Addressing disaster fatigue: A SAFE framework for enhancing disaster resilience in social work

Abstract

An increase in exposure to successive disaster events is causing widespread adverse impacts on social workers worldwide, resulting in escalated levels of stress and exhaustion. This article examines the concept of disaster fatigue and its impact on social workers engaging in disaster practice. A SAFE framework for addressing disaster fatigue is outlined involving: (S) sustaining self-care; (A) adopting a trauma-informed approach; (F) fostering professional capability; and (E) enhancing disaster preparedness. Implications for social work involve the need to move beyond individualised notions of burnout, compassion fatigue and secondary traumatic stress towards a collective and multidimensional approach to enhancing disaster resilience.