Social work in disaster intervention: accounts from the grounds of Sichuan

Rising to the occasion: Disaster social work in China

“…This was seriously compounded by misgivings about social workers' roles and mandates as the government and local people did not know what the profession could offer due to general ignorance about social work (Ku et al, 2009;Liu, 2009). Despite many structural, financial and professional constraints and challenges and obstacles, social workers, especially those who were young and inexperienced, have risen to the occasion and accomplished considerably in the few short years after the earthquake by working with a diverse population in highly demanding conditions which were adversely affected by the earthquake.…”

“…There is little doubt that disaster management is an integral part of social work (Gillespie, 2008;Ku et al, 2009;Tumelty, 1990). Social workers are known to play an important role in all phases of disaster management (Banerjee & Gillespie, 1994;Dodds & Nuehring, 1996;Padgett, 2002;Sim, 2010;Yanay and Benjamin, 2005) via micro-, meso-and macro-level interventions (Javadian, 2007;Zakour, 2007).…”

“…Apart from the countless resilient testimonies we have heard from children, their families and communities, even though they suffered tremendous loss including disability, grief, and loss of properties. The Chinese are indeed exemplary in rising to the occasion rebuilding their lives and homes, which Chinese social workers need to learn and appreciate more as they forge their identity by taking up a new mission (Ku et al, 2009). As Participant 16 so astutely put:…”

‘Rural–Urban Alliance’ as a new model for post-disaster social work intervention in community reconstruction: The case in Sichuan, China

“…It was reported that 45.6 million people were affected; of these, 15 million were evacuated from their homes and 5 million were compelled to live in temporary shelters (United States Geological Survey, 2008). After the 5.12 earthquake, the Chinese government quickly took steps to rebuild the physical infrastructure of the disaster-affected zones, but the social reconstruction of the area in terms of psychosocial recovery and community reintegration was given relatively little attention (Ku et al, 2009). Our research is an attempt to fill this gap and to propose a viable model for social reconstruction.…”

Role of the Professional Helper in Disaster Intervention: Examples from the Wenchuan Earthquake in China

“…Social workers in Western societies have a long history of dealing with the aftermath of natural disasters (Ku, Ip, & Xiong, 2009). Social workers play an important role in the disaster management circle, from preparation to mitigation and recovery (Zakours, 1996).…”