What is caseload management?

Caseload management: the paediatric caseload

Caseload management refers to how a speech and language therapist, or speech and language therapy service (and sometimes amalgamated services e.g. a child development team) organises how it provides assessment and intervention to clients. The caseload might refer to clients in a particular nursery, school or clinic. Or it might refer to a much larger cohort, such as all pre-school children within a geographical area associated with a children’s centre, or all children within a particular county or borough aged 5-18. In order to manage a caseload the following may be taken into consideration:

• Prioritisation factors (see ‘what is prioritisation?’ document)
• The assessment information required (e.g. is 1:1 formal assessment required? Would a group help gather information on interaction skills? Is classroom observation necessary?)
• The evidence base for intervention effectiveness (e.g. is there evidence to indicate whether the intervention is most effective in a 1:1 or group setting? Is there evidence to indicate how long the intervention should last? Is there evidence to indicate who would be most effective at delivering the intervention, and in what environment?)
• Available resources / skill mix (e.g. is there a highly skilled speech and language therapy assistant who can effectively deliver intervention with supervision? Are staff members in a particular school or nursery highly trained in providing language supporting environments? Does the therapist have relevant experience and expertise?)
• The client’s skills, needs and personality (e.g. is it appropriate to group certain clients?)
• Levels of service delivery (if relevant, can input be provided at a universal, targeted and specialist level?)