Working with Families Experiencing Vulnerability A Partnership Approach

Supporting families during disaster recovery will be a growing focus for practitioners as the impacts of anthropogenic climate change intensify in Australia and Aotearoa New Zealand. This chapter outlines the key considerations in working with communities affected by disasters, and highlights best practice examples for building connectedness and psychological resilience. The effects of anthropogenic climate change (i.e., changes caused or influenced by people, either directly or indirectly) are widespread and rapidly intensifying. A lack of political and corporate action in addressing increasing greenhouse gases, land degradation and loss of biodiversity has exacerbated conditions for disasters and pandemics. Within Australia, changing climate conditions have resulted in longer and more severe bushfire seasons, shifting patterns and intensity of tropical cyclones, increased flooding, and periods of drought. This chapter will focus on the individual and community impacts of geological (e.g. earthquakes, landslides, and volcanoes) and climatic disasters (e.g. cylcones, bushfires, and drought), and the ways that practitioners can work with families to support their recovery.