The Challenge of Social Work-Led Case Management: A Qualitative Study of Community-based Home Care for Older Adults

There has been much interest in the use of the case management approach for social care. However, the implementation of case management encounters several challenges. This study aims to explore how integrated case management can be implemented successfully in community-based home care services in Hong Kong from the perspectives of professionals, service users, and family carers, as revealed in focus groups and in-depth interviews. Three core main themes emerged from thematic analysis of focus group and interview data: (1) current case management practice, (2) the challenge of interprofessional collaboration, and (3) organizational barriers to implementing effective case management, and these were broken down into nine subthemes. The research identified important challenges, such as differing and conflicting perceptions of case management, as well as biases and disagreements regarding the roles and differential status of the different professions. Implications are identified for promoting the development of effective case management, especially regarding enhancing interprofessional collaboration and empowering social workers to take leadership of the case management process. The article ends with insights from the study that extend beyond the case and their implications for the broader field of community-based care.