灾害危机管理中的社会工作研究——以中国自然灾害危机管理为例

灾害是人类社会发展面临的最大威胁。自然灾害是灾害中最常见并且对人类生存和发展造成极大破坏的灾害形式,中国四川汶川恃大地震的发生反映了灾害危机管理的重要性。作为自然灾害频发的发展中国家,加强灾害危机管理应当成为政府工作的重要任务。灾害社会工作以其专业特质,有助于提高综合减灾能力和风险管理水平,能够在预防灾害、处置危机与灾后重建中发挥积极作用,成为在灾害危机管理中的重要角色。文章立足灾害危机管理预防——救援——重建的工作机制,结合社会工作介入四川地震灾后重建的经验,探析灾害社会工作的研究视阈以及介入灾害危机管理的作用、基本路径和方法,赋予灾害社会工作以学科意义,努力推进灾害社会工作研究,提高灾害危机管理的质量。     

Environmental Disasters and Disastrous Policies: An Overview from India

Though disasters have been important recurring events in South Asia, the policy framework for addressing the issues arising from disaster has been weak. Taking an alternative perspective on the definition of disaster itself, this article attempts to address the cause of the increasing numbers of disasters in India. I posit that the nation‐state still understands disasters as a natural phenomenon, rather than as an intersection between conditions of vulnerability and actual hazards. This is to be observed in the disaster policies adopted. Hence, this article emphasizes the inclusion of ‘vulnerability’ as paramount.     

A perfect storm: Challenges encountered by family caregivers of persons with Alzheimer’s disease during natural disasters

ABSTRACT

Since Hurricane Katrina there has been a movement across the U.S. to examine best practice for disaster response within the aging population. However, little is known about the experience of natural disasters from the perspective of family caregivers of persons with Alzheimer’s disease and related dementia (ADRD). In this exploratory, qualitative study, family caregivers (n=27) were interviewed about their experience with the historic 2015 South Carolina flood. By using thematic analysis, themes were identified to better understand what unique challenges caregivers of person with ADRD experienced. While many caregivers stated they had experienced a natural disaster previously, none had ever done so in their current caregiving role. The caregiving role affected their ability to prepare for the storm and influenced their decision-making regarding evacuation and utilization of recovery resources. Thus, caregivers were confronted by a “perfect storm” of circumstances and uncertainty. Family caregivers need to have actionable emergency plans for disasters that are specific to their role as caregivers of persons with ADRD. Study implications also suggest the role social work professionals can have in educating, advocating, evaluating, and coordinating support to assist caregivers of persons with ADRD as a potentially vulnerable and at-risk population during all phases of disaster.     

Introduction

Abstract

This special issue is dedicated to advancing the social work knowledge base on human needs, effective and relevant intervention strategies, and research in the context of natural disasters. In this introduction to the special issue on the “Impact of Natural Disasters: Implications for Human and Social Services,” the rationale for this project and an overview of each article is provided.     

Islamisation and activism of a Muslim NGO in Pakistan: Jama'at‐ud‐Da'wa as a case study

This paper locates the study of Jamat‐ud‐Da'wa (JUD) within the context of global political developments. Premised on the nexus between the local and the global developments, it discusses how changes in the domestic or international arena shaped the policies of JUD after 9/11. It argues that, as a successor to the Lashker‐e‐Toiba in Pakistan, the JUD has been active in the social welfare space. It has moved into roles that reside in the domain of the state's responsibility but have passed to the private sector due to the state's failure to meet the needs of its citizens, including the provision of education and relief and rescue efforts after natural disasters. Though not categorically identified as being part of the jihadi agenda, this activism increases the appeal of the JUD among Pakistani citizens, with a possibility of increasing their declared and/or active support for JUD's views on Pakistan's foreign policy.     

Talking out the rage: an ego‐supportive intervention for work with potentially abusive parents

Child abuse experts agree that the single factor ultimately responsible for child maltreatment is the inability of parents to control their aggressive impulses. This paper describes a verbalizing, ego‐supportive intervention for work with potentially abusive parents. It is designed to give parents increased understanding of the experience of parenting and greater control over their angry impulses. The intervention is based on two well‐supported premises: anger towards one's children is natural and inevitable; and putting angry feelings and thoughts into words significantly diminishes the tendency to put them into action. The engagement, ego‐building and prevention benefits of the intervention are discussed.     

Challenges of operationalizing trauma‐informed practice in child protection services in New Zealand

New Zealand is undergoing major change in service delivery to children and families. A new Ministry for Children Oranga Tamariki has been established to oversee 5 work streams, one of which provides intensive intervention with families requiring a statutory response to child protection concerns. The government minister responsible promised that the service would be child‐centred and trauma‐informed. To date, these terms remain undefined, and there is no shared understanding of their meaning. Practice frameworks to support the work of the new ministry are still being developed, creating something of a vacuum in the meantime. The focus of this paper is the challenge of implementing trauma‐informed practice in the child protection service provided by the Intensive Intervention work stream. Limited research or commentary on trauma‐informed practice in this context currently exists. Drawing on the relevant available literature, the concept and its application in child protection social work is explored. An ecological framework is used to discuss the changes needed to achieve this. Particular attention is paid to the impact of historical trauma for indigenous people due to New Zealand's colonial history and their over‐representation in care and protection services.     

Mitigating disaster losses through insurance

Losses from natural disasters have increased in recent years due to growth of population in hazard-prone areas and inadequate enforcement of building codes. This article first examines why homeowners have not voluntarily adopted cost-effective protective measures and have limited interest in purchasing insurance. It then proposes a disaster-management program which utilizes insurance coupled with well-enforced building codes to reduce future damage. Banks and financial institutions play a key role in this program by requiring inspections of homes as a condition for a mortgage. New forms of reinsurance coverage against catastrophic losses from natural disasters are necessary to protect insurers against potential insolvency from the next mega-disaster.     

唐代灾害奏报与监察制度略论

中国的灾害奏报与监察在经历了秦汉魏晋的发展之后,在唐代已经基本成熟,灾情的申报,官员的检覆、监察都已形成了固定的程序,在救灾中得到了执行,并收到一定的效果。但唐代的报灾制度中一直存在着救灾与中央财政控制之间的矛盾,唐政府一直在为提高受灾地方政府应对灾害的主动性和效率而努力。唐代的报灾与灾情监察制度为宋元明清救灾制度的进一步完善奠定了基础。     

Environmental shifts for social work: A principles approach

Miller SE, Hayward RA, Shaw TV. Environmental shifts for social work: A principles approach The social work profession is rooted in a history of addressing the needs of vulnerable populations. Generally, however, this history has not extended to issues relating to the natural environment. Building on a framework of environmental justice, this article proposes a shift from the artificial separation of the social and natural environments in its person‐in‐environment focus to an expanded holistic understanding of the dynamic interplay between human society and the natural environment. It examines issues surrounding environmental and ecological justice, and proposes a principles approach to move the profession towards a paradigm of environmental justice using as its template the 17 Principles of Environmental Justice adopted by the First National People of Color Environmental Leadership Summit in the USA in 1991. It discusses the value of these principles in enhancing social work's capacity to address issues of environmental concern. It proposes that, with greater awareness of the effects of environmental issues on high‐needs populations, the profession would be better able to balance environmental and human concerns.     

Impacts of off‐farm employment on welfare,food security and poverty: Evidence from rural Vietnam

How off‐farm employment can enhance welfare in terms of food consumption and poverty alleviation is a critical question facing many developing countries. This study addressed that question by pursuing two objectives: (i) to quantify the impact of off‐farm employment on rural households’ welfare, food security and poverty; and (ii) to examine the factors that affect their decision to work off‐farm. Using panel data, we estimated a difference‐in‐difference combined with a propensity score matching model. The findings show that off‐farm employment improves income, ensures food security and contributes to poverty alleviation. The results also show that age, marital status, education, labour, financial capital, land, location, market access and losses from natural disasters are significant contributing factors to the decision to participate in off‐farm employment. The findings suggest that to improve the welfare of rural households, the Vietnamese government should proceed with policies that enhance their opportunities for participation in off‐farm employment.     

农民工收入与村庄网络 基于多重模型识别策略的因果效应分析

以往基于家庭网和社交网的实证研究表明,社会网络对农民工的工资收入没有影响。这些结论的得出,很大程度上是由于对农民工个人网的范围界定不准,且对内生性问题解决不够。本文采用22个省份的农户调查数据,针对中国农民工频繁返乡的特点,证实同村打工网的规模与农民工在城市中的收入具有正向因果关系。为解决影响因果判断的内生偏误问题,本文采取赫克曼二阶段法和工具变量方法组合使用的多重模型识别策略,把村庄遭受的自然灾害强度作为工具变量。     

Opportunities and Challenges for Studying Disaster Survivors

Studying survivors of natural disasters and traumatic events provides a unique opportunity to address some of the important and difficult questions in psychology and other social sciences. However, such an opportunity does not come without challenges. Several methodological challenges to studying survivors of natural disasters are discussed, including recruiting participants, choosing appropriate procedures, and the safety of data collectors. Several ethical issues are also presented, such as the ability of participants to make decisions, the impact of participating, and the importance of informed consent. In addition, approaches are suggested that help to deal with these methodological and ethical challenges. We conclude that while attention must be focused on methodological and ethical considerations, research stemming from natural disasters should be employed to answer important basic and applied conceptual questions and address issues of practice and policy, while assuring that steps have been taken to protect participants and that the potential risks are minimal.     

Catastrophic flooding and the response of the real estate market

In February 1986, the levee of the Yuba River broke, flooding the towns of Linda and Olivehurst in northern California. Besides the personal tragedies, were economic disasters. Property values of the houses plummeted. While theories of natural hazards predict that the market will capitalize the risk of flooding into the value of residential property, in areas where the probability is low the risk may be ignored. Factors are the history of past floods, socioeconomic conditions, and the real estate market. Housing prices in Linda and Olivehurst did drop (effectively to zero) immediately after the flood, then recovered relatively quickly to a level significantly lower than before the catastrophe. This suggests that the previous prices did not fully capitalize the risk of this intermittent hazard.     

Poverty‐aware social work practice: service users' perspectives

In recent years, there has been an increase in scholarly writing on the theory and practice of critical social work with people living in poverty. Yet there is a lack of research on the experiences and perspectives of service users regarding this kind of practice. This paper presents a qualitative study that explored the practice of a special poverty‐aware social work programme in Israel, through the experiences of women who took part in it. Using an interpretative interactionist approach, in‐depth interviews with nine women were held three times over a 2‐year period. Findings reveal a high degree of satisfaction with the programme on the part of the women. The satisfaction was derived from four main experiences: the experience of visibility, the experience of the active partnership in the fight against poverty, the experience of close, hierarchy‐challenging relationships, and the experience of responsiveness to material and emotional needs. The findings are discussed in terms of three principles of practice: intervention in a real‐life context, relationship‐based intervention and the focus on both the material and emotional needs and their fulfilment.     

Planning for natural disasters in a stochastic world

We examine the risks and management of natural disasters. A benefit-cost framework focuses attention on (1) designing control structures, such as dams and levees, and mitigation policies, such as construction standards, to protect lives and property against small and medium, rather than large sized natural disasters; and (2) warning and evacuation to save lives for large natural disasters. Providing information rather than command solutions generally enhances social benefits, if people understand the risks and bear the expected costs. Requiring actuarially fair insurance simultaneously provides information and has individuals bear the expected costs.     

Preparing Social Work Students for Working with Disaster Survivors

This paper is an overview of disaster social work and preparing social work students for working with disaster survivors. Disaster has common immediate, and medium‐ and long‐term problems and needs. Experiences from various countries throughout the world suggest a range of helping roles and tasks that social work is suited for. A social work professional has particular expertise in understanding and addressing the immediate, and medium‐ and longer term effects of loss on individuals, families, and communities affected by a disaster. In preparing social work students for working with disaster survivors, social work programs do not introduce enough subject matter or course work about disasters. Practice training, field work, collaboration work, and community service in disaster relief are important academic environments for social work students when learning and practising in disaster settings.     

Risk and resilience factors for substance use among street adolescents: Assessment and development of an integrative model

In this study, risk and protective factors for substance use were explored to develop an intervention program and test its efficacy among male street‐based adolescents. Twenty expert interviews and key informant interviews were conducted. In addition, 30 street adolescents (15 substance‐users and 15 non‐users) participated in four focus group discussions for needs assessment, wherein risk and protective factors were discussed. Based on the identified needs, an intervention package was developed and validated by experts. The package was implemented in a natural environment of 50 street adolescents. After the intervention, about 60% of the respondents quit or cut down on their substance use substantially, and approximately 40% of the respondents agreed to reunite with their respective families, while 20% did not change their substance use habits. The results showed that if several protective factors were present, there was a lower risk of substance use. Many factors contribute to substance use and protective factors need to be strengthened in order to make interventions effective.     

Social work in the making: The state and social work development in China

The instrumental role of government in the development of social work in China has led to questions about its political function. So far, little has been reported on how the government has “made” social work in China. To fill this gap, we first provide a brief chronological review of major policies and activities of the Chinese government in its making of social work in China. The state's intervention has indeed been massive and crucial although, politically, it may limit the mandate of social work in China. Yet, we argue that the development of the social work profession in China is generating institutional space for the emerging civil society to take a more active role in welfare service delivery. Situated and mediating between the state and the emerging civil society, the social work profession in China will need to constantly negotiate its mandate to meet the needs of both sides.     

Getting down to earth: Finding a place for nature in social work practice

Heinsch M. Getting down to earth: Finding a place for nature in social work practice According to Wilson's biophilia hypothesis, people have an innate need to associate with the natural world, and this connection can enhance their physical and psychological well‐being. This hypothesis has sparked an interest in the health benefits of human connection with non‐human nature across a wide range of disciplines backed by evidence of the role of the natural environment in enhancing human well‐being. This article summarises the literature on the health benefits of nature, arguing for the application and positive impact of a nature‐based approach in social work. It challenges practitioners to recognise and articulate the role of the physical environment in their day‐to‐day practice. Implications for social work are identified in recommendations for enhancing opportunities to include non‐human nature in future social work practice.