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Factors Influencing Case Management

Case Management has evolved over the last 40 years to keep up with advancing technology and the growing needs of clients. These changes were brought about by pioneering individuals who saw a need for change, innovating services that were developed to help those in need, and by Federal Legislations enacted to provide social services.

Samuel Howe, Mary Richmond, Lillian Wald, and Mary Brewster are a few of the pioneering individuals whose contributions helped shape case management as we know it today. Two other important pioneers who brought about change were Jane Addams and Ellen Starr. In 1889 these two women opened the Hull House in an urban part of Chicago. The Hull House provided a location for neighbors to gather and socialize, it helped improve the improvised neighborhood, and it supported and provided information on social reform.  Some of the reforms that came about from the Hull House “resulted in numerous labor union organizations, a labor museum, tenement codes, factory laws, child labor laws, adult education courses, cultural exchange groups, and the collection of neighborhood demographic data. (2016) (Links to an external site.).” Among other great accomplishments to come from the Hull House was “research into the sweating trade in Chicago and this led to the passing of the pioneering Illinois Factory Act (1893) (Edwards, 2018).”  From 1889 when Hull House was established to 2012 when it closed it provided a multitude of services to support the community and help influence case management.

Federal Legislation, such as The Older Americans Act of 1965, Medicare, and Family Support Act were all modified to included processes relating to the evolution of case management. The Children with Disabilities, Education for all Handicapped Children Act of 1975 allows the client to be “involved in identifying the problem, given complete information about the results of the assessment of needs, and empowered to help determine the type of services delivered (Woodside & McClam, 2018 pg. 58).” This is important because it helps the client learn to be more self-sufficient and become involved in and responsible for solving their problems.

In the future, as new social issues arise, the population increases and technology advances case management process will need to be modified to satisfy these needs.  Again, we will see pioneering individuals, innovative services, and new Federal Legislations come into play to meet these needs.