The Interim Standards of Practice adopted the Case Management Society of America’s defi nition of case management.

A review of the American Standards led to a revised defi nition of case management published in the National Standards of Practice for Case Management document in 2004.

The Case Management Society of Australia has chosen to adopt this new definition to assist with international communication and comparisons.

Definition of Case Management:

Case management is a collaborative process of assessment, planning, facilitation and advocacy for options and services to meet an individual’s health needs through communication and available resources to promote quality costeffective outcomes.

The definition of case management notes the focus upon the meeting of a client’s health needs. Within the Australian context, case management can be placed within a social model of health. This framework allows for the client and case manager to work on the various aspects of the client’s life that infl uence the client’s health.

A social model of health is described as: A conceptual framework within which improvement in health and well-being are achieved by directing efforts towards addressing the social and environmental determinants of health, in tandem with biological and medical factors. (Department of Human Services (Vic.), 2002, p. 42)

We are open to contributions from our members as this definition will continue to evolve.

First and foremost Case Management is a service delivery approach now widely adopted across diverse settings in the human services and health sectors.

The best practices in Case Management require organisational arrangements to support service delivery, staff who have been trained for the approach and its application to the particular practice setting and strategies to ensure that the organization can be responsive to evidence from practice and advocate for systemic and policy change to support service delivery.

The principles that underpin Case Management are individualised service delivery based on comprehensive assessment that is used to develop a case or service plan. The plan is developed in collaboration with the client and reflects their choices and preferences for the service arrangements being developed. The goal is to empower the client and ensure that they are involved in all aspects of the planning and service arrangement in a dynamic way.

The Case Manager coordinates the process, consulting informal carers and key service providers to ensure that the plan is developed appropriately, clearly contracted and monitored for effective and financially accountable service provision based on specified and desired outcomes. The case manager and the organization are expected to maintain quality in service provision for individual clients and the wider target population.

In clinical settings the case manager may also provide specialist services to address particular needs of the client.

The Case Management approach assumes that clients with complex and multiple needs will access services from a range of service providers and the goal is to achieve seamless service delivery. This assumption highlights that the concept of Case Management is based in service provision arrangements that require different responses from within organisations and across organisational boundaries. Case management is described as a boundary spanning strategy to ensure service provision is client rather than organisationally driven.

Case Managers provide the coordinating and specialist activities that flow from the particular setting, program and client population. However it is usual to identify the following process as core to Case Management: screening, assessment/risk management, care planning, implementing service arrangement, monitoring/evaluation and advocacy.

Case Management has been adapted to a wide range of settings including community care for the aged, and people with disability and mental health issues; acute health settings; injury management and insurance related areas; correctional services; court systems; in the management of chronic health conditions; child and youth welfare; at risk populations in schools; managed care and employment programs.

Human service, health and allied health professionals, people with experience in the particular sector where Case Management is implemented, administrative staff designated to the role.

The Society has been established as a network for people involved in Case Management as practitioners, managers, educators, program and policy planners. The Society aims to promote standards and best practices in Case Management, research, systematic evaluation practices, publications and professional development opportunities for members. In addition, the Society seeks to widen the interest in Case Management as a service delivery approach, advocate for policy strategies that adequately resource programs based in a Case Management approach and lobby for policy change to address identified gaps in resources that mitigate against effective service arrangements for clients and their carers. The Society is affiliated with a number of like organiations internationally and maintains a commitment to these links.