NCJ Number
73119
Date Published
1977
Length
197 pages
Annotation
This report describes the development of a methodology for determining the quality of the case management process in child abuse and neglect service programs as well as the application of this method to 9 of 11 demonstration child abuse and neglect service projects.
Abstract
The methodology for this 3-year study consisted of visits by teams of child abuse/neglect experts to the projects to review a random sample of case records from each of the treatment workers and to interview the workers about those cases reviewed. Descriptive and multivariate analyses allowed for the identification of the most salient aspects of case management and norms of case management across the projects. By extensive reliability tests of the data, researchers determined that reviewers can reliably collect factual information about case handling. However, hairsplitting judgments about quality cannot be made by anyone. The case management process at the demonstration projects included contact with the client within 3 days of the initial report, treatment beginning within 2 weeks after this first contact, and a case conference sometime during the treatment. On the average, the case manager would meet with the client about once or twice a month. The typical case was terminated after 1 year, and a followup contact was usually made either with the client or with another service provider working with the client. The factors associated with high quality case management included minimal time between the report and first client contact, use of outside consultants, frequent contact with the client, and a difference in ethnicity between the client and the manager. Factors of quality case management related to client outcome were smaller caseload size (under 20) and longer time in process (over 6 months). Tabular data and footnotes are included. Appendixes contain study instruments and relevant materials. (Author abstract modified)