How to Be a Productive Case Manager

When it comes to social services, case managers provide a lifeline to some necessary resources for their clients. It is a job that comes with a tremendous amount of pressure and expectation, causing many case managers to become overwhelmed with responsibilities and less efficient overall. However, the key to being a productive case manager has to do with time management, awareness of the social responsibility related to such a position and the ability to form a reliable connection with clients.

Instructions

• 1

  Segment your workday. There are so many different ways that your day can be eaten up by red tape, phone calls and people that distract you from dealing directly with your case load. To be an effective case manager, segment your day according to responsibility. Conduct office meetings and client visits in the morning, for example. Research, file, and gather information around mid-day and make phone calls to clients at the end of the day. Write out a daily task list and determine a time range to accomplish each task. Planning ahead for your workday will ensure that you are as productive as possible.

• 2

  Incorporate technology into your case management process. There are numerous types of software available to track client appointments, remind you of important meetings and monitor client progress. The more automated a system you can cultivate, the more time you will have to spend with your clients.

• 3

  Maintain an open-door policy. Allow clients to come and talk to you about issues they may be experiencing as it relates to their case. While it is important to accomplish a to-do list each day, it is equally important to make your clients a top priority.A successful dissemination of resources to clients is the goal of resolving any social services case.

• 4

  Schedule at least two in-office days each week, if possible. There is an abundance of paperwork associated with the case management process.In most instances, it is relevant paperwork that cannot fall through the cracks. To ensure that it won't, schedule at least one in-office day weekly. This not only gives you a chance to organize case files and read through each one for new developments, but it also makes sure that important paperwork is being filed in each one of your cases.