From Practicum to Preparedness: Building Local Capacity Through a Social Work and Emergency Management Collaboration: A Model for Interprofessional Collaboration

Abstract

In the face of escalating climate-related disasters, building local capacity for disasters is increasingly critical. This case study details a program developed by a large New York City non-governmental organization (NGO) that partnered with university practicum departments in the Greater New York City area. The program aimed to enhance the readiness and response of the organization by leveraging the practicum component of social work education. Housed within the NGO's Emergency Disaster Services unit, it prepared a highly trained and functionally effective volunteer workforce, while simultaneously providing social work students with hands-on learning experiences in capacity building and emergency management. This initiative was developed with the goal of building capacity proactively before a disaster struck. Eight weeks after its launch, Hurricane Sandy hit New York City, providing an immediate and unexpected opportunity to observe the model in action. The organization had access to eight social work students who, despite being new to emergency management, had received eight weeks of training and integration into organizational culture. This unexpected test highlighted the potential value of proactive capacity building and experiential learning approaches in disaster preparedness, though the confounding effects of the crisis make it difficult to isolate the specific contributions of the program from other organizational factors. This collaboration prepared students to engage in macro, mezzo, and micro-level practice, integrating theory with real-world disaster response and recovery applications. The partnership addressed gaps in community readiness, bolstered organizational resilience, and contributed to the broader goals of social work education, including the development of leadership skills, critical thinking, and community engagement. Looking ahead, lessons learned from this initiative emphasize the importance of proactive capacity building, early integration of social work students into organizational culture, and the need for continued interdisciplinary collaboration to effectively prepare for the unpredictable nature of disasters. This approach not only strengthened local capacity but also created a replicable model for other institutions seeking to enhance disaster preparedness and response within their communities.