Training, skills and caseloads of community mental health support workers involved in case management: evaluation...

This paper describes phase one of a three phase, Department of Health funded project, led by the Mental Health Programme of the Royal College of Nursing Institute in collaboration with the Research Unit of the Royal College of Psychiatrists and the School of Social Work at the University of East Anglia. Its project aims were to establish whether the work of demonstration sites in mental health case management had developed beyond their original structure, to compare their current profile with the general literature on case management and assertive outreach and to use this data to reach consensus about issues affecting the work of those healthcare workers who currently see themselves working as case managers. Central to these aims were the experiences and narratives of the demonstration site case managers themselves. In 1995 data were collected from six fieldwork sites in England using semistructured interviews. Similarities and differences between the literature and the fieldwork data were used to inform a consensus conference. The main areas of investigation were organizational considerations, the nature of innovative projects and user involvement. The paper concludes that there are serious problems with the perceived role of case managers, their support and training and further difficulties attributed to interagency working. Finally, it is clear that the exact nature of the client group most suited to UK case management typology has not yet been resolved.