Case Work Process

I. Intake
II. Study
III.Diagnosis / Assessment
IV Treatment / Intervention
V Evaluation
VI Termination and
VII Follow up
 Case Work Process
I.INTAKE
Meaning:
• Intake means selecting a person (or)
• taking a person who is having problem (or)
• taking a person who is in distress (or)
• selecting an individual who is not able to cope with his
problem
 Intake - Steps
1.Referral
2. Identification & Information about the client (Personal Data)
3. Family background and
4. Early family history.
A. REFERRAL
⚫ Referral means the process by which: a client is made
aware of another resource or service, and helped to make
contact with that resource to receive a needed service.
Types of Referral
1,The case or problem should be referred by somebody
[agency, institutions, family etc] (or)
2. Identified by the worker himself (or)
3. By the client himself to the worker or to an agency.
Stages of Referral
There are six stages; if any one stage is overlooked the referral may leads
to fail.

i) Clarification or statement of the problem or need for

Which, help is sough.
ii)Exploration of appropriate and available resources
iii). Discussion of options and selection of sources with
the client
iv) Planning and contact with the selected resources
i.e. initial contact, sending information, providing
transportation, client – resource (Agency)
meeting.
v) Meeting of client with resources.

vi) Follow up by the worker to see the goal is achieved.

 B. IDENTIFICATION & INFORMATION
(Personal Data)
In order to identify the client‟s problem. (for e.g.
Alcoholism /absenteeism, etc) and the nature of problem,
the following data should be noted:
⚫ Personal Data like Name, Age, Sex, and all other
personal, physical features whether he/she is
handicapped, etc.
⚫ History of the problem: (period from – to - having the
problem),
⚫ Situation: Attitude and socioeconomic conditions
 C. FAMILY BACKGROUND

⚫ Information related to:

⚫ Occupation, income, location of the residence (address) family
members, no. of children, relationship with others, inter personal
relationship attachment with parents, position of the client duties
and difficulties, treatment pattern in home etc.

D. EARLY FAMILY HISTORY

⚫Information related to :
⚫Family relationship, socioeconomic status of the family,
dislocation or disintegration of any (migration) sickness and
other difficulties of the client.
 Case Work Process
Stage II. STUDY

Study means- acquiring knowledge through various means /

methods (books, senses, learning, discussions, observations, etc)
or careful thoughts to understand about the problem of the
clients
Tools used in the study process of case work
A.Interviewing with clients
B.Home visits,
C.Collateral contacts,
D.Relationship.
 A.INTERVIEW – Meaning
i. Interview is a two way process to get information from the
client and also to provide information to the client.
.ii. In case work, interview refer to meeting of the case worker
and the client in a face to face conversation. It is a professional
activity on the part of caseworker.
Types of Interviewing
1. Direct
With Client

2. Indirect
With Family
With collateral
 B. HOME VISITS
According to Dictionary of social work (1987)

⚫In social case work, home visit is the act of going to clients
home in order to provide professional social services.

⚫Some social workers make home visits, because their clients

are handicapped or unable to come to the agency.
Importance of Home visits:
• Visiting the clients home helps to verify the facts collected from the clients with the
family member the neighbours and environment in which the client lives.

• Home visits is a valuable one as it can gives important data not only about the clients
physical environment but also the important areas of functioning of the clients at
home.

• Home visits helps to understand the circumstances at the home where he (client)
lives.
 C. COLLATERAL CONTACT
⚫Collaterals are those, who, because of their special
association with the clients, in a position to furnish
information to the caseworker about the client or to help the
clients (in some way)

⚫The worker has to see that the clients gets possible

treatment for his problems and to this end, work closely
together with the “Collaterals” such as schools, hospitals,
employees, unions social agencies friends, etc.,
 Case Work Process
Stage III. SOCIAL DIAGNOSIS

⚫It means fact finding . It is a guide to treatment.

⚫Diagnosis means “The process of identifying a
problem (social, mental, as well as medical) and its
underlying causes and formulating a solution
⚫In case work, Diagnosis means critical scrutinizing
of client, his situation, and his problem, which help
is sought or needed? for the purpose of
understanding the nature of the difficulty with
more detail and accuracy.
 TYPE OF DIAGNOSIS
⚫ Dynamic diagnosis
⚫ Etiological diagnosis
⚫ Classificatory diagnosis
 DYNAMIC DIAGNOSIS
(FAMILY DIAGNOSIS)

This diagnosis seeks to establish what trouble is, what

psychological, physical and social factors contributing to (or
cause) it. What effect it has on the individual’s wellbeing (and
that of others). What solution is sought and what means exist
with in the client, his situation and resources by which the
problem may be solved (Helen Harris Perlman171).
 ETIOLOGICAL DIAGNOSIS
⚫ Etiology means : The study of cause or reasons.

⚫ This may be immediate cause or the beginnings and the life history of the
problem; usually the problem lies in the client’s personality makeup or
functioning (Helen Harris Perlman)

⚫ This diagnosis helps to understand the nature of client’s situation

⚫ To understand the cause of the client’s problem from his situation.

⚫ Understanding as causes i.e. whether the current events or proceeding events

that still affects the client.
 CLASSIFICATORY DIAGNOSIS :
(CATEGORIZATION)
⚫ Efforts should be made to classify various aspects of the events
functioning.
⚫ E.g. problem can be classified as – Social, economic,
Psychological, etc.
⚫ Social Class: includes caste, religion, health, education, housing,
etc.
⚫ Economic Class: includes occupation, income, expenditure,
Indebtedness, etc.
⚫ Psychological Class: adjustment – parent – child, husband &
wife, learning problem of children, adjustment with
environment, etc
 Case Work Process
IV. INTERVENTION / TREATMENT
1. It is the fourth stage in the process of case work
2. It is a conscious interference of once own (client’s) affairs.
3. In social work, the term Intervention is similar to the term
treatment.
 OBJECTIVES OF TREATMENT
A)To change or to improve the person‟s situation /
environment. Either by supplying a social resources such as
financial and or change the environment.
B)To help a person to change his attitudes or behaviour with
in the social situation either by environmental manipulation
or change the environment or direct interviewing treatment
or
C) The combination of both
D)To change the client‟s comfort, satisfaction and self –
realization.
 TYPES / APPROACHES / TECHNIQUES OF
TREATMENT
⚫ Supportive Techniques (Indirect Influence) Or Indirect
Treatment Or Environmental manipulation.
⚫ Reflective Techniques [Enhancing Resources or Administration
of practical help or material help]
⚫ Counselling Techniques (Direct Influence or Direct treatment.
• Supportive Techniques (Indirect Treatment or Environmental manipulation)
• Treatment directed towards bringing changes in the human environment.
i.e. changes in family member‟s – children‟s – their parent‟s – children‟s – school
atmosphere.
• It is a strategy to bring out a change in a client social functioning.
Reflective Techniques (Administration of practical help or material helps):

⚫ This is the oldest and best known of the case work types of treatment.
⚫ In the simplest form, the worker assist the client to choose and to use of social
resources afforded by the community

Counselling Techniques (Direct Treatment):

⚫ It mean “influence of mind up on mind”

⚫ Counselling is a process of helping the individual to know himself; and the
world.
Models of Treatment
i). Crisis intervention treatment model.
ii). Short-term treatment model.
iii). Hard – to reach treatment model.
i) Crisis model: (Problem solving during the state of crisis)

To facilitate the problem solving during the crisis state, the

following are to be followed

a) Clarification of the problem

b) Expansion & management of feelings.
c)Use of both interpersonal and institutional
resources.
ii). Short term model treatment:
⚫Short term treatment of interpersonal problems yield more
progress than long continued services.
⚫For planned short terms treatment the following points are to
be considered.
a). Clear identification of problem.
b). Partialisation of that problem
⚫ .

iii). Hard – to – Reach – Treatment model

This model of treatment focus on problem identification,

participation and its goal of finding some immediate
rewards, enhance the limited motivations and capacities
that after characterize the clients who for whatever reasons,
is hard – to – reach or hard to engage in using agency help.
 Case Work Process
V. EVALUATION
Meaning:
• Evaluation means, “to determine the worth of, to
find the amount or value of, to appraise”.
Evaluation is knowing about what is not known
and above what is worth knowing.
 Case Work Process
VI. TERMINATION
⚫Termination is a process, which allots withdrawal of
commitment by the clients.
⚫Termination means the ending of contacts between a worker
and the clients.
 REACTIONS TO TERMINATION
The defences and reactions of a client during termination may fall
with in five stages.
⚫ Denial
⚫ Anger
⚫ Bargaining
⚫ Depression
⚫ Acceptance
⚫Denial:
The client may ignore what worker is saying or avoid any
discussion of termination.
⚫Anger:
There may be out bursts or verbal or physical assaults.
⚫Bargaining:
The client tries to negotiate an extension of time.
⚫Depression:
The client manifests restlessness, little energy, withdrawal,
helplessness, despair, no motivation to go on.
⚫Acceptance:
With the acceptance of the termination there is an increase
in energy. The client is able to talk about the good and the
bad times and to think about the future.
 DECISION TO TERMINATE

⚫ Review his supervisors.

⚫ Observing & talking with the clients.
⚫ Talking with other knowledgeable sources about the
termination of the client.
 Case Work Process
Stage VII. FOLLOW-UP

Follow-up can be Informal – through a telephone call letter

from the worker. Or formal – through a brief, mailed
questioner to the client. The nature and form of the follow up
should be made clear at the time of termination