What Does a Case Manager Do?

During the process of case management with clients, from the very inception of intake to the last follow-up contact, Case Workers will be taking on a number of helping roles. They will be played out in the three major domains of assessment and intervention of the helping process—direct intervention with clients, organizational/community interventions, and in the broader political/cultural/ societal context. Each role requires focus on different problem-solving strategies, different skills, and different conceptual bases. Which roles are integrated into case management practice will depend on a number of factors, including time, level of practice and conceptual experience, the nature of clientele, and Uzima Health Services.

They Provide Direct Personal Support 

No matter what other roles our Case Workers play in the life of our members one of the foundations to helping is having a good supportive relationship with them and offering a sense of hope. The reasons for developing good rapport with our members in Case Management are somewhat different from those in other helping relationships. 

Many casework theories discuss a good worker–member relationship as a necessary part of the curative process. This is generally true in traditional Casework; if such a relationship does not develop over time, the member should probably be transferred to another worker. But this is not necessarily true in Case Management. In many situations, it is not possible to develop the kinds of relationships that would allow us to offer direct support or allow it to be received.  Some are not able to connect because of mental or physical impairments; it may be difficult to engage meaningfully with autistic children, schizophrenics, or Alzheimer’s patients, and your Case Worker may have a good relationship with a family member who has little power to resolve a problem, such as a young abused child or a frail older person.

In all of these situations where good case management member–worker relationships are not possible, Case Workers can still be helpful. In each case, we will strive to take exceptional care of our members by keeping up-to-date of the opportunities provided by the city of Boise, the state of Idaho and the Federal Government.