NGO Security, Risk & Crisis Management training.

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​When lives depend not only on awareness, but on leadership and decisions, preparation matters.

Security, Risk, and Crisis Management training is not simply a matter of compliance, cost, or course duration. It is a decision that directly affects staff safety, operational continuity, and organisational responsibility.

While many providers offer theoretical frameworks, far fewer deliver training led by professionals who have personally carried responsibility for security decisions, crisis response, and staff welfare for NGOs operating in hostile, conflict, and post-conflict environments today.

Real capability is built through lived experience — making difficult decisions under pressure, balancing humanitarian principles with operational reality, and acting decisively when time, information, and options are limited.  These skills cannot be developed through theory alone — they require practical application, scenario-based discussion, and guidance from experienced practitioners.

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Building security decision-making capability in real-world NGO contexts

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Many experienced NGO professionals develop strong situational awareness, contextual understanding, and sound judgement through years of operational experience. These skills are invaluable and form the foundation of effective decision-making in complex environments.

In practice, security responsibilities are often held by staff whose primary roles sit elsewhere — in programmes, operations, coordination, or at headquarters. This reflects the operational realities of humanitarian work, where decisions must frequently be made by those closest to the context, often alongside competing responsibilities and limited time or resources.

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While individuals in these roles may hold several key pieces of the decision-making jigsaw — including programme knowledge, contextual insight, and lived experience — other critical pieces are not always fully visible or integrated. Structured security analysis, risk frameworks, intelligence inputs, and organisational processes may exist, but are not consistently brought together at the point where decisions are made.

Across the sector, significant emphasis is rightly placed on Hostile Environment Awareness Training (HEAT) to prepare individuals for deployment, and some organisations conduct periodic crisis management exercises at leadership level. What is far less common is training that sits between these two areas — training that develops day-to-day security judgement, risk ownership, and defensible decision-making for those carrying ongoing responsibility.

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SRCM is designed to address this space. The course helps participants understand where relevant security inputs sit, how to integrate them with their existing experience and organisational policies, and how to apply them coherently when making decisions that carry real human, operational, and reputational consequences.

The result is stronger individual confidence, clearer judgement, and increased organisational assurance that security decisions are informed, proportionate, and defensible — even when made under pressure and with incomplete information.

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Crisis Management Training for NGOs and Organisations

Crisis management training within the SRCM course focuses on how organisations prepare for, respond to, and recover from serious incidents that threaten staff safety, operational continuity, and organisational credibility.

Participants examine how crises develop, how incidents escalate, and how leadership responsibility is exercised when information is incomplete, time is limited, and consequences are real. Training addresses the practical realities of crisis leadership, coordination, decision-making, and communication across field teams, headquarters, senior management, and external stakeholders.

Through structured, scenario-based exercises, participants build decision-making clarity and confidence by working with available, verifiable information, testing assumptions, prioritising critical data, and making proportionate judgements under pressure. Scenarios are grounded in real incidents and are designed to reflect how information is actually received, validated, and acted upon during live crises.

Emphasis is placed on managing incidents involving serious injury or death, detention, safeguarding concerns, reputational risk, and operational disruption. Participants develop the ability to support leadership, contribute effectively during crises, and make defensible decisions aligned with organisational duty-of-care obligations, governance frameworks, and humanitarian principles.

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Experience that matters​​​​​​​​​​​​

At Peritus Global Training, our courses are designed and delivered by practitioners with recent frontline experience across some of the world’s most complex operating environments, including Iraq, Afghanistan, Ukraine, Gaza, Syria, and sub-Saharan Africa.

Our instructors have held senior roles such as Global Head of Safety & Security, Regional Security Manager, Country Security Manager, and Crisis Lead, with direct responsibility for protecting staff, managing serious incidents, and sustaining operations. They understand not only risk — but responsibility.

Training is delivered in a calm, professional, and non-ego-driven manner. The focus is on judgement, proportionate response, and defensible decision-making.

We avoid outdated or theatrical scenarios and instead run realistic exercises that directly support safer, more effective NGO operations.

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Choose training that genuinely prepares you

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• Training grounded in real operational experience

• Instructors who understand duty of care from both field and leadership perspectives

• Focus on capability, judgement, and accountability — not checkbox compliance

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Security, Risk Management & Crisis Management Training - 5 Day course

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Our Security, Risk Management, and Crisis Management training prepares NGO managers, security focal points, and programme leaders and staff to operate responsibly in complex and high-risk environments. 

This includes deployment to high-risk locations, managing complex security challenges and responding to critical incidents.

The course focuses on building organisational capacity and resilience, helping organisations reduce risk, strengthen operational effectiveness, and ensure personnel are not exposed to avoidable danger.

Effective preparation enables staff to operate with confidence, clarity, and accountability in dynamic and uncertain contexts.

Participants learn how to:

• Identify threats and vulnerabilities at an early stage

• Conduct dynamic and context-specific risk assessments

• Make informed, responsible decisions under pressure

This training directly supports organisational duty-of-care obligations, while empowering staff to protect themselves, their colleagues, and the mission. 

This course provides a comprehensive foundation in Security and Risk Management, specifically tailored to the operational realities of the NGO and humanitarian sector.

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Building Organisational Capability

The Security, Risk & Crisis Management (SRCM) course focuses on strengthening organisational security culture, leadership decision-making, risk ownership, and crisis management capability.

It builds upon the individual awareness and personal preparedness typically developed through Hostile Environment Awareness Training (HEAT), shifting the focus from individual safety to organisational responsibility, leadership judgement, and coordinated response.

This enables organisations to manage complex security challenges more effectively and consistently, while meeting duty-of-care obligations and maintaining operational continuity in high-risk environments. The course does not promote a single risk model, but equips leaders to make informed, defensible decisions that align with their organisation’s approved risk appetite and operating mandate.

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It is designed for

• Programme, operations, and security staff with responsibility for security, risk, safeguarding, or crisis-related decision-making

• Aspiring or newly appointed Country Security Managers, Security Advisors, and Security Focal Points

• Managers and leaders operating in complex, fragile, or high-risk environments, including those without a formal security background

The course blends real-world security practice, crisis leadership, and ethical decision-making frameworks. Participants develop the ability to plan, assess risk, and make defensible decisions while maintaining organisational standards, accountability, and humanitarian principles.

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Poor security and crisis decisions do not only place staff and communities at risk — they can also expose organisations to severe reputational, legal, and donor-related consequences.

Incidents involving serious injury, death, abuse, or misconduct can trigger investigations, loss of donor confidence, funding withdrawal, programme suspension, and long-term damage to organisational credibility. In some cases, these impacts extend beyond the organisation itself, affecting partner donors, implementing partners, and the communities they serve.

The SRCM course equips decision-makers with the judgement and governance awareness required to reduce exposure to these risks, make defensible decisions, and manage incidents in a way that protects people, organisations, and humanitarian outcomes.

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Safeguarding is a core organisational responsibility for all NGOs.

All humanitarian organisations are required to have safeguarding policies and procedures in place to prevent harm, abuse, exploitation, and misconduct affecting staff, partners, and the communities they serve. This includes child safeguarding, adult safeguarding, and the prevention of sexual exploitation and abuse (PSEA).

The SRCM course supports leaders and managers to understand how safeguarding obligations intersect with security, risk, and crisis management. Participants develop the judgement required to respond appropriately to safeguarding concerns, protect survivors, escalate incidents correctly, and manage organisational risk — without compromising legal, ethical, or humanitarian principles.

Training emphasises survivor-centred approaches, clear reporting pathways, leadership decision-making, and coordination with HR, safeguarding leads, legal advisers, and donors during serious or sensitive incidents.

Content is informed by established NGO safeguarding frameworks and sector best practice, including prevention, reporting, response, and learning mechanisms commonly embedded within humanitarian organisations.

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Indicative Course Modules

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​Indicative modules reflect the breadth of SRCM. Emphasis is placed on judgement, leadership, and decision-making rather than rote coverage.

• Introduction to NGO Security, Risk & Crisis Management

• Humanitarian Operating Contexts & Risk Exposure

• Risk Appetite, Risk Ownership & Duty of Care

• Governance, Accountability & Leadership Responsibility

• Dynamic Risk Assessment & Decision-Making Under Pressure

• Country Security Plans & Contingency Planning

• Personal Security, Travel & Movement Management

• Pre-Deployment Briefings & Operational Preparation

• Communications & Incident Reporting (tracking, alerts, escalation)

• Medivac Planning & Medical Incident Management

• Crisis Management: theory, leadership roles & coordination

• Managing Serious Incidents: Safeguarding, Sexual Assault, Exploitation & Gender-Based Violence (GBV)

• Internal & External Investigations: roles, evidence & decision-making

• Donor Compliance, Reputational Risk & Organisational Impact

• Business Continuity Planning & Organisational Resilience

• Security Audits, Assessments & Assurance

• Budgeting for Security & Risk Mitigation

• Stakeholder Mapping & Context Analysis

• Cultural Awareness & Community Sensitivities

• Adapting SOPs to Dynamic & Deteriorating Environments

• Mental Health & Wellbeing in High-Stress Contexts

• Emerging Threats, including drones and evolving technologies

• Scenario-Based Exercises (decision-making, crisis response, coordination)

• Leadership & Team-Based Decision Exercises

• Course Debrief, Lessons Identified & Certification

Modules may be adapted to reflect participant experience, organisational requirements, and operating context.

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Training supports duty-of-care obligations by enabling staff to interpret risk from multiple perspectives, respond proactively, and build the capacity and resilience needed to mitigate evolving threats.

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Risk Appetite & Organisational Context 

All NGOs operate with different levels of risk appetite.

An organisation’s risk appetite reflects the level of risk it is willing and able to accept in pursuit of its humanitarian objectives. Some organisations operate routinely in high-risk, frontline environments, while others maintain more conservative risk thresholds and work primarily in stabilised, middle, or rear-area contexts.

These differences are shaped by mandate, governance structures, donor requirements, safeguarding obligations, and organisational capacity. No single model of risk tolerance is universally “right” or appropriate across the sector.

The SRCM course recognises and respects this diversity. Training is grounded in baseline security, risk, safeguarding, and crisis-management principles commonly used across the NGO sector, while enabling participants to apply their own organisational policies, risk appetite, and governance frameworks in practical scenarios.

Participants are supported to interpret, apply, and, where appropriate, strengthen and evolve organisational policies so they are realistic, defensible, and effective within the environments in which they operate.

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Accommodation:​

Discounted accommodation rates are available at the training venue.
Please contact us for details.

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Contact:

To discuss how our courses can support your organisation or professional pathway:
✉️ info@peritusglobaltraining.com

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Bespoke & Organisational Delivery

Courses are delivered as scheduled open programmes in the UK and can also be provided on an organisational basis for teams requiring training aligned to specific operational contexts, risk profiles, or internal policies.

For organisations with established security frameworks, we also provide additional or surge training capacity to support pre-deployment preparation, refresher training, or periods of increased operational tempo.

Organisational delivery allows scenarios, case material, and emphasis to be tailored to an organisation’s operating environment, geographic footprint, and duty-of-care responsibilities, while remaining aligned with existing governance and policy frameworks.

To discuss your requirements, you are welcome to arrange a short call with one of our senior team or contact us directly at info@peritusglobaltraining.com.