Stages of Case Management

Case management encompasses many different functions. Case managers work in a variety of social service settings assisting people with a wide array of problems. Organization is key to sound case management, particularly in light of the complexity of the work. Stages models help case managers to organize what is often complex, multifaceted work.

Assessment and Engagement

• Case management work begins with engagement. The client may receive case management through engaging with a social service agency that offers it, or may receive a referral from an outside organization. At the first meeting, the case manager asks the client a series of questions in order to assess the client's needs. These questions focus on what the client believes she needs as well as the environmental and social factors that have contributed to her current struggles. The case manager also asks about the client's history, if she's received help for these problems in the past, and what her strengths are.

Creating Goals

• Case managers and their clients collaborate to create specific goals and objectives.

  Building a collaborative relationship with the client through goal making creates a strong alliance, and results in more client-centered goals. Goals based on a solid assessment make them relevant to the client's currant life, needs and desires. Goals can be organized into long and short-term objectives and should be easily measurable. In this way, both case manager and client can determine if the goal was achieved.

Intervention and Implementation

• Case managers use the stated goals to create interventions. Since case managers serve as experts about local, available services, a common intervention is to refer clients to those services that are most helpful. These include referrals to mental and behavioral health professionals, social service agencies, community programs and many other types of resources. Other types of interventions include advocacy work, such as communicating with other professionals to help make the client's wishes understood. Case managers may also offer supportive counseling, providing an empathetic ear for clients who are facing stressful transitions.

Reassessment

• Case management steps can be viewed as cyclical to some degree. That is, the case manager should constantly assess and reassess the stated goals, in order to determine progress and to refine and create new goals as needed. With goals that are clearly stated, objective and measurable, the case manager can easily look at the evidence to assess progress. The ultimate aim is for the client to become completely independent and no longer in need of case management services. Reassessment is a process that works towards this goal, by refining and reevaluating progress and services.

Closure

• Closure or disengagement is an ongoing process and in actuality starts during initial engagement. The case manager and client decide on specific accomplishments that will indicate the appropriate time for case management services to end. Generally, disengagement should occur when the client shows the ability to function independently. Accomplishment of major goals for the client is often a sign that it may be time for services to end. During closure, the case manager helps the client to review the process that was undertaken and celebrates the progress the client has made.