Duty of Care in Action: How Insurance Supports NGO Operations During Crisis
“Duty of care” isn’t a buzzword — it’s a daily, practical responsibility.
In conflict zones, disaster-hit regions, or politically unstable territories, your staff face genuine risks to life, health, and safety. And when crisis hits, the question becomes:
Have you done enough to protect them?
At insuranceforngos.com, we work with NGOs every day who take duty of care seriously — and use the right insurance to prove it.
What Is Duty of Care?
Duty of care is your legal and moral obligation to protect people working under your direction — including staff, contractors, and volunteers.
This includes:
- Preparing them properly for the risks
- Providing appropriate training and resources
- Responding when things go wrong
- Ensuring medical and financial support is in place if they are harmed
Insurance is one of the most important — and measurable — tools in fulfilling that duty.
🔗 CHS Alliance highlights the importance of risk mitigation and staff safety as a core pillar of humanitarian accountability. [Read more]
How Insurance Supports Duty of Care in Practice
✅ Rapid Medical and Security Evacuation
If a staff member is critically injured or security deteriorates, evacuation becomes a life-or-death decision.
Our policies include both medical medevac and security extraction, coordinated by 24/7 expert teams.
✅ Financial Support for Death or Injury
Accidental death and permanent disability payments provide critical protection for families and dependants — especially for local staff.
✅ Access to Quality Medical Care
In many contexts, access to advanced treatment may only be possible through private clinics or air transfer. Our cover includes direct payments — no out-of-pocket costs or reimbursement delays.
✅ Fast Claims Resolution
When an incident happens, your team needs help — not bureaucracy.
Our emergency claims line operates 24/7 with multilingual support and region-specific medical partners.
✅ Protection for ALL Staff
We insure both local and expat workers, whether deployed abroad or working in their home country. That means no more gaps between national and international teams.
Explore our cover for staff abroad and local teams.
Real Example: Duty of Care in Action
In 2023, an NGO team in Gaza faced a sudden escalation in conflict. One national staff member was wounded and several others needed emergency relocation.
Because the NGO had a declaration-based group insurance scheme already in place, we were able to:
- Coordinate a secure evacuation
- Approve and pay for medical treatment locally
- Provide the family with immediate support
- Keep the programme operational with safe personnel rotations
Without proper cover, that NGO would’ve faced legal exposure, reputational risk, and personal tragedy.
Don’t Just Talk About Duty of Care — Demonstrate It
Your donors, staff, and field partners want to know:
- Are your people protected, no matter where they work?
- Do you have 24/7 emergency response infrastructure in place?
- Will their families be supported if something goes wrong?
Insurance doesn’t answer all of these questions — but it’s the foundation on which those answers stand.
🔗 Read this Oxfam briefing on organisational duty of care in high-risk environments. [Read PDF]
✅ Make Duty of Care Real — Today
Get a quote for individual or group cover
Talk to our team about custom schemes
Learn about our group cover options
Because when crisis strikes, protection should already be in place — not still under discussion.
