TITLE:
The Role of Social Work and Social Work Leadership in Pandemic Crisis Intervention
AUTHORS:
Hai Luo
KEYWORDS:
Social Work, Transformative Leadership, Pandemic, Crisis Intervention, Crisis Management
JOURNAL NAME:
Open Journal of Social Sciences,
Vol.9 No.5,
May
31,
2021
ABSTRACT: This summative theoretical paper describes the role of social work in disaster management and pandemic response, as well as the leadership that social workers can provide in pandemic crisis intervention. Past practice and research have identified three major characteristics of social work contributions in disaster management: integrated psychosocial intervention, emphasis on community participation, and application of strengths-focused and asset-driven approaches. Social work leadership, especially transformative leadership in disaster management, is also discussed. This paper aims to provide inspiration from previous successful experience to social workers in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic intervention, so that practitioners will develop, expand, or strengthen their own disaster management models and establish strong leadership that will lead to success in the intervention process.