Time, terrain and trust: Impacts of rurality on case management in rural Australia

Abstract

There is a ‘black hole’ in our understanding of case management practice with earlier studies identifying this as a particular concern for rural contexts. Using grounded theory methodology, focus groups were conducted with Australian rural case managers to understand how the rural context impacts on the provision of case management services. Findings identified behaviours associated with lengthy rural travel, stemming from a demand for constant output; lack of familiarity with the rural landscape combined with the loss of mobile communication, led to early feelings of trepidation for some women accessing rural spaces; lastly, building inter-agency relationships are critical to successful collaborative work, yet are threatened by lack of trust and frequent turnover of rural programs. Further exploration of these themes, in the international context, would be of benefit.