How To Become A Dependency Case Manager: What It Is and Career Path

What is a dependency case manager and how to become one

Updated January 8, 2025

4 min read

A dependency case manager is someone who works with families that have been involved in child abuse cases. Their primary goals are to protect children from abuse and to help families stay together while working past their trauma. They do this by connecting parents to resources such as medical care and housing. They also visit families at home to evaluate their situation and prepare documents to support the parents' rights during a court case. In addition to knowing a lot about social services and child protection, dependency case managers need to be understanding and truly dedicated to the children whose cases they manage, as many are on call around the clock.

Dependency case managers need to know a lot about handling sensitive familial situations. Many prepare for this position by getting a bachelor's or even a master's degree in social work or a related field. They also have some work experience in child welfare and sometimes even a certificate from the state.

The job of a dependency case manager requires long hours, including on weekends, and dealing with stressful situations, but for many the joy of protecting children--and the annual salary of about $49,250--is worth it.

ScoreDependency Case ManagerUS Average

Salary

3.0

Avg. Salary $37,770

Avg. Salary $59,228

Stability level

8.9

Growth rate 12%

Growth rate 0.3%

Diversity

10.0

Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 1.31%

Asian 5.89%

Black or African American 14.05%

Hispanic or Latino 21.51%

Unknown 4.39%

White 52.85%

Gender

female 82.81%

male 17.19%

Age - 43

Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 3.00%

Asian 7.00%

Black or African American 14.00%

Hispanic or Latino 19.00%

White 57.00%

Gender

female 47.00%

male 53.00%

Age - 43

Stress level

8.9

Stress level is very high

7.1 - high

Complexity level

8.1

Complexity level is challenging

7 - challenging

Work life balance

6.2

Work life balance is fair

6.4 - fair

Key steps to become a dependency case manager

Explore dependency case manager education requirements

Most common dependency case manager degrees

Bachelor's

76.4 %

Master's

14.7 %

Associate

7.4 %

Start to develop specific dependency case manager skills

Skills	Percentages
Social Work	17.04%
DCF	11.34%
Foster Care	8.88%
Kids	8.76%
On-Call Support	7.04%

Complete relevant dependency case manager training and internships

Accountants spend an average of 1-3 months on post-employment, on-the-job training. New dependency case managers learn the skills and techniques required for their job and employer during this time. The chart below shows how long it takes to gain competency as a dependency case manager based on U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data and data from real dependency case manager resumes.

Research dependency case manager duties and responsibilities

Manage extensively high Medicaid case load of clients receiving mental health services within the facility needing case management and medication management.
Identify and assess client and family needs of minors place in care by DCF due to abuse or neglect by caretakers.
Perform concurrent review to assure appropriateness of admission, inpatient/acute care, rehabilitation/SNF status, and discharge using establish InterQual guidelines.
Attend school IEP meetings and disciplinary meetings to advocate and plan for client's educational service needs.

Prepare your dependency case manager resume

When your background is strong enough, you can start writing your dependency case manager resume.

You can use Zippia's AI resume builder to make the resume writing process easier while also making sure that you include key information that hiring managers expect to see on a dependency case manager resume. You'll find resume tips and examples of skills, responsibilities, and summaries, all provided by Zippi, your career sidekick.

Choose from 10+ customizable dependency case manager resume templates

Build a professional dependency case manager resume in minutes. Browse through our resume examples to identify the best way to word your resume. Then choose from 10+ resume templates to create your dependency case manager resume.