ABSTRACT
This chapter analyses the child welfare field as a setting for case management. It examines different models of case management, and explores the place of relationship and interpersonal helping in child welfare case management. The chapter discusses the challenges of monitoring service delivery in the child welfare field. It focuses on narrower range of services provided to families and children in need of protection: in-home services, out-of-home placement, and related care, including services to return children to their families or to free them for other permanent placement, such as adoption. The chapter considers the circumstances that make monitoring a particularly vital aspect of case management in child welfare. Child welfare services are delivered by a network of public and private agencies whose relationships often are delineated by purchase-of-service agreements. Child Welfare League of America standards for family services specify that the social worker should help the family monitor and evaluate the services it is receiving.
