Case management is a “procedure to plan, seek, and monitor services from different social agencies and staff on behalf of a client” (Barker, 2003, p. 58). For certain clients, case management can have a positive impact on their quality of life, service outcomes, an/or the cost of service or care. Most clients needing case management services have multiple problems that require assistance from more than one provider that needs to be addressed at the same time, or around the same time, as well as special difficulties in seeking and using help effectively. These difficulties usually stem from one or more of the following factors:
External barriers: Barriers in a client’s environment such as absent resources, unavailable resources, or inadequate resources. In some cases, a primary resource exists, but a client can’t use it because he lacks a secondary resource such as transportation or child care.
Inherent incapacities: Factors outside a client’s control that interfere with his ability to communicate effectively with helpers or participate actively in helping himself. Examples include intellectual disabilities, chronic medical conditions, severe mental illness, etc.
Internal barriers: These are attitudes, beliefs, or values of a client that produces patterns of behavior that interfere with his ability to seek, accept, or use help when he needs it. Examples include feeling helpless and overwhelmed, blaming others, denying problems, etc.
Roles of Case Management:
Counselor: Establishes a trusting relationship, provides the client with encouragement and emotional support in coping with day-to-day living situations and obstacles he encounters while using resources and services. Helps clients identify dysfunctional patterns of behavior that are preventing a client from getting and using help effectively and helps him develop more functional patterns.
Broker/Coordinator: Connects a client with appropriate resources (broker) and then facilitates continuing interactions between a client and service providers (Coordinator).
Advocate: The case manager ensures that needed resources are available to a client and that a client receives the services he is entitled to.
Functions of a case manager include assessment, service planning, linkage and service coordination, follow-up and monitoring service delivery, and client support.