When we talk about case management, what are we referring to? How does the case manager figure fit within the social and health care context?

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The term case management refers to an approach that has developed in social and health care, welfare and education to accompany individualized pathways of a certain complexity. It is articulated as a cooperative process that ascertains the needs and competencies of the person and his or her primary network in order to assess, plan and coordinate the most appropriate interventions in response to the demand for health and well-being.
This is an approach, and therefore an operational function, that shows three key advantages in the current configuration of welfare systems: appropriateness, effectiveness, efficiency and empowerment.
By coordinating the resources and actions of multiple actors (institutional and professional), the case manager can develop an intervention plan most appropriate to the specific characteristics of the user and his or her living context. An intervention plan with a high rate of appropriateness is also more likely to be effective from the point of view of its concrete impact on the user's quality of life. But not only that, it allows resources to be managed more efficiently and equitably, avoiding waste resulting from overlap, repetition or competition among services. Finally, the case management approach facilitates the process of "capacitation" of the user, fostering a higher level of awareness and active participation with respect to the interventions put in place.