Post-Disaster Response: Support and advocacy for clients after a natural disaster

As climate changes, environmental disasters and now a global pandemic are destabilising countries and communities across the world, social workers are increasingly being drawn into disaster practice. This may require social workers to locate to areas of significantly damaged landscapes and / or address unprecedented impacts in their own communities.

There is little doubt that these events will continue and indeed escalate as countries and communities grapple with ways to prepare for, address, and recover from major environmental and human-induced events.
 
This webinar addresses the various ways that social workers can engage with communities in undertaking disaster preparedness strategies, in the immediate aftermath of a major event or indeed in the long-term reconstruction phase when communities are coming to terms with their ‘new normal’.

This discussion provides insights into new forms of disaster practice and the need for social workers to have a greater understanding of this emerging field of practice.

Who should attend? Social workers keen to build their knowledge and skills in the emerging field of disaster practice.

Pre-reading (optional) 

Social Work and Disasters by Margaret Alston, Tricia Hazeleger, and Desley Hargreaves (Routledge 2019)

1.5 hours of CPD activity: Category 2, skills and knowledge

Learning Outcomes

By the end of this program, participants will be able to: 

• Define the different disaster types and understand their impacts on different client groups
• Understand existing policy debates and the implications of climate denial/political inaction for social workers
• Identify practical strategies for how to prepare for and what to do when responding to a disaster
• Consider the political controversies regarding climate induced disasters

Presenter

Professor Margaret Alston AM OAM Margaret Alston is Professor of Social Work at Newcastle University and Emeritus Professor at Monash University. Previously she was Professor of Social Work and Head of the Department at Monash University, Melbourne, Australia (2008-17) and prior to that was Professor of Social Work at Charles Sturt University. She has established the Gender, Leadership and Social Sustainability research unit (GLASS) facilitating gender research and PhD study for numerous students.   In 2010 she was awarded a Medal of the Order of Australia for her services to social work and to rural women and in 2021 she was made a Member of the Order of Australia (AM) for her services to social work and to women. She has undertaken a number of research projects across the Asia-Pacific region and within Australia on gender, climate change, and the impacts of environmental disasters on people and communities. She has published widely on gender equality issues, rural social issues, social work and environmental disasters including several books. Perhaps most relevant for this discussion are: Margaret Alston, Tricia Hazeleger, and Desley Hargreaves 2019, Social Work and Disasters. (Routledge) Margaret Alston (2015), Women and climate change in Bangladesh. (Routledge Women in Asia series) Margaret Alston (ed) (2014) Women, Political Struggles and Gender Equality in South Asia. (Palgrave Macmillan) McKinnon, Jenny and Margaret Alston (eds) (2016), Ecological Social Work. (Palgrave Macmillan)

Location and date

Live online: a Zoom link will be emailed to you prior to the webinar
23 February 2022
11:00am-12:30pm AEDT

A recording of the webinar will be sent to registrants via email after the event and available to watch for 2 weeks.

Cost

Members: $90.00 (including GST)
New Graduates, Retired and Student Members: $45.00 (including GST)
Non-members: $120.00 (including GST)
Non-member students: $60.00 (including GST)

Register

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*Please note, registrations close 23 February 2022 at 10.00am AEDT