Social Workers Being Effective in Disaster Settings

Abstract

ABSTRACT Research about social workers’ impact during disasters is not widely recognized. Among the various roles social workers play during disasters are to handle asurge of clients and to support peers and leaders in their respective departments by filling in gaps in services. Dissemination of social workers’ best practice approaches during actual disasters is important because their collective contributions facilitate their own resilience and improve their ability to care for their clients, which could inform other fields in the helping professions as well. Qualitative findings from (N = 8) US Department of Veterans Affairs social workers and social work leaders across the nation in regions that experienced hurricanes during 2017 and 2018 suggested the following best practices during disasters:1) adapting new roles;2) collaboration and organizational support; and3) practicing self-care. Findings suggest the need to enhance content in social work education and training with the knowledge and skills pertaining to providing services in disaster settings. During disasters, it is important for social workers to both collaborate with their team and to practice self-care in order to be most effective for their clients.