Get Started with Case Management Objects for Social Programs

Learning Objectives

After completing this unit, you’ll be able to:

• Explain the purpose of social programs in the public sector.
  
• Summarize the workflow of a social program case in Public Sector Solutions.
  
• Describe the data model for case management.
  

Before You Start

Before you start this module, make sure you complete the following content. The work you do here builds on the concepts and work you do in that content.

• Data Modeling
  

Also, consider completing the following recommended content.

• Admin Essentials for Public Sector Solutions
  

Social Program Management in the Public Sector

To maintain the health and well-being of the community, governments (federal, state, provincial, and local) provide assistance to constituents who are facing hardship in various areas of their lives. This aid often comes in the form of specialized public social programs that deliver training, counseling, or monetary assistance to the constituents.

To ensure the successful delivery of these services, government agencies must provide solutions that are collaborative, timely, and personalized. This responsibility falls upon caseworkers and case managers, who work closely with clients to understand their situation and provide the best means of help.

Of course, this is easier said than done! On any given day, case managers and caseworkers juggle several responsibilities, including:

• Corresponding with community members
  
• Reviewing applications
  
• Conducting investigations and performing assessments
  
• Identifying and assigning the correct set of programs and benefits
  
• Coordinating assistance with service providers
  
• Developing individualized care plans with personalized goals
  
• Monitoring each constituent’s progress toward their assigned goals
  

The most effective caseworkers exhibit empathy, compassion, and patience to earn client trust and build strong connections. The issues that constituents face are seldom the same, and caseworkers must develop a unique combination of solutions to resolve them. More often than not, caseworkers are responsible for large caseloads, making it difficult to keep track of all the information related to a particular case. Disconnected systems and paper documentation make this work all the more challenging.

Here are just a few examples of public services that can be expedited with efficient case management.

• Employment services
  
• Child welfare and family assistance
  
• Aid for older constituents
  
• Housing assistance
  
• Domestic abuse and legal assistance
  
• Financial assistance
  

To learn more about the types of public services you can streamline with Social Program Management, see the Social Program Management in Public Sector Solutions Help article.

Case Management for Public Sector Solutions

Case Management for Public Sector Solutions is here to help. Case Management streamlines client engagement, service provider communication, and care coordination. It provides the necessary tools to:

• Intake and screen cases.
  
• Establish and assign programs, benefits, and goals.
  
• Develop comprehensive care plans to effect the best possible outcome for the person or family in need.
  

With guided flows and dynamic assessments, you can capture all of the relevant client and case information quickly and efficiently, and this data resides in one place for easy reference.

In this module, you learn about the objects that support Case Management for social programs. Think of them as building blocks that you can use to assemble workflows that best suit your caseworkers and constituents. We follow the Cosville employees as they use Case Management to focus more on providing help to the constituents they serve and less on burdensome administrative tasks. How you use Case Management objects is up to you. But the goal is always the same: to efficiently deliver services and resources to improve the lives of individuals, families, and communities.

Case Management in Public Sector Solutions offers many capabilities. This module focuses on the Case Management objects related to social care and non-financial benefits. To learn more about the case management objects related to financial benefits and case proceedings, see the links in the Resources section of this unit.

Public Sector Solutions Data Model for Case Management

The city of Cosville is enjoying early success with Public Sector Solutions. They’ve simplified and accelerated processes related to delivering licensing, permits, inspections, grants, and other important services. Now, Tishon Nichols, the Salesforce administrator, wants to use Case Management for Public Service Solutions to transform the systems and processes regarding case management, another critical framework that the city uses to deliver services.

Before she can implement Case Management in Public Service Solutions, Tishon must explore the underlying data model. By understanding what the Case Management objects do and how they relate to one another, she can help the Department of Public Services team customize these objects to fit the processes of Cosville.

First, let’s take a moment to consider the typical workflow of a social program case in Public Sector Solutions.

1. Intake and Assessment: A case arises from an issue reported through certain intake methods, like complaints, referrals, and applications. Caseworkers review the intake information and perform assessments or conduct investigations to further assess the issue.
   
2. Planning: After they’ve fully identified the circumstances and causes of an issue, the caseworker determines the eligibility of the involved parties for certain forms of assistance.
   
3. Care Plan Assignment: The caseworker creates a care plan that consists of prescribed tasks and goals for the constituent. The care plan also includes benefits and enrollments in assistance programs offered through the government or providers in the community.
   
4. Monitoring: The caseworker regularly follows up with scheduled check-ins to make sure that the participants are completing the tasks and are on track to achieve the goals outlined in the care plan.
   
5. Resolution: Once the participants complete the care plan and the caseworker determines that no additional assistance is necessary, the caseworker marks the care plan as complete and resolves the case.
   

With this workflow in mind, let’s explore the Case Management data model. Case Management objects are organized into five primary categories.

1. Participant objects represent the people who are involved in a case or complaint, including those in need of assistance.
   
2. Case management objects represent forms of intake, such as complaints and referrals, and the resulting case to track information about the situation.
   
3. Program management objects store information about the programs and benefits available to eligible constituents.
   
4. Application objects track requests from constituents for programs and benefits.
   
5. Care plan objects store the methods being used to improve a particular situation, including goals and tasks that the caseworker assigns to the constituent.
   

In the next unit, we dig deeper into the Case Management objects, starting with participants, public complaints, referrals, and applications.

Resources

• Salesforce Help: Social Program Management in Public Sector Solutions
• Salesforce Help: Benefit Management in Public Sector Solutions
• Salesforce Help: Justice and Investigative Case Management in Public Sector Solutions