A theory of rural case management : A Delphi study

Though attention has been given to investigating the role of generalist case management in addressing complex needs, largely absent to date is an enquiry to develop the theory for rural community-based social work and human service case management. The purpose of this article is to describe how a two-stage exploratory mixed methods research methodology led to the formulation of a series of theoretical constructs to inform rural case management theory. This article describes Stage 2 of the study, a Delphi method with social work academics where vignettes and a rating scale were strategically combined to transform rural case management practice experience into constructs to inform rural practice theory. We conclude the article by contending that mixed method research designs hold promise for other areas of human services work, where practice theory grounded in-field experience is sought.