanation: By conducting table-top simulations the weakness in the incident response plans will be realized especially about the available procedures and controls. It will also inculcate in staff the expectations of their responsibilities during an event, thus minimizing confusion when it happens.
4. Recovery:
Recommendation: They should involve a specialist in disaster recovery to increase the rate of effectiveness of the recovery actions.
Explanation: When it comes to disaster recovery they need to support very short response times so their services can get back online as soon as possible. Engaging an external recovery specialist will help ensure that faster recovery measures can be undertaken if there is a disaster for example through natural disasters or hack attacks.
Conclusion
Due to Beyond Blue’s basic function as an indispensable part of Australia’s mental health landscape, the organization’s business continuity planning must be strong and flexible. By using risk management and performing Business Impact Analysis as well as incident response and recovery planning; the organization ensures operations continue during disruptions. The recommendations made for each pillar of the BCP seek to help Beyond Blue strengthen its position and become ready for the future ordeal.
References
Novaglio, C., Bax, N., Boschetti, F., Emad, G.R., Frusher, S., Fullbrook, L., Hemer, M., Jennings, S., Van Putten, I., Robinson, L.M. & Spain, E., 2022. Deep aspirations: towards a sustainable offshore blue economy. Reviews in fish biology and fisheries, vol.32, no.1, pp.209-230, viewed 29 September 2024, <https://link.springer.com/content/pdf/10.1007/s11160-020-09628-6.pdf>
Frohlich, M., Fidelman, P., Dutton, I., Haward, M., Head, B.W., Maynard, D., Rissik, D. & Vince, J., 2023. A network approach to analyse Australia’s blue economy policy and legislative arrangements. Marine Policy, vol.151, p.1-12, viewed 29 September 2024, <https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0308597X2300115X>
Kamstra, P., Farmer, J., McCosker, A., Gardiner, F., Dalton, H., Perkins, D., Salvador-Carulla, L. & Bagheri, N., 2023. A novel mixed methods approach for integrating not-for-profit service data via qualitative geographic information system to explore authentic experiences of ill-health: a case study of rural mental health. Journal of Mixed Methods Research, vol.17, no.4, pp.419-442, viewed 29 September 2024, <https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/pdf/10.1177/15586898221135291>
McCosker, A., Kamstra, P. & Farmer, J., 2023. Moderating mental health: Addressing the human–machine alignment problem through an adaptive logic of care. New Media & Society, p.1-20, viewed 29 September 2024, <https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/pdf/10.1177/14614448231186800>
Fernandez, D.K., Singh, S., Deane, F.P. and Vella, S.A., 2023. Exploring continuum and categorical conceptualisations of mental health and mental illness on Australian websites: A systematic review and content analysis. Community Mental Health Journal, vol.59, no.2, pp.275-289, viewed 29 September 2024, <https://link.springer.com/content/pdf/10.1007/s10597-022-01005-w.pdf>
Steiner, A. and Farmer, J., 2024. Contemporary interventions tackling complex issues: Exploring pathways from online mental health forums to personal resilience. Journal of Rural Studies, vol.110, p.1-11, <https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0743016724001839>
Farr-Wharton, B., Brunetto, Y., Hernandez-Grande, A., Brown, K. & Teo, S., 2023. Emergency service workers: The role of policy and management in (re) shaping wellbeing for emergency service workers. Review of public personnel administration, 43(4), pp.774-793, viewed 29 September 2024, <https://nrl.northumbria.ac.uk/id/eprint/50674/1/-%20ROPPA-A-21-0125.R3.pdf>
Fitzpatrick, S.J., 2022. The moral and political economy of suicide prevention. Journal of Sociology, vol.58, no.1, pp.113-129, viewed 29 September 2024, <https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/pdf/10.1177/14407833211001112>
Dang, H.M., Lam, T.T., Dao, A. & Weiss, B., 2020. Mental health literacy at the public health level in low and middle income countries: An exploratory mixed methods study in Vietnam. Plos one, vol.15, no.12, p.1-16, viewed 29 September 2024, <https://journals.plos.org/plosone/article/file?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0244573&type=printable>
Gamieldien, F., Galvaan, R., Myers, B. & Sorsdahl, K., 2022. Service providers perspectives on personal recovery from severe mental illness in Cape Town, South Africa: A qualitative study. Community Mental Health Journal, vol.58, no.5, pp.955-966, viewed 29 September 2024, <https://dro.deakin.edu.au/articles/report/Promoting_positive_youth_development_in_schools_A_program_logic_analysis_of_Peer_Support_Australia/20683582/1/files/36898105.pdf>
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