A Diploma of Community Services (Case Management) can help you advance your career in the community services field. You’ll develop specialist skills to help you take on a case management role in industries such as nursing, health care, family services, aged care, disability services or social work. You’ll learn to coordinate services for clients with multiple needs and evaluate the success of service programs. This course also includes a work placement so you’ll gain important real world experience.
The Diploma of Community Services (Case Management) explores a range of topics relevant to a case management role. You’ll look at strategies for working on complex cases and learn how to work within a child protection framework. The course looks at assessing a client’s needs and planning a program of support. You can also choose elective subjects based on your career plans.
Working in community services can lead to a very rewarding career. You’ll need to be highly organised and able to manage the needs of multiple clients at once. You’ll need to have strong communication skills and be able to liaise with clients, families and support providers. It’s important that you are understanding and can listen to clients’ needs. Case managers work with people from all backgrounds so you’ll need excellent personal skills.
A Diploma of Community Services (Case Management) is an ideal course of study for the following careers:
Housing Officer
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Housing Officer helps people in need find suitable housing options. They might source appropriate accommodation and liaise with tenants and housing providers. Housing Officers may work with people at risk of homelessness and assist them with the application process. They might also coordinate support services for tenants when required.
Case Manager
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Case Manager coordinates support services for clients with complex needs. They might assess the needs of clients and connect them with appropriate support services. Case Managers might develop a support plan and monitor the progress of their clients. They need a good understanding of the community services available. Case Managers work in a range of fields such as aged care, child protection and mental health services.
Higher education pathways
A Diploma of Community Services (Case Management) is an ideal qualification for furthering your career in case management. You might choose to continue your studies with an Advanced Diploma of Nursing (Mental Health) or a Graduate Certificate in Client Assessment and Case Management. There are also certificate level courses available which might increase your skills and knowledge such as the Certificate IV in Mental Health or the Certificate IV in Alcohol and Other Drugs.
If you decide to further advance your career you could enrol in a university degree such as a Bachelor of Social Work or a Bachelor of Human Services. This will expand your knowledge of community services issues and allow you to apply for a greater range of career roles. A university degree may also allow you to take on a case management position with more responsibility. You may be able to use a Diploma of Community Services (Case Management) as a pathway to these courses.
Getting started
If the Diploma of Community Services (Case Management) is of interest to you, take the first step by requesting information from a range of course providers. You should find out about the duration of the course, the costs involved, any prerequisites and the content the course will cover. There is usually some variation between course providers, so it’s important that you gather all the details so you can find the right qualification for you. The Diploma of Community Services (Case Management) may be offered online or on campus.