← Education and social services

ANZSCO 2722Skill level 1Education and social services

Case manager

Plan and coordinate complex client support across child protection, NDIS, mental-health and housing settings.

Salary

Cited figures from Job Outlook and QILT. ExamExplained does not publish predictive earnings or projections.

FigureAUDSource
Full-time weekly earnings$1700Job Outlook (2025-06-01)

How far does this stretch in each city?

What a case manager actually does

Case managers carry a caseload of 15-40 clients depending on the sector, and the work is mostly about coordinating other people's services on behalf of one person. A day in an NDIS coordination role might open with a team huddle, then 2-3 home visits or community appointments, then afternoon hours on plan reviews, provider phone calls, progress notes and emails. In statutory child-protection case management the work is more visit-heavy with statutory time frames for safety checks and case plan reviews. In mental-health or AOD case management you also run groups and do shared assessments with clinicians. Across all settings expect 60-70 percent of the week on documentation, phone calls and funding submissions, and 30-40 percent on face-to-face contact. Hours are usually 38 a week with regular travel; statutory roles include on-call rosters. The job rides on relationships with services that are always short on capacity, so a lot of the skill is polite, persistent follow-up.

Typical tasks

  • Develop and review case plans.
  • Coordinate inter-agency support.
  • Advocate for clients in tribunal and court settings.

Skills you'll use

  • Strengths-based and person-centred case planning
  • Risk assessment and safety planning
  • Knowledge of NDIS, housing, Centrelink, mental-health and AOD systems
  • Court-report writing for family or guardianship matters
  • Negotiating with service providers and funders
  • Trauma-informed practice and reflective supervision
  • Time management across a complex caseload

How to become one

  1. 1Finish Year 12. Some entry-level case manager roles take a Cert IV (Community Services, Mental Health or Disability) but most senior roles want a Diploma or degree
  2. 2Complete a Diploma of Community Services (CHC52021), or a Bachelor of Social Work, Psychology, Counselling, Community Development or Health Science
  3. 3Build paid or volunteer experience in a frontline support role (residential care, support worker, drug-and-alcohol counsellor assistant, headspace volunteer) before applying for case manager roles
  4. 4Get a Working With Children Check and the relevant state NDIS Worker Screening or Working With Vulnerable People check
  5. 5Apply for entry-level case manager or support coordinator roles in NDIS, child protection, family support, AOD or community mental health
  6. 6For specialist mental-health case management, complete a Cert IV in Mental Health Peer Work or a graduate certificate in Mental Health

Where you can work

  • NDIS support coordination providers
  • State child-protection departments (DCJ, DFFH, DCP, DCYJMA)
  • Community mental-health services and headspace
  • Alcohol-and-other-drugs treatment services
  • Out-of-home-care and foster-care agencies
  • Homelessness and family-violence services
  • Aboriginal Community Controlled Organisations
  • Justice and corrections community-reintegration teams

Career progression

Typical stages and salary bands. Salary figures are sourced from Job Outlook, QILT or industry bodies; brackets are 25th-75th percentile not absolute floors or ceilings.

  1. Support worker or trainee case manager
    0-2 years
    Typical roles: Support worker, Trainee case manager, Case coordinator
    Salary band: $60,000 - $75,000 per year (source, sourced 2026-05-21)
  2. Case manager
    2-6 years
    Typical roles: NDIS support coordinator, Child protection caseworker, Mental health case manager
    Salary band: $75,000 - $100,000 per year (source, sourced 2026-05-21)
  3. Senior or specialist
    6-10 years
    Typical roles: Senior case manager, Specialist support coordinator, Team leader
    Salary band: $95,000 - $115,000 per year (source, sourced 2026-05-21)
  4. Programme leadership
    10+ years
    Typical roles: Programme manager, Service manager, Regional manager

Is this for you?

You might love this if

  • You're an organiser by nature and like turning chaos into a plan
  • You can hold a clear plan in your head while a client is in crisis
  • You can write a case note that holds up in court or tribunal
  • You're patient with services that are slow, stretched and unreliable
  • You're comfortable with a documentation-heavy job

This might not suit you if

  • You hate paperwork and database systems
  • You can't manage a caseload of 20 plus separate problems
  • You can't tolerate the emotional load of long-term complex clients
  • You want fast-moving, clean wins
  • You can't drive or travel between sites

Three ways in

Uni, TAFE and trade routes for case manager. Not every career has all three; we only list pathways that actually lead to this occupation.

University

Bachelor degrees that lead to this career.

No direct undergraduate pathway. Consider postgraduate study after a related bachelor degree.

TAFE / VET

Nationally accredited Certificate and Diploma qualifications.

Apprenticeship trade

Earn while you learn through an Australian Apprenticeship.

Not an apprenticeship trade.

Sources

ExamExplained does not publish predictive salary figures. For current Australian earnings data check Job Outlook directly. Career classifications follow the ABS ANZSCO 2022 release.