Case managers work individually with
criminal justice-involved women to define
their short and long-term goals and create
plans to achieve them. Many of the services
these women seek are available through
WPA programs. Case managers assist clients
in accessing both WPA and other public
services. The case manager uses a client’s
presenting needs and goals as the guide
for connecting her with appropriate services.
Through the comprehensive intake interview,
a client is prompted to consider her
needs, resources and goals related to
a range of life areas, including employment,
housing, family, physical and mental
health, drug use and addiction, experience
with violence or other trauma, and criminal
justice history. Women often present
with urgent survival needs, so the earliest
interactions may focus solely on crisis
intervention and resolution.
Based on her needs and goals, a client
is connected with the case management
team that is best able to support her
in meeting those goals.
The Mental Health Case
Manager is trained
to assess mental health needs and
encourage women to access supportive
mental health services in the community.
Work with clients includes goal-setting
and action planning, plus supportive
counseling that helps clients become
ready to engage in traditional professional
psychological services. Clients who
work with the mental health case
manager commonly need intensive personal
assistance and reassurance.
The mental health case manager coordinates
support groups around issues like sexual
abuse, other trauma, and HIV-related
issues and assists other agency staff
in connecting women with any necessary
mental health resources in the community.
Women in prison and jail have a much
higher rate of HIV infection than women
in the general population. Upon release,
they are eligible for and will likely
need targeted assistance in obtaining
health services, housing, income assistance,
and other supports. WPA’s case
managers have special expertise in working
with women who have HIV and
at helping HIV-infected women transition
from incarceration into the community
without interruptions in medical care,
medication regimen or other services.
Case managers help women with HIV meet
a variety of needs, including housing
for themselves and their families (both
long-term and short-term emergency accommodations),
public assistance, medical care, counseling,
and drug treatment.
Women who do not require specialized
mental health or HIV-specific case management
can work with one of WPA’s Reentry
Case Managers to satisfy
immediate needs and plan for the future.
Women often seek case management because
they are trying to reunify with children,
need to find a job or a place to live,
or some combination of those needs. The
case manager helps a woman initiate the
assessment of her family reunification
prospects and identify her employment
skills and housing options—as well as other
needs and resources—and connects
her with Targeted Assistance to
meet the full range of her goals. Some
assistance—such as assistance with
applying for public benefits and finding
appropriate medical care—is provided
directly by the case manager, while other
specialized help is provided by WPA and
outside agencies who are best able to activate
resources that make it possible for women
to achieve their goals.
