Social Work Following Terror Attacks, War and Mass Disasters
| Social Work Following Terror Attacks, War and Mass Disasters |
| The Unique Jerusalem Experience Abstracts of lectures presented at a seminar held on July 14, 2002  A Letter from the Director: Since October 2000, Israeli society has been exposed to an unprecedented scale of terrorist attacks. Jerusalem, unfortunately, has been specially hard hit during this period in which 103 people have been killed, mostly residents of the city, and hundreds injured. The emergency management procedures define, among other things, the social workers’ role in treating victims of tragedies in both wartime and peaceful situations. However, the intensity of the events, their frequency and the large numbers of victims have thrust the social workers into professional situations and personal involvement that they have never previously experienced. The Social Services Department administration feels that a complex and rich world of professional knowledge lies beneath the social workers’ unique professional experience, knowledge that should be conceptualized, formulated and documented, in order to inform the wider professional community. In addition to their difficult routine tasks and busy schedules, the workers have responded by participating and investing time and effort in the documentation process. This booklet is a summary of the presentations by the department’s workers on July 14, 2002 at a seminar on ”Social Work in Emergency Situations: The Unique Experience of the Jerusalem Municipality’s Social Services Department Workers”. A wide range of professional interventions were described at the seminar, interventions designed to help the victims cope with the difficult experiences to which they were exposed. These interventions were undertaken in various venues: the scene of the attack, the homes of the families, the forensic medicine institute, the hospitals, and in the surrounding community, both during and after the emergency. These interventions reflect professional approaches grounded in accumulated experience, in training received for the task, in individual intuition, and in the various social service laws, and they raise a series of professional dilemmas, lessons and conclusions, and personal ways of relating to the events. Hundreds of Social Services Department workers have been involved in treating the city’s residents in the wake of emergencies. Their professional and personal contribution, their perseverance and their dedication are commendable. We all hope that both Jerusalem and Israel as a whole will experience tranquility in the near future. Laura Sznajder Director of the Social Services Department | ||
Introduction Organizational Aspects of Directing an Emergency Intervention Managing Treatment In The Case Of Terror Attacks – The Social Services Department’s Treatment Model Managing the Social Services Team at the Scene of the Terror Attack “The Worker in the Center” in Emergency Situations – From the Viewpoint of the Regional Social Services Office The Tragic Night: The Immediate Professional Intervention, Setting up an Information Center and Treating Families An Emergency Routine for Managing A Social Services Bureau Beyond Despair – Major Aspects Involved in Accompanying Families to the Institute Of Forensic Medicine Locating and Supporting Residents Living In The Area Of The Terror Attack Professional Interventions Terror Attacks Home-Based Interventions For The Families Of The Victims – The Uniqueness Of The Encounter With Families In The Wake Of A Terror Attack Decision Making and Principles of Intervention with Families in Emergency Situations Terminating Professional Interventions with Families in Emergency Situations An Issue in Emergency Interventions: Separating From the Victims’ Families Breaking the News To The Children Accompanying Families in the First Hours after the Terror Attack Intervening Professionally and Accompanying Religious/Ultra-Orthodox Families to the Institute Of Forensic Medicine on the Sabbath Accompanying Families in the Initial Hours after the Terror Attack Informing the Children Together And Alone – Professional, Treatment, And Personal Aspects Accompanying Families to the Institute for Forensic Medicine – Tasks and Particular Dilemmas Crossroads In The Process Of Accompanying Families Professional Work at the Scene of the Terror Attack – The Beit Israel Neighborhood A Professional Emergency Intervention in A Family with Unique Characteristics – From Crisis to Change An Emergency Professional Intervention with A Family Dealing With Divorce The Language of Time during Professional Interventions in Terror Attacks Border Neighborhoods Social Workers under Fire – Documenting Professional Work in the Wake of the Shooting on Gilo Families under Fire – Distinctive Aspects Mass Casualty Tragedies Organizing Individual Casework On The Night Of The Versailles Tragedy Individual Casework with Victims Of the “Versailles” Tragedy System Aspects of Emergency Situations Providing Services To the Victims of A Mass Civilian Tragedy Coordination and Cooperation between Social Services Department Workers and The Social Services Department of the Hospitals in the Wake of Terror Attacks Working With Volunteer Organizations in Emergency Situations Communications Breakdowns with the Media – Media Influence on the Victims’ Families Following Professional Interventions The Contribution of Long-Term Professional Interventions for the Victims of A Mass Tragedy – The “Versailles” Tragedy Appointing A Guardian For Children Whose Parents Have Been Killed In A Terror Attack Encouraging Social Workers Who Participated In Emergency Situations to Talk about Their Experiences