The role of a family liaison officer in disasters and why mental health matters

By Julia Wellby, Development Director

When disaster strikes, we often think of emergency services rushing to the scene or the headlines that follow. But what many people don’t see is the quieter, deeply personal part of the response; the moment when someone has to tell a family that their loved one is missing, injured or has died.

That’s where Family Liaison Officers (FLOs) come in. As a former FLO and later a Coordinator working for the Met Police homicide and counter-terrorism commands at home and overseas, I’ve had the profound responsibility of being the bridge between affected families and the investigation team responsible for establishing how their loved one died. Family Liaison officers are investigators, but it's also about holding people together, so they can make informed decisions about their loved ones. This is especially true of deaths overseas.

What Is a Family Liaison Officer?

FLOs are specially trained police officers who support families, or the loved ones affected by traumatic events - whether it’s a homicide, a terrorist attack, a road collision, or a mass fatality incident. Their role sits at the intersection of investigation and compassion. They are there to support and guide families through the criminal and coronial processes, guiding them through the unknown and helping them make sense of what comes next.

From identifying and repatriating loved ones to supporting families through court proceedings, FLOs become a consistent point of contact in what can often be a long and emotionally complex journey. Being a FLO is a voluntary role, it’s taken on in addition to an officers usual policing duties, so careful consideration is given by the Family Liaison Coordinator to ensure the officer deployed can support a family in the long run.

Supporting families

One of the hardest parts of the job is delivering life-changing news. Every family is different, and no two conversations are ever the same. But what remains constant is the need to approach these moments with complete transparency, empathy and integrity. Families have the right to know how their loved ones died.

Families are often experiencing the worst moment of their lives and FLOs are there, sometimes for weeks, months, even years, offering stability and helping them navigate what comes next. That can mean everything from explaining the identification process to helping a grieving parent decide whether to view their child’s body.

Naturally, this work has an emotional toll. As FLOs, we’re taught to remain professional and resilient but we’re also human. The connections we form with families stay with us. That’s why it’s so important that wellbeing is seen not just as an individual responsibility, but as something we prioritise across the board for families, for responders, and for those who support them.

Working with the National Emergencies Trust

In my role as Development Director at the National Emergencies Trust, I’m proud to be working on ways to improve support for survivors and bereaved families during national emergencies bringing my experience as a former FLO into a broader conversation about what compassionate, joined-up support should look like.

In the future, FLOs will work with the Trust, helping families in a more holistic way by:

• Sharing vital insights about the needs and experiences of those most affected.
• Helping families apply for emergency financial support from the Trust, offering guidance during a time when even basic admin can feel overwhelming.
• Signposting additional sources of support, from counselling to specialist services, so that no family feels alone in the weeks and months that follow.

We’ve seen how effective this joined-up approach can be ensuring that families and their loved ones aren’t just informed but actively supported in the ways that matter most.

Why mental health matters

Mental Health Awareness Week is a time to pause and reflect, not just on the wellbeing of those we support, but of those doing the supporting.

And yet, one of the things that stayed with me throughout my career was the sheer strength and dignity of the families I supported. Their mental health matters every bit as much as the process around them. When systems are working well, when communication is clear, when the right support is in place, it can make an immeasurable difference to a family’s ability to cope in the aftermath of tragedy.