How do we make a generic social work curriculum disaster‐informed?

Abstract

Globally, the social work qualifying curriculum is a dynamic construction of core subjects reflective of local contexts, responsive to the principles of the IFSW definition (IFSW, 2014). Whilst the urgency of disaster highlights the imperative for determining the nature of the social work role and response, the possibilities of a disaster-informed curriculum are often subsumed within a host of competing demands. How then can we plan for the unpredictable and ensure that a qualifying social work curriculum contains sufficient preparation for graduate capacity in disaster risk reduction (DRR)? Whilst a minority of qualifying programmes contain specific disaster modules, the challenge for much of social work education is to insert sufficient disaster knowledge through linkages to existing curriculum foci. Starting with an overview of skills and knowledge required for DRR, this practical presentation illustrates ways in which a generic social work curriculum can be infiltrated and embedded with disaster-informed knowledge.