Summary

Hurricane Maria made landfall on the southwest coast of Dominica on the 18th September 2017 as a category 5 Hurricane with 160mph wind speed. This left 31 people dead, 37 missing. Around 65,000, that is, approximately 80% of the population were directly affected and more than 90% of roofs were damaged or destroyed. Power and water supplies were disrupted and entire crops destroyed.This research examined the psychosocial issues that faced the Dominican population of female headed households after Hurricane Maria. It also examined the current physical state of homes of these women as they struggle to find some form of normalcy in living. Its main focus will support community resilience, one of the four priority areas of the Regional Comprehensive Disaster Management Strategy. The results can hopefully motivate people and or organisations to become more involved in comprehensive disaster management and have long term changes which can have a positive national, regional and international implications for strengthening disaster resilience.Pre-existing, structural gender inequalities mean that disasters affect women and girls in different ways than they affect boys and men. The vulnerability of females increases when they are in a lower socioeconomic group, particularly in the Global South. This vulnerability impacts preparedness, evacuation, response, number of deaths and recovery. The reasons for this vulnerability can often be traced to the roles females hold in society and existing gender and cultural norms where they live. Research in this area can help the understanding of women and how they cope in such disasters.The aims were: To examine the living conditions of persons immediately after Hurricane Maria and also four years later; to find out what issues and challenges are impacting their quality of life and to expose the gaps in their current needs.

Keywords (separate with commas)

Caribbean, disaster, Hurricane Maria, climate change, female headed households, SIDS

Summary

This presentation will explore the response and experience of social workers in Malawi dealing with the immediate impact and consequences of disaster on communities as a direct consequence of the impact of global climate change. Malawi, one of the poorest countries in the world (172/189), is particularly prone to adverse climate hazards that include dry spells, seasonal droughts, intense rainfall, riverine floods, and flash floods. We will focus on the learning from the recent experiences of the impact of Cyclone Freddy, which dissipated six months of rain fall in six days in Southern Malawi in March 2023, leading to loss of life, injury and devastation of crops, homes and infrastructure. Drawing on the voices of social workers (n=20) we will highlight some of their experiences, and the impact and responses of social workers. We will explore critical issues for social work and social work practice in responding to and dealing with the consequences of disaster on individuals, citizens and communities. We will highlight micro and macro challenges for social work practice. We will consider future actions to building adaptive capacity for social work to respond to future threats and disasters. 

Keywords (separate with commas)

Malawi, Disaster Management,  Social Workers, citizens and communities,  challenges,  future action 

Summary

This abstract fits closely with three sub-themes: poverty and social inequalities4, climate change and social work and social development6, and social work social policy and the Sustainable Development Goals14.\ The Perivoli Schools Trust (PST) is an educarer training programme which offers free training for early childcare and education professionals who support children aged 0-4 years old through centre-based provision. The programme began in Namibia in 2012 and has since been expanded to other countries in southern Africa. Namibia is ranked as a middle-income country but has one of the most unequal distributions of income per capita in the world, with more than 43% of people living in poverty4\ (NSA, 2021).\ Whilst the PST programme is present in all of Namibia’s 14 regions, it is more prevalent in rural and poor areas4 because of its strong focus upon the capacity building of staff4\ and the sustainable use of waste materials to improvise teaching resources and activities in the absence of funding 6.\ The project connects closely with the UN Sustainable Development Goals 3/4/5 (good health and wellbeing, quality education, and gender equality4) 12/13 (responsible consumption and production, and climate action6), and the Global Agenda for Social Work and Social Development in promoting sustainable communities and environmentally sensitive development through sustainable human relationships (IFSW, 2012)14.This paper presents the findings from the 3-year collaborative qualitative study between the University of Namibia and the University of Bristol, UK. Interviews (n=74), Africa-centric talking circles (n=6) and creative arts-based workshops (n=6) were undertaken in six early years centres, with educarers, parents and family members, children and members of the community within three diverse regions in Namibia. Data was thematically analysed collaboratively by academics from both partner institutions using a virtual platform. \ Emerging themes were identified and the preliminary findings from the project will be presented.

Keywords (separate with commas)

Early Years, Childcare, Communities, Education, Social Development, Waste Materials, Environmental, Sustainability, Poverty, Social Impact

Summary

The climate crisis is accelerating even quicker than feared and has devastating consequences for nature, animals and the people, especially people that social workers engage with.\\ Sweden has, despite severe cutdowns, an international reputation for being a sucessful welfare state and it has\\  a strong self-conceptualisation as being a role model for environmental sustainability. Yet,\\ Swedes have one of the highest ecological footprints on earth on account of high consumption rates.\\  The\\ 2022 People’s Charter exhort social workers across the globe to embrace\\ eco-social justice and environmental sustainability, with the first call to action framed as\\ Ecological integrity: From exploitation to recognising the rights of nature for sustainable co-existence.\\ This presentation, drawn from qualitative research with social workers in Sweden, highlights the gaps between global rhetoric and on the ground realities, and the huge chasm between\\  social worker’s commitment to climate justice on a personal level and their professional practice. The empirical data show that while social workers are aware of the importance of responding to climate change, they see the call to action as being far removed from the demands of daily practice.\\  There are strong indications that individualization, specialization and\\  the impositions of efficiency and narrowly defined outcomes, which are features of neoliberalism and new public management, influence social workers’ scope of work in decided ways.\\  \\ We discuss the implications of these for the politization of social work and the importance of an emancipatory praxis in social work education and practice.\\ 

Keywords (separate with commas)

climate crisis, eco-social justice, neoliberalism, new public management, emancipatory praxis\\ 

Summary

The ecological crisis goes far beyond global warming: the decline in biodiversity also is a significant issue affecting communities' well-being worldwide. Those impacts are particularly striking when it comes to cultural keystone species, i.e. species that shape the culture – and the social fabric – of a people. In British Columbia, salmon species are recognized as cultural keystone. However, salmon populations have plummeted over the last few decades. While the psychosocial consequences of this decline have been explored in the literature, research is scarce as to how such a disaster can be a lever for social-ecological change. Through in-depth, semi-structured interviews with relevant stakeholders (n=10), this research demonstrates how the decline in salmon populations in British Columbia has proven to be a catalyst for social-ecological resilience in some communities impacted, and how the adversity caused by this disaster transformed those communities in innovative ways and permitted them to "leap" forward. Focusing on community narratives identified by the participants, this research analyzes what conditions promoted or hindered such change. Three case studies are identified: 1) the eviction of fish farms in the Broughton Archipelago by local First Nations and their allies; 2) the creation of the Cowichan Watershed Board following a major drought and 3) the responses to the Big Bar Landslide on the Fraser River. Furthermore, the author also reflects on the role of social workers in social-ecological change, arguing that the expertise of social workers in intervening at the junction of people and their environment must include the ecological context.

Keywords (separate with commas)

biodiversity, community mobilization, cultural keystone species, ecological conservation/restoration, environmental justice, Indigenous knowledge, narratives, resilience, social-ecological systems

Summary

Since the 1960s, sustainability has emerged as a significant topic in academic literature and political discourse, providing an opportunity to bridge social justice concerns with environmental issues. Within the realm of social work literature, the concept of sustainability has become a prominent subject of discussion, primarily through the line of research affiliated with eco and green social work (Matthies et al. 2001; Dominelli, 2012; Boetto, 2017). In this context, involving and engaging service users appears to be a valuable methodology for social work to achieve sustainability, as highlighted by Cuthill (2010).To gain a deeper comprehension of the topic, we carried out a systematic literature review using the PRISMA method. The central research question that directed this review was: How does participation contribute to enhancing the sustainability of social work? The selection of the 94 contributions, downloaded from Scopus and top SW journals, was based on specific criteria: the publication timeframe (from 2000 to June 2023), language (English), and publication following a blind double peer review process. Furthermore, the inclusion criteria extended to encompass exclusively articles based on empirical research to elucidate the existing empirical evidence.\\\ To conduct the paper’s analysis, a data extraction table was devised to accommodate the content of the selected articles. The findings, which will be presented during the conference, revealed the following aspects: 1) The study's type and employed methodology; 2) The definition of participation and/or sustainability; 3) The role attributed to service users; 4) What is acknowledged to service users’s participation by social workers? ; 5) The underlying motivations prompting social workers to encourage participation; 6) The level of intervention (individual, group, community) addressed; 7) The specific area of intervention. The literature review highlights the necessity for empirical research that assesses the mechanisms and specific dimensions through which participation enhances the sustainability of social work.\\\ 

Keywords (separate with commas)

sustainability, eco-social work, participation, involvment.

Summary

Displaced migrants as a vulnerable population have limited access to resources in their host country. The reasons many have migrated from their homeland may be due to the culminating events of political unrest, violence, poverty, lack of access to healthcare and economic opportunities. This experience coupled with the migration journey experience (e.g., human trafficking) can make migrants susceptible to mental illness, substance abuse, as well as worsening health conditions. Once relocated to a new land with different cultures, language and customs, if the host country does not have adequate social services that can feed, house, teach and provide healthcare, the migrant will feel even more isolated and marginalized which makes their tangible concerns ignored or minimized. In small island developing states where resources are limited yet in high demand, tending to a displaced migrants’ needs is a daunting task. \ Public social service agencies are overwhelmed, leaving non-profit organizations and United Nations agencies responsible for most of the migrants’ needs. Considering climate change, and the changing weather patterns with sudden earthquakes or hurricanes, migrants may face the devastating experience of being displaced again. This chapter will examine small Caribbean island’s social services agencies’ capacity to provide services to displaced migrants if there is a natural disaster. It will address the inadequacies in current social service \ agencies to address migrants and the recommendations needed to assist this population with dignity and worth of the person.\ \ 

Keywords (separate with commas)

migrants, climate change, social services\ 

Summary

Practicum, also known as field education, is the signature pedagogy in social work education. Practicum is the site where students learn to integrate and apply the values, knowledge, complex practices and skills of the social work profession. Despite its importance, field education is in crisis. Social work education programs are experiencing significant challenges with delivering practicum experiences for students. There is an urgent need for social work education programs to re-vision how the profession prepares the next generation of social workers. This presentation will discuss the TFEL partnership, and Green Social Work Advisory, that aims to integrate research and practice in the preparation of the next generation of social workers by developing partnered research training initiatives, both within academia and across the public and not-for-profit sectors, that enhance student and trainee research practice knowledge and applied skill development. The partnership is structured in three streams: (1) Digital Storytelling, (2) Development of Sustainable Field Education Models and (3) Applied Practice Research. A partnership approach is required to transform social work field education through multi-partner engagement, from a crisis model to sustainable models. This presentation will highlight the Green Social Work Advisory and how the partnership is facilitating climate action and environmental justice in social work. This partnership (2019-2025) is funded by a Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada (SSHRC) partnership grant. Improved research training and mentorship related to field education and practice research will be discussed. 

Keywords (separate with commas)

Field education, climate action, environmental justice, training, mentorship, sustainability

Summary

Despite Nepal being a vulnerable nation to climate change, and its over a three decades of history of social work education and practice, this subject-matter is yet to be mainstreamed in Nepali social work pedagogy and praxes. Given this backdrop; and meantime, drawing on the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change’s recent promotion of Indigenous knowledge and practice, and development in the field of social work and climate change, this presentation aims to explore about climate change and social work in Nepal from an Indigenous perspective. In doing so, firstly, this presentation discusses about the context of climate change and social work in Nepal. Then, it explores how the issue of climate change has been explored in global social work and what a nation like Nepal can learn from it. And finally, it proposes what should inform the idea of climate change and social work in Nepal from an Indigenous perspective. Knowledge thus produced in this presentation will not only help Nepali social work to design and prepare itself to better respond to the worsening effects of climate change in Nepal but also it will aid other similar nations elsewhere to integrate Indigenous views while responding to the effects of climate change.      

Keywords (separate with commas)

Climate change, social work, Indigenous perspective, Nepal

Summary

Introduction: Equitable resilience programming mitigates the impact of a disaster. Our approach is both emergent and leadership driven. Both are needed to drive and sustain community-level change to promote equitable resilience,  for marginalized communities.  Hurricane Ida resulted in several deaths & injuries, thousands of destroyed and/or uninhabitable properties, hampered economic development, and disrupted essential  services. As a result of great need amongst communities impacted by Hurricane Ida, The Consortium for Equitable Disaster Resilience (CEDR), was established. Methodology: Our emphasis on equitable disaster resilience, is achieved through evidence-based practice focused on the full spectrum of community stakeholders. This was achieved through a community-based participatory research approach. Our modalities used with the CEDR to achieve equitable resilience included strategic and operational planning, organizational management, targeted curriculum development, training, application of new and relevant information and communication technologies, monitoring and evaluation, and community-based participatory research. Findings:  The project produced several resilience enhancing findings, replicable across regions impacted by climate change. Results included: Through research conducted on barriers and breakages for disaster financing, the project produced a series of products that included, a grant writing program, research on the current state of associated barriers in accessing financial assistance for marginalized communities. We developed an equitable resilience framework for communities that is focused on addressing climate change, equity, and disaster events with an emphasis on addressing disaster financing barriers. Significance: Through our work  we captured best practices for equitable disaster resilience. A baseline equity checklist was created from our literature review, a community-based participatory research study, to inform policy and practice around disaster financing and recovery. The divide between local leaders and communities was addressed. Findings from this project should be used to improve overall decision making for providing disaster and essential services to the most vulnerable impacted by climate change, inequity, and disaster events.  

Keywords (separate with commas)

Climate Change, Equity, Resilience, Disaster

Summary

Child marriage is a (in)formal marriage or union in which one of the partners is 18 years old and/or under. Although boys can also be victims of child marriages, the rates of girls who are married before their 18 birthday in sub-Saharan Africa and South Asia is much higher. Factors that contribute to child marriages vary to include socio-political, cultural, economical, and environmental factors. Climate change has a disproportionately severe impact on developing countries through changes in temperatures, rainfall, extreme weather events and sea levels — despite most emissions coming from the Global North. And yet, a range of voices is missing in the debates and discussions on climate change and sexual and reproductive wellbeing – including child marriages.thClimate change is a global environmental phenomenon, which will affect everyone and pose major threats to goals related to human-centred sustainable development. While there has been increased recognition on the link between child marriages and climate change, there are missing voices, and knowledge and practice gaps in understanding the complexities and connections. This paper is a review of secondary data that seeks to explore missing voices and climate vulnerabilities – as factors that facilitate child marriages. Preliminary data indicate that climate change increases vulnerabilities of child marriage. In addition, the indirect affects of climate change can have worse-off consequences because they often challenging to predict because of being a consequence of consequences. By integrating diverse voices, we expand debates, networks, and interdisciplinary research on the climate change-child marriage nexus.\ 

Keywords (separate with commas)

child marriages, environmental crises, climate vulnerability, diverse voices

Summary

The presentation will contend that the importance of time, place and space to tangata whenua as indigenous social work practitioners in Aotearoa New Zealand, is of value to the profession of social work as a whole.The difference in perceptions and as a consequence, perspectives is evident when the indigenous voice and practices that are professional in their own determination, may not align with the perceptions of the profession of social work. This is where the challenge of competing forces becomes apparent.The place of marae in the understanding of tangata whenua social work practitioners provides a place of belonging and by association obligation, which is supported by geographical markers that identify the boundaries to strengthen the sense of space and the ancestral narratives that transcend the passing of time. These points of identification enhance the understanding of who I am as a person and as a social work practitioner.The translation of these understandings and practices into the profession of social work are often met with divergence of perception and perspective in understanding and practice. Time, place and space become contextualized by intention and responsibility not obligation.The necessity to complete a risk assessment or to respond to the urgency of a referral bring into question the notion of being a ‘professional’ and the intention of a particular action. The substantiation of the action is primarily about ‘qualification’ not a sense of belonging, responsibility to the profession not an obligation to the people. The indigenous voice and practice can so easily become subsumed in the perceptions and perspectives that govern such considerations, which are almost dialectically opposed.It is contended navigation of place and space requires time but the connection and relationship that follows will be invaluable in progressing the profession of social work as agents of social change.

Keywords (separate with commas)

Indigenous voice; profession of social work; time, space and place, agents of social change. 

Summary

The presentation will explore the origins of Lore and Law in Aotearoa New Zealand, and how they emanate from two different perspectives: the tangata whenua (indigenous peoples) and those people who came afterwards, each bringing their perspectives that originate in a different understanding of the order of a given society and as a consequence, the different influence on the profession and Profession of Social Work.\ One of the Competence Standards of the profession of social work in Aotearoa New Zealand is:“9. Competence to practice within legal and ethical boundaries of the social work profession”.However, if there is a difference in perspective, the challenge is how to navigate the difference or advocate for one over the other according to applicability.\ If both ensure the safety of a service's recipients by maintaining the integrity of social work practice, then how is relevance determined?\ To a tangata whenua person the lore is embedded in tikanga (correct procedure) and consequently, indicative of the origins that have a whakapapa (lineage) starting from ancestral knowledge and practice, with the korowai (cloak) of atua (spiritual beings).\ \ The whakapapa (lineage) of law arises from the cases brought before the courts or in the regulations that govern a profession. The script is more about rights rather than obligations. People have a right to be protected but the obligation to the safety of a society may not be so evident. This is where the debate between individual rights and collective obligations becomes most apparent.\ For a tangata whenua social worker lore, in particular tikanga (correct procedure), are most influential in practice as a professional. However, for a social worker who is tangata whenua (indigenous), the Profession of Social Work becomes the determining factor.\ 

Keywords (separate with commas)

indigenous, social work, profession, lore, law

Summary

Cultural and sexual identities are complex processes of identity development for urban Indigenous youth who, as a consequence of colonial violence, historical and intergenerational traumas, have higher incidences of child sexual abuse, early pregnancies (Ball, 2009; Statistics Canada, 2006), sexually transmitted infections (First Nations Information Governance Centre, 2012), and suicide (Wilson, 2015) compared to their non-Indigenous peers. Drawing on a gendered-lens framework recognizing the interplay of indigeneity, ethnicity, gender, class, sexuality, geography, age and ability this study uses a Youth Participatory Action Research methodology to engage Indigenous youth across the gender-identity spectrum through storywork (Archibald, 2008; Archibald & Parent, 2019) to determine culturally relevant programming and services to support their sexual health, identity and sense of belonging. In the Grounding Phase of the research individual storytelling sessions with three Elders and five Indigenous service providers (Blackfoot, Metis, Cree) yielded seven key pathways forward including the need for service providers to recognize the impact of historical and ongoing colonial violence and genocide across mainstream systems, programs, and services on Indigenous youth who consequently need to see their culture and cultural identities represented in authentic ways in order to feel safe, develop trust, build relationships and engage in services.In the Gathering Phase, peer-interviews were conducted with 14 gender and sexual identity diverse Indigenous youthIn the Knowledge Creation Phase the research team and youth co-researchers highlighted the importance of the intersectionality of their identities, underscored the challenges they faced in accessing the medical system (stigma, bias, etc.,), suggested training needs for service providers and Elders and recommended the need for trauma-informed sexual health programming. In this presentation we share the findings of the research and invite you to consider how best to engage gender and sexually diverse Indigenous youth to develop culturally based programs aimed at responding to their sexual health needs

Keywords (separate with commas)

Indigenous youth; sexual health; youth participatory action

Summary

This paper suggests that elements of the African philosophy of Ubuntu are evident in cultural retentions in the African diaspora in the Caribbean. Narratives from interviews conducted with eighteen grassroots female leaders of voluntary community organizations were used to theorise an ethic of responsibility to help and support others as a morality that fits squarely within Ubuntu philosophy. Elements of the ethic of responsibility to help and support others included being a community person, having a sense of purpose, and helping others. These elements were then used to construct a reflective framework with key reflective questions for use by aspiring Ubuntu practitioners. The framework is particularly designed for macro and mezzo level Social Workers engaging in Community and policy practice or working in institutions, but it is also useful for practitioners practicing at the micro level.

Keywords (separate with commas)

Ubuntu, Ethic of Responsibility, Caribbean, reflective framework