Did you know March is National Professional Social Work Month? There are many great social work and casework resources in the Switchboard Resource Library, which hosts over 400 downloadable and multimedia files! Here is a round-up to help you get started:

Maintaining the Caseworker-Client Relationship

• Introduction to Case Management
  Project Strengthening Organizations Assisting Refugees (SOAR), 2006
  This 3-page tip sheet reviews the basics of case management, including intake and assessment, goal development, intervention, monitoring and re-assessment, and termination.

• Boundaries in the Electronic Age
  Center for Victims of Torture National Capacity Building Project, January 2019
  This webinar examined ethical and professional practice issues related to electronic methods of communication, including use of internet searches on clients, communication via texting, the use of blogs and help sites, and friending on social media sites. It also covered topics that may require the development of program policies and/or standards.

• Time Management Techniques for Case Managers
  Project SOAR, 2011
  This tip sheet provides guidance on time management techniques that can be used by caseworkers and case managers.

Improving Your Case Notes

• How to Ensure Data Quality in Case Management: 4 Practical Strategies
  Monitoring and Evaluation Technical Assistance (META) Project, November 2016
  In this webinar, data experts from the IRC and Church World Service discussed why data quality is so important, demonstrated time-saving tips and tricks in Excel, and shared the real-world implications of quality data.

• The 5 C’s of Good Case Notes
  Project SOAR, 2011
  This tip sheet reviews the “Five C’s” of good case notes: comprehensive, chronological, consistent, confidential and demonstrating case management.

Helping Clients Overcome Barriers

• Language Access – Understand and Advocate for Your Clients’ Right to Interpretation Services
  National Partnership for Community Training, 2016
  This guide compares and contrasts relevant laws and policies related to language access, identifies advocacy steps for refugee resettlement staff, and highlights available resources.

• Enhancing Child Care for Refugee Self-Sufficiency: A Training Resource and Toolkit
  Bridging Refugee Youth and Children’s Services (BRYCS), 2006
  This resource contains information, reference materials, and sample training modules for employment specialists and case managers. It is designed to help agencies increase their capacity to serve refugee clients and provide them with a spectrum of child care options.

Working with Special Populations

• An Outline of a Best Practice Model for Working with Survivors of Torture
  Center for Victims of Torture National Capacity Building Project, September 2017
  This webinar introduced the culturally appropriate and evidence-based way that complex care approaches can be adapted to the unique healthcare problems of torture survivors. The webinar defined “complex care” and presented a model that encompasses five domains: the trauma story, biomedical, psychological, social, and spiritual. An interactive e-consultation followed.

• Managing Trauma: Tips for Supporting Refugee Teens in Schools, Refugee Resettlement, and Other Contexts
  BRYCS, 2017
  This webinar discussed some of the dilemmas facing refugee teenagers, how to converse helpfully and meaningfully with refugee teens, as well as ways to intervene more effectively with refugee teens, their families, and schools. This webinar builds on the previous BRYCS webinar Understanding Trauma in Refugee Youth.