Social Work Case Management & Service Coordination 2 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: Which of the following best describes the strengths-based perspective in case management?
- Focusing primarily on diagnosing client pathology
- Identifying and mobilizing client and community assets to address needs (Correct answer)
- Relying exclusively on evidence-based manualized interventions
- Prioritizing service efficiency over client preferences
Correct answer: Identifying and mobilizing client and community assets to address needs
The strengths-based perspective emphasizes building on client and community resources and capacities rather than focusing on deficits.
Question 2: In case management, 'monitoring' refers to:
- Conducting intake interviews with new clients
- Closing cases when initial goals have been achieved
- Reviewing client progress and ensuring services are being delivered as planned (Correct answer)
- Linking clients with community resources after assessment
Correct answer: Reviewing client progress and ensuring services are being delivered as planned
Monitoring involves regularly checking whether services are being delivered appropriately and whether clients are progressing toward their goals.
Question 3: A case manager discovers a client's current housing program is not meeting their needs. The best next step is to:
- Close the case immediately due to service failure
- Wait until the next scheduled annual review
- Ignore the issue as housing is outside the case manager's scope
- Reassess the client's needs and modify the service plan accordingly (Correct answer)
Correct answer: Reassess the client's needs and modify the service plan accordingly
Case managers should continuously assess client needs and adjust service plans when current services are not meeting those needs.
Question 4: What is the primary purpose of a needs assessment in case management?
- To document agency compliance with funding requirements
- To identify the client's presenting needs, strengths, and available resources (Correct answer)
- To determine the cost of services for billing purposes
- To evaluate program effectiveness for funders
Correct answer: To identify the client's presenting needs, strengths, and available resources
A needs assessment systematically identifies client needs, strengths, and available resources to inform individualized service planning.
Question 5: When coordinating services with multiple providers, a case manager must first:
- Obtain client informed consent before sharing information (Correct answer)
- Share all client information freely to ensure coordinated care
- Avoid communication with other providers to protect confidentiality
- Only share information with licensed medical providers
Correct answer: Obtain client informed consent before sharing information
Obtaining informed consent before sharing client information with other providers is both an ethical obligation and a legal requirement.
Question 6: The 'medical model' of case management primarily emphasizes:
- Community empowerment and social systems change
- Diagnosis and treatment of individual pathology (Correct answer)
- Building client resilience and natural support networks
- Policy advocacy and structural reform
Correct answer: Diagnosis and treatment of individual pathology
The medical model focuses on identifying and treating individual disorders or pathology rather than addressing broader social or environmental factors.
Question 7: Which of the following is a defining characteristic of person-centered planning in case management?
- Services are determined solely by the case manager based on clinical judgment
- The individual directs their own planning process with support from their team (Correct answer)
- Standardized service packages are applied uniformly across clients
- Planning is driven primarily by risk reduction and safety goals
Correct answer: The individual directs their own planning process with support from their team
Person-centered planning places the individual at the center of the process, emphasizing their preferences, goals, and right to self-determination.
Social Work Case Management & Service Coordination 2
Which of the following best describes the strengths-based perspective in case management?