Crisis management and grievance/appeals roles of case managers
Crisis management is common in the work of case managers. This may be due to the client’s symptoms of the mental illness, client poverty, or client skill limitations. Clients may need prompt intervention and assistance of the case manager. Case managers report that addressing client crises and urgent needs is a significant part of the job. This can involve very rapid situation/problem assessment, intervention planning, referral and coordination to address the immediate needs of the client, This is an increased challenge for the case manager if caseloads are too high, other agencies are unwilling to assume responsibility, and/or if case manager does not have sufficient resources and support.
Grievance and appeal procedures refer to accepted administrative methods of solving problems or registering complaints within a service/resource agency or to DHS. Occasionally, case managers need to assist clients in making formal grievances and appeals when the client believes he/she is having services/resources denied, reduced or terminated, or the client is possibly being discriminated against. Mental health agencies and resource agencies should have grievance procedures clearly stated. Consumer’s have the right to know these procedures and to use them without fear of punishment.