Case Management: Process, Coordination, and Advocacy
Core concepts
Case management is a collaborative process: intake/screening → assessment → service planning → linkage/coordination → monitoring → evaluation → closure. Know the case manager roles: broker, advocate, coordinator, counselor, and monitor. Understand care coordination vs. case management (coordination is broader systems work; case management is individual client-focused).
Master assessment domains (physical, psychological, social, financial, environmental, legal, spiritual), strengths-based planning, and client self-determination. Know levels of case management intensity (brief, ongoing, intensive) and caseload considerations. Understand resource identification, eligibility determination, benefits/entitlements navigation, and interagency collaboration including confidentiality and consent for release of information.
Know documentation standards (objective, timely, behaviorally specific), outcome monitoring, and advocacy at case and system levels. Understand cultural humility and barriers to service (waitlists, transportation, stigma, language).
Traps in questions
- Jumping to service linkage before completing assessment.
- Confusing advocacy (speaking with/for the client) with brokering (connecting to resources).
- Ignoring the client's preference in favor of the "best" resource.
- Sharing information across agencies without a signed release.
Rule of thumb
Assess before you link. The first step in nearly any case management scenario is a comprehensive assessment; the second is a plan built with the client, not for the client.
Worked example: A client needs housing. The case manager's first action is a full assessment of needs, strengths, income, and barriers - then a plan co-developed with the client, then linkage to eligible programs, then monitoring. Not an immediate referral to the first shelter.