CADER and Tri-Valley, Inc. Increase Access to Training to Strengthen the Case Manager Workforce

As more Massachusetts residents become aware of and apply for social and healthcare services offered in the state, the number of people who need help navigating these services increases. Unfortunately, the Commonwealth is facing a shortage of qualified case managers to support them. While many home health aides, certified nursing assistants, hospice workers, and other caregivers with relevant experience are eager to step into case manager roles, says Joe Vaudreuil of Tri-Valley, Inc., an Aging Services Access Point (ASAP) without a bachelor’s degree, many have been locked out of the opportunity—until now.   

Thanks to a partnership between Tri-Valley, Inc. and the Center for Aging and Disability Education and Research (CADER) at Boston University’s School of Social Work (BUSSW), plus Massachusetts Governor Maura Healey’s support of the “skills-first” approach to hiring, case manager opportunities are becoming more accessible to social service workers with varying levels of education and experience. 

Tri-Valley, Inc. works to promote and maintain the optimal level of independence, dignity, and well-being for older adults, individuals with disabilities, and others who require social services in Central Massachusetts. In April 2023, the Massachusetts Executive Office of Health and Human Services (EOHHS) awarded a grant to the organization to fund the development of an innovative program to help address the shortage of case managers—Case Management Accelerated Training (CMAT).  

“For us, it was a simple equation,” says Vaudreuil, CMAT program manager. “As the number of individuals eligible for these life-changing services increases, so must the number of individuals ready to support our communities by coordinating these services.” 

Tri-Valley learned about CADER through the statewide training partnership CADER has with the Massachusetts Executive Office on Elder Affairs (EOEA) in case management and behavioral health.  

“We found CADER’s Person-Centered Case Management (PCCM) certificate to be a robust program our staff could use for professional development,” says Vaudreuil. “We assessed the program to see if its content was accessible and digestible for people who might not be very familiar with case management and felt its pace and in-depth curriculum was a great match with the topics of our CMAT program.”  

In the past, to apply for many human services positions in Massachusetts, including case manager jobs, an applicant was required to hold a bachelor’s degree. Now, for most positions, a degree is preferred, not required. Tri-Valley’s goal is to expand opportunities for people without four-year degrees by providing them with essential case manager training. 

“Seeing the trend of educational requirements moving from ‘required’ to ‘preferred with experience,’ allows people to gain in-demand experiences and skills,” says Chief Programs Officer Sharon Thompson, who 20 years ago also started as a case manager at Tri-Valley, Inc. a “Our training also aims to increase employee retention by giving participants clear expectations of what the job looks like before they get into it—and shows them that not all case management positions look the same.” 

Launched in September 2023 with 19 students, Tri-Valley’s CMAT is an 11-week, 30-hour per week, workforce development program that pays participants and equips them with the knowledge and skills needed to be effective case managers. The curriculum includes in-person classes; assignments, including a research report; and field placement experiences that require completion of documentation. For the in-person component, instructors from Worcester State University, Anna Maria College, Nichols College, Clark University, Framingham State University, and The Network Trainers Hub at BUSSW teach the classes. What’s more, all participants receive a stipend and a laptop to reduce barriers to participation. 

“Workforce development programs like ours are important because they provide opportunity to those who want a career change.,” says Thompson. “We can help them get training and offer financial support while they learn new career advancement skills the workforce needs.”  

Those who apply to CMAT must have some relevant experience and complete a screening process, which includes an in-person interview, says Thompson. “We ask them what skills they already have, why they want to be part of the program, and what they want to do with the certificate. We also go over the curriculum and expectations, so they know what they’re getting into.” 

As part of the Tri-Valley’s CMAT curriculum, participants complete CADER’s six-course, online, self-paced PCCM certificate. They learn how  to develop a person-centered plan by assessing functional needs, as well as the skills to gather necessary information, review available resources, and how to provide ongoing support through care transitions. 

“Since the courses of the PCCM certificate must be completed by certain deadlines, it is one of several benchmarks throughout the program that help students learn to manage their time,” says Vaudreuil. “The certificate also provides a deeper historical background that we don’t cover in our CMAT classes. And it offers a wonderful set of resources to help our students understand where case management fits into the larger human services field.”  

So far, Tri-Valley has completed two CMAT cohorts, with a third starting in September 2024. By all accounts the program has been a success. Before completing the PCCM certificate, only 11% of participants reported feeling extremely or very prepared to work as a case manager. After completing the certificate, 74% of participants felt extremely or very prepared to work as a case manager. In addition, the culmination of the CMAT program is a career and college job fair where many participants land positions within 45 days of completing the program. A survey of the first two cohorts of CMAT graduates revealed that: 

• 87% are employed 

• 70% are employed as case managers 

• 69% learned about their current employer through the CMAT program 

• 100% would recommend CMAT to someone else 

While it’s mostly women who apply at the moment, participants come from a range of backgrounds with varying degrees of experience and education, says Vaudreuil. “We’re seeing parents who want to return to the workforce, recent high school graduates, and professionals who have worked in direct service or are looking to launch a second career.” According to Vaudreuil, their youngest student is 19, the oldest 64. 

Tri-Valley’s EOHHS grant lasts until March 2025, but Vaudreuil and Thompson are already planning to apply for more funding — funding that would support expansion of the program.  

“Our goal for the future is to definitely keep going,” says Thompson. “It’s clearly been successful, and more and more people are applying. Word is getting out in the community and reaching farther.” 

Learn more about the Tri-Valley CMAT program. 

Learn more about CADER’s Person-Centered Case Management Certificate.