Interagency Collaboration in Public Sector Case Management: Where Do We Stand? -A Focus Group Analysis of Frontline Workers from Six Case Management Programs-

The purpose of this study is to examine the current practices and future challenges of inter-organizational collaboration among public sector case management programs, which are being implemented with diverse goals and backgrounds. To achieve this aim, focus group interviews were conducted with case managers and administrators from six programs, including Integrated Case Management. A thematic analysis of the interview data revealed that inter-agency collaboration in public case management is currently characterized as ‘weakened integration under a survival-of-the-fittest approach’ and ‘collaboration that operates but remains inconvenient and burdensome’. To build a ‘sustainable field of connection, coordination, and communication’, the following strategies are suggested: establishing an operational foundation for case management across program boundaries, strengthening coordination functions among case management actors, securing competent personnel for case management practice, and utilizing networks to foster communication and collaboration