Learning from Each Other

Abstract

Australian social workers in health care have become important members of hospital disaster response teams. The development of the role and its integration into the mainstream disaster response has progressed over the last two decades. Recent international events have given affirmation to the importance of this role. The development of national and state based Disaster Management Plans in Australia began in the mid 1970's. Recognition of the need for experienced, skilled workers to provide emotional support, practical assistance and grief and bereavement counselling has resulted in the inclusion of social workers in several key parts of the disaster management response including the specialised area of Disaster Victim Identification. Following the Bali Bombing in October 2002, social workers worked with the Police Missing Persons Unit to provide support to families and facilitate the collection of ante mortem information. The process by which new services come about can be intricate and complex. In the field of health social work, the contribution of international programs such as the Mt Sinai Leadership Enhancement Program cannot be underestimated. As the Social Work Director of Westmead Hospital, one of the largest hospital social work departments in the country, participating in this program provided opportunities to share professional experience with international colleagues, many of whom are experts in their field. The social work role in disaster response has become internationally recognised and is an example of how collaboration and shared information and learning, can result in a profession working together to support key principles and values of practice for the benefit of those in need.

Exploring Social Workers' Experiences of Working with Bushfire-affected Families

“…Further, this paper identifies the skills and qualities that are fundamental for effective and resilient social workers. While many writers, including Pockett (2006) and Bliss and Meehan (2008), appear to agree that disaster recovery workers need to be skilled in providing practical and emotional support, the nature of this study has led to deconstruction of the skills and qualities, and explored how they are linked and intertwined.…”

“…Although the literature suggests that disaster recovery workers need to be experienced and skilled in providing both practical and emotional support (Bliss & Meehan, 2008;Pockett, 2006), social workers in this study were able to be more specific about describing the skills and qualities that are fundamental for effective and resilient social workers when involved in bushfire recovery work. The reflexive nature of this research design has led to an iterative data analysis process that was used to deconstruct the skills and qualities that are linked and intertwined.…”

“…The studies that inform this paper have been drawn from predominantly Australian publications and reports, which include attention to issues such as recovery and resilience (Gordon, 2004;Maguire & Hagan, 2007), trauma and appropriate responses (Rogge, 2004), social cohesion and networks (Chia, 2010;Pockett, 2006;Winkworth, Healy, Woodward, & Camilleri, 2009), interdisciplinary responses (Nicholls & Healy, 2008), and counselling and case management (Bliss & Meehan, 2008;Hobfoll et al, 2007;Moore, 2009). There appear to have been no previous studies that take a holistic perspective towards the experience of those who have been involved in bushfire recovery responses, nor of social work personnel, specifically.…”

“…However, responding to people who have experienced trauma through natural disasters requires more than a passing understanding of the nature and impacts of trauma as identified by McFarlane (1984) almost 30 years ago when some of the first reports on recovery practices were published. Bliss and Meehan (2008), Pockett (2006), and Gordon (2004) have argued that people in an acute trauma phase tend to lack the higher cognitive functions that are required to understand and contribute towards agreed goals and to formulate case plans. Further, Gordon (2004) suggests that people affected by the disaster will find it difficult to make decisions or work towards agreed goals.…”

The Clarity and Contribution of the Hospital Social Work Role: Observations on its Professional Identity

“…We found evidence that local and national factors shape the identity of hospital social work. For example, social workers have key roles in Australian hospital disaster response teams (Pockett 2006) and are common in Northern Ireland's hospitals. In Sweden, few clinical psychologists work in oncology services and so almost all cancer counselling is provided by social workers (Isaksson, Lilliehorn, and Salander 2017).…”