Integrated Assessment and Case Planning for the Criminal Justice Population

Many people who arrive at the doors of human service agencies already have been overwhelmed by unresponsive institutions. Feelings of hopelessness, alienation and vulnerability describe their overall outlook on their lives; however, many of these clients only seek to play a significant role in the system that affects their daily living. The supervising agency and staff should use a variety of techniques with the client to assist him/her in learning alternative behaviors that will contribute to their overall success. This can be accomplished by developing a goal oriented case plan that ensures ownership and acceptance of services while matching the client’s dynamic factors with appropriate services. The key to a successful case plan is to engage the client in a collaborative change process through the building of a supervision alliance. This engagement enhances intrinsic motivation, targets appropriate needs and establishes behavioral reinforcements. In this workshop we will learn the techniques to develop a complete needs assessment through interviewing strategies, identifying and exploring targeted needs of the client, providing clear expectations for supervision and implementing a process that is as important as the plan.