To exit or not to exit: Evaluating a case management pathway in a Global South context to decrease service dependency

Abstract

An evaluation was undertaken of a case management pathway for a child protection organization in Cambodia to decrease service dependency. Save the Children’s ‘Steps to Protect’ was used as an evaluation framework to identify how the organization met the criteria for the core components of case management. These included identification and initial screening, case planning, implementation, and case review, and the findings show that a well-defined, staged process for case management actively reduces service dependency. The recommendations are that a staged case management pathway should be developed in child protection services as an approach for reducing service dependency.