The new American social work gospel: Case management of the chronically mentally III

Summary: Case management is currently the most popular mode of service delivery in the United States, especially in community programs for chronically mentally ill people. Proponents of case management claim that it is cost-effective and that it assures provision of necessary services to clients. In this paper I do not challenge its effectiveness but argue that case management neither empowers clients nor is it free of drawbacks. Given that many countries tend to model the United States, foreign social workers and other human service professionals should first examine the usefulness of case management vis-à-vis their own cultural and economic contexts, especially in the light of its many drawbacks.