Module 1: Introduction to social work in disasters (online training)

• Read Pyles, L. (2017) ‘Decolonising disaster social work: environmental justice and community participation’, British journal of social work, 47(3), pp.630-647.

• What is a disaster?
• What role do social workers have in disasters?
• How would the ideas in this article shape your practice if responding to a disaster in your area?

Following this Module you should be able to:

1. Explain the role of the social worker in disaster preparedness, response and recovery,
2. Utilise social work skills for psychosocial, practical and emotional support.
3. Evaluate the impact of disasters on individuals, families and communities

Full details on the learning goals on which this, and other modules in this series, are based, can be found via the Social Work in Disasters overview page. You can also find an assistive glossary on this page we recommend you refer to.

The term disaster has no single agreed definition. It can be used in daily speech describe relatively minor difficulties (“that meeting was a disaster”) and it can also be applied to largescale humanitarian crises (“the 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami that killed over 200,000 people was a disaster”). In this training, disasters will refer to events that differ from daily mishaps, in line with the definition contained within the United Nations Terminology on Risk Reduction that describes a disaster as:

A serious disruption of the functioning of a community or a society involving widespread human, material, economic or environmental losses and impacts, which exceeds the ability of the affected community or society to cope using its own resources (United Nations Strategy for Disaster Reduction, 2009).

Simplifying the concept of a disaster, it can be described as the combination of an exposure to a hazard (hurricane, terrorism, disease), the conditions of vulnerability (poverty, poor infrastructure, people with nowhere else to go), and insufficient capacity to reduce or cope with the negative consequences (underfunded services, profiteering, political ineffectiveness).

So, to simplify, Hazard + Vulnerability + Insufficient Response = Disaster

As an example, think about the 2017 Grenfell Tower Fire. In this case:

Hazard = Fire.

Vulnerability = Flammable cladding, cramped living conditions, poor safety precautions.

Insufficient response = Stay-put order given to residents, underfunded services to support communities in aftermath.

Complete short task 1 in workbook (15 minutes)

While a distinction could be drawn between “human-made” disasters (terrorism, chemical spills, gas explosions), and “natural” disasters (hurricane, earthquake, flooding), Dominelli (2015) argues that all disasters, whatever the cause, have a human component, including climate change, social inequality and political decision making.

Complete short task 2 in workbook (5 minutes)

Social workers have long held multiple crucial roles in disaster response, including providing psychosocial first aid, crisis management and community rebuilding. However, this role largely remains unknown to both those outside and within the profession.

Social workers can play a role in disaster preparedness (before a disaster), response (immediate aftermath) and recovery (longer term support and development).

Complete short task 3 in workbook (15 minutes)

A statement has been developed in England, endorsed by the Association of Directors of Adult Social Services and the British Association of Social Work that highlights the role that social workers play following a disaster as a primary contact between individuals/families and services, as well as connecting individuals/families with networks of support, and identifying any safeguarding concerns. The full statement is available here.

There is also a growing body of research exploring the role of the social worker in disasters, and in supporting the development of this training a systematic literaure review was carried out by the University of Stirling to identify the key literature and research in this area. Key themes identified from this systematic literature review include (many of these will be expanded upon later in this module and in future modules, and the systematic literature review will be discussed in more detail in Module 3):

• Disaster mitigation activities
  The steps taken to reduce the damage that a hazard can cause. This includes thinking about how to support those you work with in the event of a disaster, and ensure preparations are made. This can also include activities to reduce the danger a hazard can cause communities and individuals, such as planning alongside other organisations/services, and engaging in anti-oppressive practice advocating for the social justice, environmental justice and human rights.
• Micro-level recovery strategies:
  This includes immediate mental health support (assessments or mental health first aid) as well as supporting the development of longer term support groups for those experiencing long term psychosocial conditions. Social workers are also involved in reaching out to impacted communities, supporting them to come to terms with the disaster, and to plan and support their own recovery.
• Macro-level recovery strategies:
  Social workers support communities impacted by disasters through community development, empowerment and transformation. Although many government and private organisation responses focus on short term disaster response, long term recovery for disaster impacted communities can take a decade or longer, and so this should be considered long term engagement for social workers. This also involves advocating for the involvement of these communities in their own recovery, and ensuring there is sufficient support for this longer term work.
• Community Engagement:
  The level of involvement that communities have in the organisational planning and response to disasters directly influences how quickly a community is able to recover. Social workers have a key role to play in reaching out and empowering local organisations, communities and individuals, supporting them to support themselves, and shifting the focus from disaster response to collectively rebuilding communities.
• Supporting Socially Vulnerable Groups:
  The history of disasters, up to and including the Covid-19 pandemic, show that the levels of vulnerability and risk are disproportionately distributed to certain populations, usually those who tend to be most socially marginalised. The capacity to recover from disasters is influenced by structural privilege and inequalities that are present long before the disaster. Social workers must therefore understand and respond in a way that targets and supports these specific populations.
• Social Justice/Rights Based Approach:
  Social workers working in disasters must recognise the intersectionality of vulnerability in relation to disasters – it is the intersection of multiple disadvantages which has been shown to make particular communities more at risk of the long-term adversity following a disaster. A social justice/human rights based approach has been found to be most appropriate to respond to these issues.

Test your knowledge with the quick quiz
 

Watch the video resource of Mariam Raja, Social Worker and Lecturer (can also be seen at the bottom of this page)

Complete short task 4 in workbook (10 minutes)

A central focus of this training is to highlight the skills and knowledge that social workers already have and use in their daily practice that are relevant to disaster working. This section gives an overview of some of the areas, but this list is not exhaustive and other skills will be drawn upon through the modules.

• Social workers have expertise in mental health support
  In many disasters the initial priority is supporting the material and mental health needs of those impacted. An immediate trauma-informed approach can significantly reduce the severity of long term mental health issues following a disaster. Swift crisis intervention has also been shown to counteract the profound emotional impact of disempowerment that emergency situations have on individuals and families. Crisis intervention theory, and other relevant theories, will be discussed more in Module 4.
• Social workers have experience in outreach and advocacy
  Outreach and advocacy skills have also been shown to be vitally important following a disaster. In many cases people impacted by disasters do not seek out support, and systems can be overstretched meaning this support is not always available or offered. Social workers reaching out to impacted communities and individuals can help to identify need in way that may otherwise be missed. There can also be stigma related to receiving mental health support, making reaching out to communities all the more important. Social workers are also involved in advocating for communities to co-produce recovery plans and set their own objectives, in particular when working with other professionals.
• Social works have expert communication skills
  Multi-agency communication is one of the most common areas of discussion in research related to social work in disasters, a point that will be discussed at length in Module 3. Social work communication skills are also important for engaging and supporting communities. As in the example of the Covid-19 pandemic, these can include virtual recovery services; however, it is also important to recognise that access to digital communication technologies is not universal, and communication technologies can be damaged in disasters.
• Social workers have expertise in supporting people through loss
  A major role of social workers in disaster response and recovery is reaching out to and building relationships with individuals and families experiencing loss. This can include material loss (loss of possessions) or bereavement (loss of friends/family). Person-centre skills such as empathy are also vital in building these relationships. Social workers at times play a role around supporting families through victim identification processes, which will be discussed more in Module 2.

Complete short task 6 in workbook (10 minutes)

The approach taken by social workers following a disaster will depend on the context of the disaster and the populations impacted. It is important for social workers to be prepared to support those who are more likely to be impacted by disasters, and less able to support themselves.

Areas to consider in identifying populations and preparing a plan:

• What disasters are most likely to impact on the groups you support?
• Consider people who need support leaving their homes.
• People in shared homes (care homes, children’s homes).
• People without family/friend support networks.
• How would you contact them in the event of a disaster?
• Who would you need to work with?
• If they need to leave their home, would they go, how would they travel?
• What would they need once they get there?
• How would this impact on their current needs?
• Are there any cultural/community needs/resources that should be considered?

Resources 

Take a look at more in depth government guidance on identifying people who are vulnerable in a crisis. These issues, and the research related to working with specific populations following a disaster, will be discussed in more detail in Module 3.

Social workers need to recognise and tailor their support services in line with the cultural values and norms of communities rather than simply imposing standardised practices which have worked elsewhere. Any disaster response plans need to account for the specific cultures of those who could be impacted, as well as the specific context of the disaster, and social workers should draw on their expertise in anti-oppressive and anti-discriminatory practice in determining how to respond.  

The international nature of a lot of the support that follows a disaster means that Euro-American social work practices frequently get imposed on those impacted. In some cases this has led to local survivors shunning or missing out on support and opting for their own rituals and community approaches instead. As a result, international responses can at times be counterproductive, slowing recovery and development that more community focused and co-produced initiatives would have improved (Pyles, 2017). There are also concerns related to the motives and profit making motivations of some organisations that respond to disasters, issues that will be discussed in more detail in Module 2.

These issues are not just related to international responses, but can also be evidenced in national responses to disasters. For example following Hurricane Katrina in the USA in 2005, the cultural differences between those impacted and many of the response services and volunteers caused substantial difficulties, despite the respondents largely coming from the same country as those impacted. This included support workers prioritising housing and health needs, while many of the locals wanted the recovery of their community spaces and networks (Bell, 2008).

Local communities should therefore be actively engaged in designing and organising their own recovery. Consideration also needs to be made for the recognition and inclusion of spirituality and religion in recovery processes. Faith and religious communities have been found to be consistently involved in disaster recovery, and faith is often a meaningful way to fulfil the culturally specific psychosocial needs of trauma survivors.

Complete short task 7 in workbook (15 minutes)

Case Study: Grenfell

On June 14th 2017 the 24 story Grenfell Tower caught fire, causing 72 deaths, 70+ people physically injured, and an unmeasurable amount of mental health trauma to those in the tower, their friends and families, and those in the surrounding area.

The Equality and Human Rights Commission produced a report in 2019 highlighting many concerns with the inappropriate disaster response and recovery raised by the communities impacted. These included:

• Pressure to accept inappropriate accommodation.

Well they've said now ..., that there's not many properties left. And the best properties have gone - that's what they've told me. Um ..., this, you know - now. This is going to be permanent. And this is where you're going to stay for the rest of your life. It's not that easy just to say - oh yes, I'll take that.

• Failure to account for family networks in rehousing.

So what good is it the mum’s in a hotel in South Kensington and they’re in a hotel in Hammersmith, it’s just not going to work is it? And there were so many issues like that.

• Failure to account for cultural/religious needs.

We were all fasting and we were mostly Muslims and they tell us we have to vacate the premises in about an hour which is was 7 and they ask us to - to vacate at 8-o-clock and I was personally shocked and no-one wanted to say anything

• Discrimination

Sometimes they’d just assume that you couldn’t speak English because of the way you were dressed.

• Standardised practices.

There has been no consideration of equalities whatsoever. Everyone is being pushed into a one size fits all cookie cutter response.

• Failure to account for disability.

A lady who’s paraplegic, in a wheelchair, and she’s got no facilities in her emergency housing, she’s in a room with her young children, she’s got to come here to come here to cook, she’s got to go to the local baths to shower and it is absolutely, it is more than disgraceful.

• Failure to account for language barriers.

As bad as it was, it wasn’t as bad as many of the people who don’t have the language skills, don’t know their rights, don’t know how to enforce those rights.

Following Grenfell: Grenfell residents’ access to public services and support report

Is there anything from your own experience or working that you see reflected in any of these quotes?

Based on your earlier reflection about who may be vulnerable to a disaster in your area of work, and the additional learning provided in this module, use whatever resources and contacts that are available to you to find out whether there is a plan in place to support them within your organisation should there be a disaster of any kind. If there is a plan, find out what this is, and if necessary suggest some improvements, or take the initiative to publicise this within your team. If there is no plan, propose that one is developed, and use your learning here and from the other modules to lead or feed into this process.

Write a brief reflection on your experience of undertaking this follow up task: (complete in workbook)

References and Further Reading

Dominelli, L. (2015) ‘The opportunities and challenges of social work interventions in disaster situations’, International Social Work, 58(5), pp.659-672.

Bell, H. (2008) ‘Case Management with Displaced Survivors of Hurricane Katrina: A Case Study of One Host Community Holly Bell’ Journal of social service research, 34(3), pp.15-27.

Pyles, L. (2017) ‘Decolonising disaster social work: environmental justice and community participation’, British journal of social work, 47(3), pp.630-647.