Internationalising Institutional and Professional Practices: Community Partnership Models of Change in Post-Tsunami Sri Lanka

Dominelli, Lena (2015). Internationalising Institutional and Professional Practices: Community Partnership Models of Change in Post-Tsunami Sri Lanka. [Data Collection]. Colchester, Essex: Economic and Social Research Council. 10.5255/UKDA-SN-850859

The 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami disaster attracted international goodwill and willingness to fund the redevelopment of affected communities. Most attention focused on the immediate aftermath. Little thought went into long-term rebuilding of lives and livelihoods, creating sustainable communities or fully engaging local people in decisions taken. The Durham University Project Sri Lanka Institutional Model (Durham Model) and International Association of Schools of Social Work (IASSW) Rebuilding Peoples' Lives After Disasters Network associated with social work's community-based empowerment model (IASSW Model) aimed to counteract these weaknesses by providing ground-breaking work in the processes of internationalization in the context of globalisation and a humanitarian impulse to help from a social justice value base.

Data description (abstract)

In examining these two models, this research follows an interpretive ethnographic approach that uses a range of quantitative and qualitative methods including mapping disaster interventions; participant observations; and narrative interviews. The findings will attract considerable interest, not least because the Durham Model has a proven track record of success as evidenced by HEFCE and British Council recognition, and because the UN and IASSW are interested in the anticipated transferable skills, paradigm shifts in professional practice and curricula developments that are expected to arise from the findings.

Data creators:

Creator Name	Affiliation	ORCID (as URL)
Dominelli Lena	Durham University

Contributors:

Name	Affiliation	ORCID (as URL)
Palmer-Cooper Joy

Sponsors:

ESRC

Grant reference:

RES-062-23-1025

Topic classification:

Politics
Trade, industry and markets

Keywords:

disasters, humanitarian aid

Project title:

Internationalising Institutional and Professional Practices: Community Partnership Models of Change in Post-Tsunami Sri Lanka

Grant holders:

Lena Dominelli, Joy PalmerCooper

Project dates:

From	To
26 January 2009	30 April 2013

Date published:

29 Apr 2013 17:17

Last modified:

30 Mar 2015 13:52

Coverage and Methodology

Collection period:

Date from:	Date to:
26 January 2009	30 April 2013

Country:

Sri Lanka

Data collection method:

1. In-depth, semi-structured interviews of visiting students before and after immersion in Sri Lankan communities to ascertain pre-departure goals, personal aspirations and attitudes, and post-experience knowledge, attitudes and values and extent to which these were achieved. Three cohorts of visiting students will be interviewed (45 IM; 45 PPM (79 completed)), to evaluate their immediate and longer-term perceptions of the impact of overseas work on themselves and communities they became immersed in;

2. Semi-structured interviews (30 (38 completed)) with academic staff and students in various disciplines including social work. These explored academic contributions to community empowerment partnership models and whether academic partnerships can meet social needs; and advance human knowledge.

3. Interviews (30 (195 completed)) with senior officers of key local organisations and partners including: national Sri Lankan and other CSOs, policymakers and international aid officers to explore the benefits of partnership and challenges to establishing long-term sustainability.

4. In-depth ethnographic forms of data collection - participant observations, narratives, autobiographical statements and recorded conversations with members of local communities to determine the impact of the IM and PPM interventions on tsunami-devastated communities. Researchers will live in and visit 3 IM and 3 PPM villages (12 visited) to determine their impact over 3 years and obtain insights into short and longer-term benefits to individuals and communities, and their sustainability over time.

5. 2 (12 completed) Focus Groups of social work educators, practitioners and students - one at the beginning of the project to ascertain questions to identify capacity building and training needs; and one at the end to check the authenticity of findings.

Observation unit:

Individual, Organization

Kind of data:

Numeric

Type of data:

Qualitative and mixed methods data

Resource language:

English

Access and Administration