Legality and Ethics for Case Management
When it relates to addictions counseling, case management is meant to help design an efficient plan for each client’s treatment. None of the client’s situations will be exactly the same, and each individual needs a plan tailored specifically to meet their needs. If all of an individual’s needs are not met, then treatment is not likely to be successful. Siegal (2014) states, “Case management focuses on assisting the substance abuser in acquiring needed resources” (p.5). In a lot of cases, the individual needs to learn more appropriate behaviors, and how to develop positive coping skills. Developing a plan by utilizing case management helps develop a plan for those things to happen.
The two programs that I selected for this paper are: Drug Free Communities and Sober Truth on Preventing Underage Drinking. The Drug Free Communities group is designed to help lower substance use from adolescents and adults. This program seeks to educate citizens and prevent illegal drug use. The Sober Truth program focuses on preventing and increasing awareness about underage drinking. They look to get citizens in the community to participate and help educate the youth on perils of underage drinking.
In order for both programs to receive government funding, they must meet stringent legal requirements. In order for Drug Free Communities to receive their grant, they must: utilize methods that encourages people to participate and educate themselves about substance abuse. SAMHSA (n.d) states that this program will, “Use the Strategic Prevention Framework of evidence based prevention strategies to assess needs, build capacity, plan, implement and evaluate community prevention initiatives (para.1). They are also mandated to report the effectiveness of the initiatives so that appropriate adjustments can be made as necessary. This program is also encouraged to get the community as a whole to work together to help prevent substance abuse as much as possible.
The main purpose of Sober Truth on Preventing Underage Drinking Act Grants is to prevent and/or curtail underage drinking. They are mandated to spread awareness of underage drinking, and educate the dangers about a teenager when they choose to drive while intoxicated. SAMHSA (n.d) declares, “LHSC will address underage drinking through strategies designed to: increase awareness of the negative impacts of alcohol use, decrease youth access to alcohol, reduce youth demand for alcohol, and communicate a clear message to the community that underage drinking is unacceptable” (para.1). They have to use prevention methods to help prevent underage drinking, and emphasize the consequences of drunk driving (for example, getting arrested for DUI, and/or killing or injuring themselves or others). They are also required to put more pressure on stores and/or restaurants that serves alcohol by making sure that they are checking ID’s for alcohol purchases.
Some possible implications of ethical practices with these programs would be regarding confidentiality. If they are attempting to treat or refer a client for treatment, the case managers can only release what information is necessary for the other agency. They are also responsible to ensure that the client’s information is not shared with others (even if they are relatives) unless they sign a release of information form. Case managers from those programs also have to be wary about violating confidentiality issues on the telephone. It is easy for an individual to pretend they are a relative of the client or misrepresent that they work for an agency, so it could be easy to accidentally violate confidentiality.
In conclusion, this week I got to analyze the role of case management within addictions counseling. I also got to learn more about government funded programs, and I was intrigued to learn about the regulations that each program had to follow. I feel that this assignment was very useful to me as it encouraged me to think critically on proper roles and boundaries with case management and addictions counseling…
References
Siegal, H. (2004). Case management for substance abuse treatment: A guide for treatment providers. Treatment Improvement Protocol (TIP) Series 27. Washington, DC: US Department of Health and Human Resources.
Copyright 2004 by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration/U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. www.samhsa.gov Retrieved from http://kap.samhsa.gov/products/brochures/pdfs/TIP_27_Desk_Reference.pdf
Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration. (n.d.b). SAMHSA grant awards by state 2011/2012. Retrieved September 12, 2012 from http://www.samhsa.gov/Statesummaries/index.aspx
