Strength Based Model Case Management Social Work Essay

Published Date: 23 Mar 2015

A theory of service delivery that focuses on the individual strengths instead of weaknesses.

This model is based on the understanding of the individuals' deep internal resources and ability. The purpose of this model is to help survivors identify this strength and build life upon them. During the treatment, the clients must participate in the process of their recovery which controls the direction and pace of healing efforts. Each client helps his or her own plan for personal wellness. The plan is based on the client's psychological, medical, or legal needs. Together, the client and case manager regularly review the progress, discuss achievements and changes, and modify goals based on the client's evolving situation and needs. When a client is granted asylum, the case manager continues to provide assistance to satisfy the client's needs. This may include helping the client find information on educational or employment opportunities.

Assessment:

The strength based model focus mainly on developing and finding the client's strengths and abilities and makes a plan based on this. As this model considers the wellbeing of the clients, so the participation of the client in the treatment is very important. The client must figure out their needs of any aspects and give feedbacks of the current treatment. According to this point, the model is very adaptable to individuals as the diversity of their different situations. But this kind of model just encourage the client to live life as what they want and they can so the disability part has been left over which is very important in making progress.

Planning:

The strength based model needs a very detail and flexible service plan at the beginning which carried out mainly depends on the client's own abilities and needs because the client will live a life based on the plan. And the plan will be change over time because during the treatment the client and the case manager have to review the changes and progress that the client has met so the goals will be modified based on the reality and the process of achievement.

Coordinating:

The strength based models require a high standard of the coordinating between the client and the case manager. The case manager will give the client professional suggestions and make plans according to the client's condition which maybe not very consistent with the client's imagination and needs. But the client should be considerate since the accessibility and the efficiency. And the case manager should also have a regular contact with the client and be ready to make any changes to make sure the plan is always suitable and updated.

Strengths and weaknesses of the strength based model:

The strength of the strength based model is that it is easy to be carried out because it is based on the client's needs and ability so the client will be very cooperative during the treatment. And the psychological needs of the client are easily to be met so the confidence will be built to the client. It is very good to the client's mental health. Besides, the client's strengths are well maintained and developed. But the weaknesses of this kind of model are also obvious. It is because this kind of model only concerns about the strength so the weakness of the client has been ignored. But at many times the weakness plays the main role of whether the treatment is successful or not so the weaknesses can't be improved.

Perspectives of the disability people:

The strength based model is very practical for the disabled. Client empowerment is a central theme to this approach. To empower a client, the evaluation must be made to the disabled person and thus the achievable goals will be made along with the evaluation so a well-organized plan will be carried out to achieve the goals and the possibility of the success will hopefully be very high. Critics of the strength perspective suggest this is simply reframing problems in a better light. No one will succeed while being convinced that they will fail.

Summary of the expected outcomes for the disabled:

For the strength based model, the expected outcomes is that the mental health of the client is strengthened and many the disabled can joint well to the society like the normal people without much mental barriers. In addition, the client may develop certain advantages to a high level and gain some achievement better than normal person. But the disabled part can't be improved.

Case management Model

A collaborative process of assessment, planning, facilitation and advocacy for options and services which is aim to meet an individual's holistic needs through communication and available resources to promote quality cost-effective outcomes.Case Management has been used to a wide range of issues 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. The case management model requires the organization deliver a range of services based on the 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. 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.

Assessment:

However the case management model is a bit similar to the strength based models as they both respect the needs of the clients. But the case management model focus on the hobbies of the client and encourage them to attend relative activities so that the purpose of treatment is achieved during the community time. So that this model is also based on the client's abilities in some degrees and can maintain the client's past lifestyle and an active mind and body as much as they can. But there will be many potential barriers hidden behind like the decrease of the client's health condition or the bad weather. So there will be many uncertain situations so the achieving of certain goals will require a long time and patience.

Planning:

Comparing with the strength based model, the case management model plan is relatively fixed because the client's hobbies and preference are stable. Based on this a long term plan is worked out and the plan will be seldom changed. But the plan is not very detail because it's just an optional orientation.

Coordinating:

The case management requires coordination between the activity coordinator and the client as well as the relationships among different clients who participate in the activities. And the coordinator also has to consider the clients' physical ability and other element like the economy and the climate and so on make sure the arrangement is made in advance.

Strengths and weaknesses of the case management model:

Like the strength based model, the case management model is also very easy to be executed since it is based on the priority of the client's to the activities according to their interests. This model is good for both the mental and physical development of the clients. But the weakness is that it is easy to be influenced by the uncertainty elements like the natural disasters and the client's health conditions and any personal issues of each part. Also this model can't be updated with the time going on along with the aging and the decrease of the client's health. So at the end, the client does maybe have no ability to participate or the quality of the participation is going down.

Perspectives of the disability people:

The strength based model is very practical for the disabled. Client empowerment is a central theme to this approach. To empower a client, the evaluation must be made to the disabled person and thus the achievable goals will be made along with the evaluation so a well-organized plan will be carried out to achieve the goals and the possibility of the success will hopefully be very high. Critics of the strength perspective suggest this is simply reframing problems in a better light. No one will succeed while being convinced that they will fail.

Perspectives of the disability people:

The case management model is widely used in our lives and it's easy to be carried out. The perspective is that this model will be continuingly development and improved during the practice in reality. It will play a main role in the recovery or dealing with the disability problems. The potential ability and interests will be found during the process of the treatment so there will be a bright future of this model.

Summary of the expected outcomes for the disabled:

For the case management model, the client's life is fulfilled and interesting than before. Also this is very good for the psychological development like the strength based model. And it will be a big contribution to the arrangement of the arrangements of the physical therapy. But this model is not good for finding an occupation for the client and it is easy to make the client depend on others.

Comparisons of the two models

The strength based model focus mainly on developing and finding the client's strengths and abilities and makes a plan based on this. However the case management model is a bit similar to the strength based models as they both respect the needs of the clients. But the case management model focus on the hobbies of the client and encourage them to attend relative activities so that the purpose of treatment is achieved during the community time. Comparing with the strength based model, the case management model plan is relatively fixed because the client's hobbies and preference are stable but the strength based model is very flexible and keep changing with the client's condition. The two models also have difference with the coordinating part. The strength based models need a high level of coordinating between the client and the case management however the case management model requires a good relationship between the activity coordinator and the client as well as the relationship among clients. If the clients have mental goals we suggest that they choose the strength based model but if the client has the needs of physically requirement then we'd better use the case management model for her.