The purpose of this entry is to encourage all the social workers and case managers in the District’s human service agencies.  I am writing you all from my from my perspective and experience as a social worker who has done case management and has witnessed first hand the important role case mangers play in the life of a client.   

We had a successful Part I of our hearings on Integrated Case Management. I certainly appreciate everyone’s thoughts and input. By the way, Part II of the Integrated Case Management hearings is coming up on September 28th.  I was thinking that although integrating case management services for clients within the humans services system is necessary systemic change that needs to occur in the District, it is imperative to the successfulness of this change that the social workers providing services must “buy-in” not only to the concept, but more importantly the fundamental principle that is underlying in case management, the well being of the clients we serve.

As social workers we must remember that we are “agents of change” and that this “change” must first occur in our thinking. We often ask of our clients something we ourselves are afraid to do and that is to embrace change. We must make the shift from thinking in terms of my agency, my program rules, and my bureaucratic protocols to MY CLIENT and addressing MY CLIENT needs. Embracing this change would have a significantly positive impact on the quality of life of our most vulnerable populations. More importantly, embracing this change could mean the difference between life and death for these populations.

Embracing a client centered holistic approach to service delivery is an imperative first step in addressing the bureaucracy that exists in many of the human services agencies in the District.  Regardless of what man-made bureaucratic barriers have been created, a true “agent of change” can still get the job done. We find a way. As social workers, we are trained not only to address complicated client issues but to also understand and effectively navigate archaic government systems.

Below are portions of testimony presented at the Integrated Case Management Hearing Part I.  These quotes were taken from testimony received by 2 members of the developmentally disabled community and really speak to the heart of case management.

·    “What’s important to me is to work with someone who responds well to me and who knows me well. I want to have the same person for a long time so that they can really get to know me, to know the things that are important to me, and look out for me.”

·    “We need people that really know us so that we can trust them, feel safe and not threatened, and have good a relationship.”

·    “First, I want my case manger to help me get all of the services I might need. Second, they need to not put things off. For things that are important, I need information or action that is quick. Third, I might need more than just information. I might need help going through the process of getting the right services or the right information. Mostly, I need them to see me as a whole person – not just someone who can get services.”

·    “Mostly, they need to listen to my needs and to always treat me with respect; to treat me as an equal, not someone who is better than me.”

·    “People need a case manager to help them with all of their services even if the services come from different places.”

Now, let’s take a look and compare the needs mentioned above to some of the many roles we as social workers SHOULD have in the lives of the clients we serve. See any correlations?

·    Enabler:  In the enabler role, a social worker helps a client become capable of coping with situations or transitional stress. A social worker conveys hope, reducing resistance and ambivalence, recognizing and managing feelings, identifying and supporting personal strengths and social assets, breaking down problems into parts that can be solved more readily, and maintaining a focus on goals and the means of achieving them.

·    Integrator/Coordinator:  Integration is the process of bringing together various parts to form a unified whole. Coordination involves bringing components together in some kind of organized manner. A social worker can function as an integrator/coordinator in may ways, ranging from advocacy and identification of coordination opportunities, to provision of technical assistance, to direct involvement in the development and implementations of service linkages.

·    Broker:  A broker helps link clients (individuals, groups, organizations, or communities) with community resources and services. A broker also helps put various segments of the community in touch with one another to enhance their mutual interests.

·    Facilitator:  A facilitator assumes the responsibility to expedite the change effort by bringing together people and lines of communication, channeling their activities and resources, and providing them with access to expertise.

·    Advocate:  Advocacy involves the act of directly representing a course of action on behalf on one or more individuals, groups, or communities, with the goal of securing ore retaining social justice. The advocate role involves stepping forward and speaking on the behalf of the client system. The advocate role is one of the most important roles a generalist social worker can assume, despite its potential difficulties.

Our jobs are not and will never be glamorous and chances are slim that we will ever be featured in Forbes. Social Work is not topping the list of most desirable professions of 2008. To put is simply, this is HARD WORK!!! Our clients are faced with some of society’s greatest ills: poverty, developmental disability, discrimination, substance abuse, domestic violence, generational family dysfunction, sexual abuse, physical abuse, death, grief, physical disability, mental retardation, lack of education, homelessness, mental illness, unemployment, gang violence, emotional abuse, and a host of other very real and challenging issues.  As with other helping professions, our clients cannot afford for us to look at the work we do as just another job or a way to get a pay check. We have incredible influence over the lives of the clients we serve and thus a responsibility to ensure that we are providing them with the best possible services.

Now comes the challenge. I ask that each social worker or case manger reading this entry evaluate your work performance. Ask yourself, “Am I truly dedicated to providing all clients, without exception, services with a high level of accountability and quality?” If the answer to this question is yes, then great job! Keep up the good work and encourage your fellow social workers and case mangers to do the same. If after an honest evaluation of your performance as a social worker or case manager you find that you are not performing at the level you should, I challenge you to be a true “agent of change” and begin change in you. There is no shame in admitting that you need to tighten up in some areas, the shame comes when you have identified this truth and do nothing. Our clients need us, they need the compassion that led us to this profession in the first place, they need our expertise, they need our willingness to go the extra mile at times, and they need our willingness to change.