The Australian ‘Black Summer’ season: An intersectional analysis of community service workers’ experiences

Madeline Rusconi, Heather Boetto

Research output: Other contribution to conferenceAbstractpeer-review

Abstract

An increase in the frequency and intensity of disasters is causing disproportionate and cumulative impacts on disadvantaged people and communities. Social work, a profession committed to justice and equity, is deeply concerned about the unfolding widespread human and ecological suffering caused by disasters. Yet, despite social work’s increasing engagement in disasters, the evidence base for practice remains underdeveloped. This presentation reports on a small study exploring post-disaster service provision from the perspectives of community service workers following the Australian ‘Black Summer’ season of 2019-20. The research took place in rural New South Wales and focused on one of the more significant fires based on scale and impact, known as the ‘Dunn’s Road’ bushfire. Using a qualitative semi-structured design, six community service workers were interviewed about their experiences delivering post-disaster services to communities affected by the bushfire. An intersectional lens revealed insights into service provision challenges associated with overlapping forms of identities, such as rurality, culture, and gender. Overall, results revealed four key themes, including impacts of rurality, accounting for diverse needs, influencing structural factors and safeguarding professional wellbeing. These findings locate intersecting social categories within a broader socio-cultural-political system and reinforce social work’s multidimensional approach to disaster practice. The research stimulates action relevant to the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals, particularly in relation to goal 13 (climate action) and goal 10 (reducing inequality). Implications suggest the need to embed disaster practice more visibly into organisational and professional domains to support practitioner wellbeing and advance social work disaster practice.
Original languageEnglish
Pages74-75
Number of pages2
Publication statusPublished - 02 Nov 2023
EventANZSWWER Symposium 2023 - Griffith University , Gold Coast, Australia
Duration: 02 Nov 202303 Nov 2023
https://www.anzswwer.org/symposium
file:///C:/Users/bmt175/AppData/Local/Microsoft/Windows/INetCache/Content.Outlook/F1E4DK6V/2023-Symposium-Book-of-Abstracts-v4.pdf (Book of abstracts)

Conference

ConferenceANZSWWER Symposium 2023
Abbreviated titleBeing Global, Regional and Local in Social Work and Human Services-Opportunities and Challenges for Innovation
Country/TerritoryAustralia
CityGold Coast
Period02/11/2303/11/23
OtherBook of abstracts attached to PID 415483944
Internet address

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