Standard 4. Cultural and Linguistic Competence
The social work case manager shall provide and
facilitate access to culturally and linguistically
appropriate services, consistent with the
NASW
Indicators for the Achievement of
the NASW Standards for Cultural Competence
in Social Work Practice.
Interpretation
The increasing cultural and linguistic diversity
of the United States and many other countries
requires social workers to strive continually for
cultural and linguistic competence. The social
work case manager’s recognition and affirmation
of cultural and linguistic diversity are critical to
both therapeutic alliances with clients and
cooperative working relationships with colleagues.
Such diversity includes, but is not limited to,
race, ethnicity, socioeconomic class, gender,
gender identity, gender expression, sexual
orientation, religion, age, health and family
status; cognitive, physical, or psychiatric ability;
and sensory differences, preferred language,
migration background (within-country
migration, immigration, refugeeism, and
documentation status), degree of acculturation,
level of formal education, and literacy (including
health, behavioral health, and financial literacy).
It can also include vocational affiliations, such as
participation in the military or involvement in
veterans’ services. Given the complexity of
cultural identity, the social work case manager
needs to approach every interaction with clients
and colleagues as a cross-cultural exchange,
recognizing the potential for value conflicts and
being proactive to ensure that such conflicts do
not undermine practice.
Cultural competence begins with the social
work case manager’s cultural self-identification.
Cultural self-awareness is fundamental to
recognizing and addressing how one’s own
cultural values, beliefs, biases, experiences, and
practices affect interactions with clients and
colleagues. The social worker who practices
such self-assessment can then recognize how
cultural identity, in its multifaceted expressions,
is central to the resilience of the individuals,
families, and communities with whom she or he
interacts. Specifically, the social work case
manager needs to appreciate and affirm clients’
cultural values, beliefs, and practices, especially
the ways in which culture influences perceptions
and practices related to human growth and
development, including death and dying;
definitions of
family; family communication
patterns and life cycle functions, including child
rearing and caregiving; illness, disability, and
treatments for health and behavioral health
conditions; help-seeking behaviors; and decision
making related to education, employment,
financial or legal matters, health care, and housing.
The social work case manager also needs to
recognize that culture varies within both families
and cultural groups. These differences may
manifest in multiple ways, such as contrasting
perceptions of family responsibilities or varying
levels of fluency in the dominant language of
the country of residence. In such instances, the
social worker should honor the differences
within the client system and facilitate, as
appropriate, maximal participation in the case
management process of all members with whom
she or he interacts—by using professional
interpreters rather than relying on family
members to interpret for each other, for example.
Cultural and linguistic factors influence not only
case manager–client relationships, but also
organizational policies and societal structures
and dynamics. The social work case manager
should advocate for organizational practices and
policies that promote cultural diversity among
case management staff and throughout the
organization and a work environment, policies,
and practices supportive of multiculturalism.
The social work case manager should also
recognize how systemic or institutional privilege
and oppression related to cultural and linguistic
diversity (such as ableism, ageism, racism, sexism,
or xenophobia) affect clients’ biopsychosocial
well-being, access to and use of supports and
services, and service outcomes. Identification of
cultural biases in policy, the media, and service
delivery systems is especially useful in helping
clients contextualize the challenges they face
and, sometimes, in identifying and addressing
their internalized biases. Action to eliminate
institutional oppression on organizational,
community, and broader levels is essential to
promoting client strengths and reducing
economic, health, and social disparities
experienced by case management clientele.
Standard 5. Assessment
The social work case manager shall engage
clients—and, when appropriate, other members
of client systems—in an ongoing information-
gathering and decision-making process to
help clients identify their goals, strengths,
and challenges.
Interpretation
Biopsychosocial assessment is the foundation of
social work case management and is conducted
in collaboration with the client. Assessment is a
complex function requiring openness to a wide
variety of information, both verbal and nonverbal,
presented by the client—and, when appropriate,
other members of the client system—in the
context of the social environment. Using empathy,
client-centered interviewing skills, and methods
appropriate to clients’ capacity, the social work
case manager engages clients in identifying their
needs and strengths. On the basis of this
discussion, the social worker supports the client
in establishing priorities and goals. Because
assessment guides service planning and
implementation, the case manager needs to
complete initial assessments in a timely manner.
Assessment is an ongoing activity, not a
one-time event. During the reassessment
process, the social work case manager and client
(and, if appropriate, other members of the client
system) revisit the needs, assets, and priorities
identified in the initial assessment and discuss
the client’s emerging concerns. Reassessment
serves both monitoring and evaluative functions,
enabling the social worker and the client to
determine whether services have been effective
in helping achieve the client’s goals. On the basis
of such reassessment, the case manager and the
client may determine that case management
goals or service plans need to be adjusted.
Throughout the assessment and reassessment
process, some social workers may find
standardized instruments helpful in identifying
and responding to the client’s concerns. Such
instruments should be used only as starting
points in the development and refinement of an
individualized, comprehensive assessment,
however—and, if used, should be explained
clearly to maximize the client’s understanding of
the information sought and how it will be used
to benefit that individual.
Social work case management assessment is
rooted in the profession’s person-in-environment
perspective and, accordingly, seeks to understand
the relationships between the client, other
people, and the physical and social environment.
Assessments may vary on the basis of
organizational setting and practice specialty and
should reflect the individual needs and strengths
of each client. Assessment conversations with
clients and other members of the client system
may include the following domains,
as they pertain
to client priorities, strengths, and service needs:
- motivating factors in seeking case
management services or reason for referral
to the social work case manager
- living arrangements, including suitability
and safety of the home environment
- vocational history (for example, employment,
education, volunteer work, or significant
hobbies), challenges, and goals
- language preferences and proficiency levels
- preferred methods of communication and
learning (such as oral explanation, written
information, or practical demonstration)
- degrees of literacy, including health,
behavioral health, and financial literacy
- cultural values, beliefs, and practices (including,
but not limited to, spirituality and religion)
related to client’s goals for case management
- effects of culturally based discrimination on
client’s ability to realize case management goals
- psychosocial strengths, protective factors, and
points of resilience
- family composition, structure, roles, and
communication patterns
- relationships with community organizations
or other social supports
- physical, cognitive, and psychosocial
functioning, including ability to fulfill
social roles
- desire and capacity for independence
- desire for support from other members of the
family or client system
- desire and capacity of family or other members
of the client system to support the client
- need for economic or other psychosocial
resources, supports, and services
- ability to navigate relevant service systems
(such as educational, employment, health
care, housing, legal, nutritional, social
services, or transportation systems)
- individual and systemic barriers to client’s
participation in the community or use of
resources and services
- changes in resources, policies, and programs
needed to support the client and, if applicable,
other members of the family system
- behavioral health, including coping style,
crisis management skills, substance use
history, and risk of suicide or homicide
- health conditions and impact of those
conditions on the client’s goals
- risk of abuse, neglect, or exploitation of or by
the client, and underlying causes for such
mistreatment
- life span planning (which may include
advance care planning, anticipation of
caregiving responsibilities, permanency
planning for minor children, retirement
planning, or other domains)
- past strategies used to resolve the client’s
concerns or enhance the client’s strengths
- client’s perceptions of changes needed to
improve her or his situation
- client’s engagement in case management
process and participation in shared
decision making
- congruence with and adherence to
preexisting service plans
- patterns of service over- and underutilization.
Throughout the assessment, the social work
case manager should be attuned to the
congruence between the goals and expectations
of the client and the structure and philosophy of
the case management program. For example,
the program’s approach to case management
may contrast with the client’s preferred style, or
the social worker’s professional expertise may
not be congruent with the client’s needs. In such
circumstances, the case manager should
demonstrate flexibility and advocate to maximize
the program’s benefit to the client. At the same
time, she or he should ensure competent
practice and, if necessary, refer the client to
other practitioners or programs that may be
better able to meet the individual’s needs.
Standard 6. Service Planning, Implementation,
and Monitoring
The social work case manager shall collaborate
with clients to plan, implement, monitor, and
amend individualized services that promote
clients’ strengths, advance clients’ well-being,
and help clients achieve their goals. Case
management service plans shall be based on
meaningful assessments and shall have
specific, attainable, measurable objectives.
Interpretation
Social work case management services should be
planned to meet the biopsychosocial needs and
goals of clients and should be delivered in a
manner that ensures confidentiality in
accordance with the NASW
Code of Ethics.
Service planning, implementation, and
monitoring draw not only on ongoing,
comprehensive social work assessments, but
also, if appropriate and available, on the input
of other members of the client system.
Collaboration with clients throughout the
service planning, implementation, and
monitoring process is critical to ensure that
services meet clients’ identified priorities; are
clearly communicated; are delivered or accessed
in a timely, effective manner; and achieve
positive outcomes.
Service plans should be individualized to the
client’s needs and strengths, as identified during
the assessment process, and should foster client
self-sufficiency. During the planning process,
the social work case manager helps the client
identify and prioritize specific, attainable,
measurable objectives and the steps needed to
attain those objectives. The social worker and
the client also identify the resources available to
realize the client’s goals. Such resources may
include individual client strengths; naturally
occurring resources within the social environment;
and formal services provided by the case
manager, employing organization, external
organizations, or other service delivery systems.
Delineation of the responsibilities of the social
work case manager, the client, and other
involved parties is integral to service planning
and successful implementation. A schedule for
reassessing and modifying the client’s initial
goals and service plans should also be included.
Whenever possible, the client should sign the
service plan to indicate participation in the
development of, and concordance with, the
plan. The social worker should provide a
written, plainly worded copy of the service plan
to the client. In this manner, the case manager
and the client may both use the document as a
guide to plan implementation and evaluation.
Because service planning and implementation
frequently involve allocation of resources, the
social work case manager should be cognizant of
the costs and financing of a particular service
plan. Social workers practice with varying levels
and types of authority for resource allocation.
Thus, the case manager may be responsible
both for delivering appropriate services to the
client (including informing clients of the
anticipated availability, costs, benefits, and risks
of such resources) and for carefully allocating
and managing organizational services and
financial resources. This dual role may require
the social worker to balance organizational and
client goals. Conflicts between the two goals
may require education, negotiation, and
advocacy during the planning process. As a
client advocate, the case manager also provides
critical feedback regarding organizational and
delivery system performance.
Service frequency and duration may be affected
by practitioner role and setting parameters but,
ideally, should be in accordance with the needs
and goals identified in the assessment.
Person-centered service plans also vary by the
social work case manager’s scope of practice and
may incorporate the following activities:
- education and coaching in life skills (for
example, wellness promotion, parenting skills,
management of acute or chronic conditions,
job-search strategies, or in-service training to
enhance the responsiveness of service
providers) for individuals, families, and
communities
- permanency, life span, and advance care
planning
- individual counseling and psychotherapy
drawing on a variety of modalities, such as
cognitive–behavioral or solution-focused
approaches
- couples and family counseling
- family-team conferences
- group interventions (such as
psychotherapeutic groups, professionally
facilitated psychoeducational groups, or
peer-led support groups)
- family caregiving support interventions
- mediation and conflict resolution
- crisis intervention
- disaster planning and preparedness
- advocacy on behalf of, and in collaboration
with, clients
- team, organizational, and interorganizational
service planning and collaboration
- resource information and referral (for
example, financial, housing, legal, medical,
or behavioral health resources)
- systems navigation and coordination of
services, especially during transitions of
care or other significant life transitions
- ongoing monitoring and evaluation of the
service plan
- planning for service transfer or termination.
The social work case manager should coordinate
service implementation to promote the
continuity of services, especially during
transitions of care (such as a child entering a
foster home, an individual leaving a psychiatric
hospital, or a client experiencing an exacerbation
of a health condition). Throughout the
implementation phase, monitoring enables the
social worker to respond promptly to changes in
client needs and help the client alter services
accordingly.
Special attention should also be devoted to
termination of case management services.
Although an organization may set criteria for
discontinuing service, it is the responsibility of
the social work case manager, the client, and
other members of the client system to prepare
for the effects of termination. The case manager
should help the client make appropriate
arrangements with other service providers and
should conclude the financial aspects of service.
After termination, the social worker may need
to follow up with the client and collateral
professionals or organizations to determine if
the transition has proceeded as planned.
Standard 7. Advocacy and Leadership
The social work case manager shall advocate
for the rights, decisions, strengths, and needs
of clients and shall promote clients’ access to
resources, supports, and services.
Interpretation
Effective advocacy involves helping case
management clientele identify and define their
strengths, needs, and goals and communicate
those needs and goals to service providers and
decision makers. Social workers strive not only
to promote clients’ self-advocacy, but also to
enhance the capacity of communities to
support clients’ biopsychosocial quality of life.
Creativity and flexibility are central to successful
advocacy efforts with, and on behalf of, case
management clients.
Advocacy is often required to ensure that
organizations and service delivery systems
- recognize the strengths and needs of clients
- make services accessible
- provide services appropriate to each client’s
circumstances
- deliver services in an effective and timely
manner
- continue services for an appropriate length
of time and
- prepare clients, other members of the family
system, and service providers for transitions
when services are discontinued or transferred.
Social work case managers exercise leadership
by advocating for clients on the micro, mezzo,
and macro levels. Micro-level advocacy may
involve the following activities:
- inclusion of clients in advocacy efforts and in
program design, planning, and evaluation
- promotion of clients’ strengths, needs, and
goals among colleagues and with other
organizations
- communication with other service providers
and organizations to improve clients’ access to
resources, supports, and services.
Mezzo- and macro-level advocacy may include
the following activities:
- identification and development of strategies
and resources to address service gaps,
fragmentation, discrimination, and other
barriers that affect case management clients
- securing funding (through grants, third-party
reimbursement, or other sources) for case
management services
- review, modification, and creation of
organizational policy, procedures, and
resources to facilitate clients’ access to
high-quality services
- community needs assessments and
community organizing
- social and political action to foster
environments that support client strengths
- analysis of historical and current local, state,
and national policies as they affect case
management clientele, especially historically
marginalized or underresourced populations
- education of the public, the media,
corporations, and policymakers (including
legislative activity) regarding clients’
strengths, needs, and concerns
- use of multiple media, including written
materials, oral presentations, and computer
technology, to achieve advocacy goals
- integration of organization- and
population-level case management data in
advocacy efforts, with respect for client
confidentiality and privacy.
Standard 8. Interdisciplinary and
Interorganizational Collaboration
The social work case manager shall promote
collaboration among colleagues and
organizations to enhance service delivery and
facilitate client goal attainment.
Interpretation
As described throughout these standards,
collaboration with clients constitutes the
foundation of social work case management;
thus, the client (and, when appropriate, other
members of the family system) is at the center of
the team. At the same time, social worker–client
communication is but one aspect of the
cooperation needed to help clients achieve their
goals. Multiple service providers and
organizations are often involved in supporting a
client. In such circumstances, designation of a
primary case manager (ideally, at the discretion
of the client) and written interorganizational
agreements can be useful. Even when such
measures are not feasible, collaboration within
teams and organizations, as well as among
organizations and service delivery systems, is
essential to continuity of services. Such
collaboration also enhances organizational and
systemic capacity to support clients and reduces
inappropriateness, duplication, or fragmentation
of services.
The social work case manager plays an integral
role in fostering, maintaining, and strengthening
collaborative partnerships on behalf of clients
and shall demonstrate the following abilities:
- differentiate social work perspectives, values,
and interventions from those of other
disciplines
- describe and support the roles of other
disciplines and organizations involved in
supporting case management clients
- articulate and fulfill the missions and
functions of their employing organizations,
with consideration of social work ethics
and values
- communicate effectively with all
professionals, paraprofessionals, and
volunteers involved in supporting case
management clientele
- advocate for clients’ integral role in team
communications and service planning,
delivery, and monitoring
- communicate client and family information
in a respectful, objective manner while
protecting confidentiality and privacy
- promote the strengths, and advocate for the
goals, of case management clients
- facilitate communication between clients and
providers/organizations
- share team leadership in planning and
providing services to case management clients
- foster an organizational culture that
promotes effective, coordinated services for
case management clients
- develop and maintain partnerships across
disciplines, organizations, and the service
spectrum to enhance access to and continuity
of services for case management clientele
- integrate a strengths perspective in program
and organizational administration to maximize
and sustain human and fiscal resources on
behalf of case management clients
- manage personal and interpersonal processes
at the intraorganizational, interorganizational,
and community levels to optimize services for
case management clientele.
Standard 9. Practice Evaluation and
Improvement
The social work case manager shall participate
in ongoing, formal evaluation of her or his
practice to maximize client well-being, assess
appropriateness and effectiveness of services,
ensure competence, and improve practice.
Interpretation
Evaluation entails soliciting and integrating
internal and external feedback on the process
and outcomes of social work case management
practice. Practice evaluation is vital in ensuring
that services provided to clients are appropriate,
effective, and timely in helping clients achieve
their goals. Moreover, outcomes from
evaluations are increasingly used for position
justification, performance review, practice
standards, goal setting, risk management,
utilization review, and research efforts. Similar
to other aspects of case management practice,
client involvement is essential, as is protecting
the privacy of the client and, when applicable,
other members of the client’s family system.
Evaluation practices may include the following
activities:
- solicitation and incorporation of feedback
from case management clients regarding the
extent to which social work services have
helped them identify and achieve their goals
- strategic planning to reach measurable
objectives in program, organizational, or
community development for case
management clientele
- development of program budgets that take
into account diverse sources of financial
support for, and equitable allocation of
resources among, case management clients
- application of appropriate tools such as
clinical indicators, practice guidelines,
satisfaction surveys, and standardized
performance assessments to evaluate client
progress and satisfaction
- measurement of both process and outcome
objectives
- practitioner, program, and organizational
self-evaluation
- use of internal and external practice,
program, or organizational evaluators
- use of peer review, supervision, and
consultation with other social workers and
across disciplines
- incorporation of evaluation practices in the
service transfer or termination process
- analysis and use of professional literature to
inform and improve case management practice
- participation in qualitative and quantitative
social work research to strengthen the
evidence base for social work case
management
- application of evaluation and research
findings, including evidence-based practice, to
facilitate client goal setting and to enhance
practice and program quality and outcomes
- dissemination of evaluative data to clients,
payers, and other service providers on
request, and with consideration for clients’
rights to privacy and confidentiality.
Standard 10. Record Keeping
The social work case manager shall document
all case management activities in the
appropriate client record in a timely manner.
Social work documentation shall be recorded
on paper or electronically and shall be prepared,
completed, secured, maintained, and disclosed
in accordance with regulatory, legislative,
statutory, and employer requirements.
Interpretation
Clear, concise, and ongoing documentation
of social work practice facilitates clear
communication with other service providers
and organizations, thereby promoting continuity
of services. Documentation also serves as a
foundation for service planning and practice
and program evaluation. Moreover, written
information about clients is often needed for
service reimbursement, for utilization review,
and to promote organizational accountability to
payers or funding sources. Updated, concise
records also provide support for social work case
managers in the event of a legal review.
The purpose of documentation is not to
supplant but, rather, to foster strong working
relationships with, and services for, case
management clientele. Thus, documentation
should reflect clients’ informed consent
regarding all aspects of case management
practice: assessment; service planning, delivery,
and monitoring; practice evaluation and
improvement; and transfer or termination of
services. The social work case manager can
ensure her or his practice reflects clients’
involvement by incorporating in documentation
clients’ own words, stories, goals, and feedback.
Social work case management documentation
should reflect the following elements:
- client’s identifying information
- dates, times, and descriptions of contact with
the client, family system, and other service
providers or organizations
- initial and subsequent psychosocial assessments
- service plan and procedures for monitoring
progress toward accomplishment of the
client’s goals
- services provided and other information
about plan implementation
- outcomes of service provision
- referrals to or from other providers,
organizations, or resources, including
rationale for referrals, and other collaboration
on behalf of the client
- supervision or consultation sought or
provided to enhance case management services
- rationale for referrals and transfer or
termination of services.
Each entry should be dated and signed by the
social work case manager.
The client record should also include the
following elements:
- written permission from the client to release
and obtain information, when necessary
- compliance with confidentiality and privacy
rights and responsibilities
- accounting of receipts and disbursements
related to client service provision
- documentation of the release of client records.
The social work case manager must hold all
client information in confidence. Such
information may be released to other members
of the family system, other service providers or
organizations, or other parties only with written
permission of the client (or the individual legally
authorized to represent the client). This release
should detail which information is to be
disclosed, to whom, and in what time frame.
The social worker should also follow the
requirements for record keeping specified by
her or his organization and licensing
jurisdiction. Such requirements may include the
type of data collected, the manner in which
information is recorded, with whom and under
what circumstances information may be
exchanged, processes for amending client
records, the length of time records are retained,
and plans for appropriate disposal of records.
At the same time, certain limits of confidentiality
are inherent in service delivery. For example, the
social work case manager may be ethically and
legally obliged to release information in
circumstances of abuse, neglect, and threat of
client suicide or harm to others. Moreover,
court orders may require an organization or
practitioner to release specific information about
a client. The case manager also needs to be
aware of organizational policy and processes in
handling requests for confidential information
and should seek appropriate consultation before
disclosing any information not covered by the
client’s written release. The case manager should
explain the limits on confidentiality to clients
both orally and in writing at the onset of
services, to ensure that the client has the
information needed to provide informed
consent, and should facilitate the client’s
understanding of how the organization responds
to requests for confidential information.
Standard 11. Workload Sustainability
The social work case manager shall responsibly
advocate for a caseload and scope of work
that permit high-quality planning, provision,
and evaluation of case management services.
Interpretation
Social workers, managers or administrators, and
organizations have joint responsibility for
establishing and maintaining a workload that
allows for adequate and appropriate
interventions and monitoring of services and
outcomes. A workload consists of any social
work function—such as direct contact with or
on behalf of clients, administration, policy,
research, or education—performed in support of
case management services. The workload
reflects the needs and goals of the clientele
served and may include social work coverage
outside of regular office hours. The caseload, in
contrast, refers to the number of clients served
at a given point in time. Multiple variables affect
both caseload size and workload manageability:
- case management model or paradigm in
which the social worker practices
- organizational mission and services
- program funding sources
- breadth and complexity of client needs
and goals
- availability of resources to meet clients’ needs
and goals
- number of clients the organization serves
- amount of time the case manager needs to
spend with, or on behalf of, various clients
- duration of organizational service across
clientele and for specific clients
- scope of social work case manager’s
professional responsibilities
- administrative responsibilities and available
support
- access to technology.
Thus, determinations of workload sustainability
cannot be based solely on caseload size, even
within one organization. The number of clients
a social work case manager can serve effectively
is limited by the degree to which organizations
serve clients in acute, high-risk situations or
other circumstances requiring intensive,
frequent contact with clients. Caseload size
directly affects a social worker’s capacity to
engage clients in the ongoing processes of case
management. Consequently, caseload size
should allow for meaningful opportunities for
client contact (ideally, face-to-face, though some
models rely periodically or solely on telephonic,
electronic, or video contact, especially in rural
and frontier communities).
Staffing decisions and organizational policies
influence both caseload size and workload
sustainability. Ideally, the size of the social work
staff reflects the mission of the organization,
scope and complexity of the case management
program, number of case management clients
served, and scope of client need. Insufficient
staffing decreases the social worker’s ability to
provide case management services in a timely,
effective manner. Thus, the organization should
establish policies and develop systems to
maintain reasonable caseloads and workloads for
both supervisors and staff. Such policies and
systems should reflect findings from practice
evaluation and, to the extent available, research.
Additional social work research regarding social
work case management caseloads and
workloads, with a variety of populations and
within diverse practice settings, is needed.
Standard 12. Professional Development
and Competence
The social work case manager shall assume
personal responsibility for her or his professional
development and competence in accordance
with the NASW
Code of Ethics, the NASW
Standards for Continuing Professional
Education
, and the licensure or certification
requirements of the state(s) or jurisdiction(s)
in which she or he practices.
Interpretation
Social workers must engage in ongoing
professional development to maintain
competence in case management and to add
depth to their areas of concentration.
Employing organizations should encourage
and support social workers’ participation in
professional development activities. Such
activities may include receiving or providing
social work continuing education, training,
supervision, consultation, or mentoring, as
well as peer review, research, publication, and
volunteer activities. Numerous opportunities
for professional development exist within
NASW, other professional organizations,
schools of social work, and organizations
providing services to or on behalf of various
constituencies (such as youths, older adults, or
people with disabilities) at the local, state,
national, and international levels.
Professional development activities relevant to
social work case management may address the
following topics, among others:
- developments in social work theory and
practice
- research developments related to case
management practice and clientele
- policies and legislation affecting case
management clientele and practice
- community resources, supports, and services
available to case management clients
- issues and experiences specific to the social
work case manager’s specialty area (for
example, aging, child and adolescent
development, death and dying, disability,
employment support, family systems, family
caregiver health and wellness, grief and loss,
housing, immigration, LGBT [lesbian, gay,
bisexual, and transgender] services, medical
conditions, behavioral health, trauma,
veterans’ concerns)
- cultural and linguistic competence, including
concerns specific to case management
population served
- ethics
- strengths-based models
- assessment of professional and personal
strengths, learning needs, and goals as related
to social work practice
- professional and personal self-care
- technological advances related to the
provision of case management.
Educating other social work case managers is
another important component of professional
development. Mentoring, supervising, and
teaching all provide opportunities for social
workers to ensure the profession’s continued
growth and excellence within case management.