The challenge of caseload management
Learning Objectives
After considering this resource, you should understand the impact different intervention strategies can have on caseload management.
Employing methods of interventions makes significant demands of you, not least on your time and energy. When these pressures are considered in the context of caseload management though, you will need to be adept at prioritising cases to ensure a professional service is being provided to all service users in your caseload, not just those who require a structured intervention approach. While you may feel you are letting some service users down by spending less time on the cases which are not as pressing, it is important to remember as Thomspon (2009, p.200) points out, not to '...allow ourselves to feel guilty about some work not getting done, some requests for help being turned down - the recognition that we cannot meet everybody's needs is part and parcel of social work.'
In the following case study, Nomia, a newly qualified social worker in an adult services team, talks about her caseload and the impact interventions were having on the management of her work.
- What are the effects to both yourself, your team and service users if you are unable to effectively manage a workload? What skills and strategies could you use to combat these?
- What is the impact on service users of quick-fix interventions? What impact does quick-fix intervention have on your own practice?
- What are your agency's priorities in terms of caseload management? What effect might these have on how you prioritise your caseload?
- What role does supervision play in caseload management? Discuss this with your practice educator at your next supervision session.
Reference:
N Thompson (2009) Understanding Social Work, 3rd edition. Basingstoke: Palgrave Macmillan.