The document discusses the institutional context needed for effective case management. It states that case management works best where there are existing agreements between social services and other institutions like health, education, and non-profits that the case manager can utilize. A local social plan created by municipalities can outline goals, priorities, and coordination of services to provide the "building blocks" case managers need. The document also emphasizes that case management is most effective when supported by organizational structures that provide oversight of budgets, resources, and outcomes.

1. CASE MANAGEMENT TRAINING PACKAGE
Module 2.
The institutional and organizational context
for the effective implementation of
Case Management methodology

2. The best institutional context for
enforcing Case Management
Case Management must not be “a house
built nowhere”.
Case Management enhances an institutional
context where several agreements among
involved institutions (beyond social protection
service) already exist.
Because case management is the professional skill to implement several individual social
projects involving the informal and formal network of the user, it is clear that pre-
existing agreements among the institutions involved – directly or indirectly – in social
support and protection (health services, schools, law & order, economic subjects,
municipalities, NGOs, and so on) can significantly facilitate the work of the Case
Manager; in fact, the Case Manager can use these agreements as the basic building
blocks for giving his own contribution when a specific coping network (the network which
is trying to help a family in a social need situation) implements a shared coordinated
project of intervention.
These institutional agreements can take the shape of a comprehensive plan:
the Local Social Plan.
Case Management – module 2 – slide 2

3. Case Management and Local Social Plan
In order to produce many different
individualized social projects (that is
the ultimate role of a case manager) it
is necessary to have an “engine” which
almost automatically produces the
component parts of them.
This engine is the Local Social Plan.
Case Management – module 2 – slide 3

4. • strategic goals • how to arrange the
• priorities social services
• tools • which financial,
Municipalities material and human
• means
resources are available
• data collection and How to ensure the
information system coordination
(administrative,
• modalities to ensure organizational and
an integrated system professional) among the
of social services different bodies involved
Drafting of in the Local Plan
the LOCAL
PLAN • ensuring a flexible • ensuring the best way
system of social of spending public
services money
• defining criteria for • foreseeing training
splitting up the processes for the
Local Health Unit expenses among all the practitioners in order
public and private to address identified
bodies involved priorities
Case Management – module 2 – slide 4

5. Local plan management structure
“support to “support to
parenthood” disabled
board people” board
“fight against
“promotion of Local Plan social exclusion,
the children and General Board mental disease
young people’s and poverty”
rights” board board
“support to “fight against
elderly people” alcohol and
board drugs abuse”
board
The “Local Plan General Board” can decide the promotion of projects shared
among the different Boards (i.e.: a project for work inclusion; a project
for home care, and so on)
Case Management – module 2 – slide 5

6. Steps towards building a local plan
• convening all the involved bodies
1 step • analysing the social needs of the community
• considering the available resources
• defining goals and priorities
2 step • drafting the Local Plan
• Signing of the Local Plan by all the
3 step involved bodies
•Building administrative tools
Case Management – module 2 – slide 6

7. The best institutional context for
enforcing Case Management
Case Management is a methodology that not
only tries to get the people in need out of
their bad situation, but also tries to avoid the
waste of public economic resources.
For Case Management methodology it is
important that the human and economic
resources are well administered: like in a well-
functioning family.
It is important that there is a check on:
1) the workload of each Case Manager; 2) methodological coherence among all the Case
Managers; 3) an exchange of experiences among the Case Managers working in the
same social protection service; 4) the outcomes of the cases treated by Case
Management methodology; and 5) the allocation of economic resources among the
different cases.
Case Management, unlike traditional and bureaucratic social work, foresees a partially
discretionary use of the economic resources and service provision: for this reason, a
general control is necessary on the criteria used by each Case Manager.
Case Management – module 2 – slide 7

8. Case Management and organizational context
"Every spade must have its handle”
This proverb means that a complex body, like a Social Protection
Service, has to be guided by a “single organizational liability
centre”, usually a general director with its staff. This liability
centre has to supervise:
1. The budget management;
2. The human resources management;
3. The management of administrative procedures;
4. The management of partnerships among external institutions;
5. The organizational quality of the Service.
Case Management – module 2 – slide 8

9. FACTORS DETERMINING THE QUALITY OF A
SOCIAL SERVICE UNIT
MAKING
ACCESS TO
SERVICES UPDATING
EASIER SOCIAL
SERVICES
IMPROVING
SERVICE
PROVISION
CHECKING AND
ADJUSTING
SERVICE
PROVISION
Case Management – module 2 – slide 9

10. MAKING ACCESS TO SERVICES
EASIER
Openness:
Information: Welcoming: Ensuring the
Let the services be known transparency of the
Welcoming and
orientation of the administrative and
beneficiaries technical praxis
Creating
geographically Creating a users‟ guide
Advertising the spread receptions to the available social
rights of for providing services
citizens and the information and
available social gathering requests
services for service provision
Case Management – module 2 – slide 10

11. IMPROVING SERVICE
PROVISION
Speed:
Making the service
provision faster Comfort:
Helping the users
through the
administrative Clarity:
praxis Using an
Managing waiting
understandable
lists:
language
Making the Personalization:
waiting time Adjusting the
Increase the number shorter and services to the
of welcoming points lighter needs of people
in the community;
extend the working
hours Creating one and
one only Using more user-
administrative friendly
office for all the application Ensuring alternative
services: modules services if the
Several front requested one is Delivering services
offices, one back not available through more
office
creative
methodologies and
different providers
Case Management – module 2 – slide 11

12. CHECKING AND ADJUSTING SERVICE PROVISION
Readiness of Standardisation: Listening:
Reliability: response:
Prevent and reduce ensuring a long- Listening to
Managing poor lasting quality of users and
errors services and services letting them
unforeseen evaluate the
events services
Delivering services
through more creative
methodologies and Management control,
different providers quality control,
managing human and
professional Periodical
Team work, resources customer
supervision and satisfaction
advisory services surveys
Case Management – module 2 – slide 12

13. UPDATING THE SOCIAL SERVICES
Enrichment: Innovation
Enlarge the users community Make the role of
and enrich the services public services
Focus on „special‟ clients‟ evolve
groups:
Strengthen services
For marginalised and
At-risk groups
Implementation of
Pre-setting of coordinated activities
operational protocols among several Promote new
based on the analysis service provider coordination modalities
of clients‟ satisfaction teams with health and
education services
and with private services
Case Management – module 2 – slide 13