Reaching Vulnerable Groups through Pandemic Policy (Coursera)

It aims to set up conversations with multiple professionals where they give information about the hurdles on their path, the lessons learned from these turbulent times, and to give an overview of important ideas and practices that could help reshape the future of social work.

In the end, the goal is to provide specific, hands-on, best practices collected from literature and professionals in Belgium and Europe that help organise social work, both during and after a pandemic.

This course was developed as part of the research project 'Pan-European Response to the Impacts of the COVID-19 and future Pandemics and Epidemics'. Funded by the European Commission Research Funding programme Horizon 2020 under the Grant Agreement number 101016233, PERISCOPE investigates the broad socio-economic and behavioural impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic, to make Europe more resilient and prepared for future large-scale risks.

Syllabus

WEEK 1

Introduction

This module will give an introduction to different aspects of vulnerability, (COVID-19-related) inequalities and the impact of the pandemic on social work.

WEEK 2

Impact of COVID-19 on support systems

In this module we will go more in-depth on how the COVID-19 pandemic has impacted different vulnerable groups and therefore different social work practices

WEEK 3: Lessons learned from specific projects

WEEK 4: Summary

WEEK 5: Dr Elizabeth Storer (LSE) - Introduction: 'Hard to Reach'

WEEK 6: Dr Iliana Sarafian (LSE) - Insights from Italian Roma Communities: Trusted Leaders

WEEK 7: Costanza Torre (LSE) - Insights from Border-Crossers: COVID-19 and Politics of Solidarity

WEEK 8: Sara Vallerani (LSE) - Insights from Undocumented Communities in Rome

WEEK 9: Dr Eloisa Franchi (Università degli Studi di Pavi) - Equitable Engagement in Humanitarian Settings