Key Responsibilities and Required Skills for Blended Case Manager

🎯 Role Definition

We are seeking a proactive, client-centered Blended Case Manager who combines clinical insight with practical resource navigation to deliver holistic, outcomes-driven care. The Blended Case Manager will manage a complex caseload, conduct comprehensive assessments, develop and monitor individualized care plans, coordinate across clinical and community systems, and advocate for services that address clinical needs and social determinants of health. This role requires strong documentation skills, cultural humility, crisis intervention capability, and the ability to work closely with interdisciplinary teams, schools, families, and community partners.

📈 Career Progression

Typical Career Path

Entry Point From:

Behavioral Health Case Manager
Family Therapist / Mental Health Clinician
Social Work or Community Support Specialist

Advancement To:

Senior/Lead Blended Case Manager
Care Coordination Supervisor / Team Lead
Program Manager, Integrated Services
Clinical Supervisor or Licensed Clinician (e.g., LCSW, LMFT)

Lateral Moves:

Care Coordinator for High-Risk Youth
Utilization Review Specialist
Community Outreach / Partnerships Coordinator

Core Responsibilities

Primary Functions

Conduct comprehensive biopsychosocial assessments, incorporating behavioral health history, family dynamics, educational needs, medical conditions, strengths-based goals, and social determinants of health to inform individualized plans of care as the primary Blended Case Manager for assigned youth and families.
Develop, implement, and regularly update individualized service plans (ISPs) and treatment plans that integrate clinical interventions, community supports, school-based services, and family-identified goals, ensuring care is trauma-informed and culturally responsive.
Coordinate and monitor the delivery of clinical, therapeutic, educational, and non-clinical services—including therapy, psychiatric care, mentoring, housing supports, and vocational services—by scheduling appointments, tracking adherence, and communicating with providers to reduce gaps in care.
Provide direct crisis intervention and safety planning for clients and families during acute episodes, including de-escalation, hospitalization coordination, emergency service referrals, and follow-up stabilization supports.
Conduct regular home visits, school visits, and community outreach to assess living conditions, engage natural supports, observe functioning in real-world settings, and strengthen family engagement and retention in services.
Serve as the single point of contact for families, schools, juvenile justice, child welfare, and clinical providers to ensure continuity of care, streamline referrals, and resolve barriers to services such as transportation, benefits enrollment, or housing instability.
Maintain timely, accurate, and thorough documentation in electronic health records (EHR), including assessments, progress notes, service authorizations, safety plans, consent forms, and outcome measures to meet billing, audit, and regulatory requirements.
Monitor client progress using measurable metrics and validated tools (e.g., CANS, PHQ-9, GAD-7), adjust care plans in collaboration with clinical teams, and document clinical reasoning behind changes to services.
Facilitate multidisciplinary team (MDT) meetings, case conferences, and custody/IEP meetings to align treatment goals, share updates, and advocate for client-centered interventions across systems.
Provide benefits navigation and eligibility support including Medicaid/CHIP enrollment assistance, SSI/SSDI referrals, SNAP/food assistance, and other public benefits to reduce socioeconomic barriers to treatment.
Link families to community resources addressing social determinants of health—such as housing, employment, legal aid, domestic violence services, early childhood supports, and substance use treatment—and follow up to verify connection and utilization.
Conduct utilization management and service authorization reviews, prepare clinical summaries for funders/managed care, and advocate for medically necessary services when prior authorizations are challenged.
Track and report quality metrics, outcomes data, and service utilization trends to program leadership to inform continuous quality improvement (CQI) and demonstrate program impact for grants and contracts.
Educate and coach caregivers and natural supports on behavioral management strategies, medication adherence, appointment follow-through, and crisis prevention techniques to strengthen family capacity and reduce recidivism.
Provide transition planning and discharge coordination for youth leaving inpatient, residential, correctional, or foster care settings, ensuring seamless linkage to outpatient care, aftercare supports, and community resources.
Build and maintain collaborative partnerships with schools, probation officers, child welfare workers, clinicians, and community agencies to create integrated service pathways and reduce fragmentation for high-risk youth.
Manage a caseload to meet productivity targets and program outcomes while ensuring equitable access to services, timely responsiveness, and fidelity to evidence-based practices.
Deliver brief clinical interventions and evidence-based engagement strategies (e.g., motivational interviewing, solution-focused approaches) to improve treatment engagement and behavior change.
Train, supervise, or mentor peer specialists, family navigators, or junior case managers to extend service capacity and support culturally competent outreach in target communities.
Ensure compliance with HIPAA, state confidentiality laws, and agency policies in all communications, documentation, and information sharing with external systems.
Participate in program development, protocol refinement, and implementation of integrated care models that blend clinical case management with community resource navigation.
Manage complex risk situations including child safety concerns, mandated reporting, and interagency custody issues with timely documentation and coordination with legal and protective services as required.
Prepare clinical summaries, progress reports, and service utilization data for courts, child welfare reviews, managed care audits, and funding partners, maintaining professional and legally defensible records.
Use telehealth and remote engagement tools to maintain continuity of care, expand access to services, and document virtual contacts in compliance with telehealth policies.

Secondary Functions

Conduct targeted community outreach and engagement campaigns to raise awareness of blended case management services and build referral pipelines with schools, clinics, and community organizations.
Support program evaluation activities, including data collection for grants, preparing impact narratives, and contributing to outcome-driven program improvement.
Participate in professional development, training workshops, and cross-system learning collaboratives to stay current on evidence-based practices in integrated care and trauma-informed case management.
Assist in developing resource directories, client-facing materials, and culturally tailored educational tools to improve health literacy and access to community supports.
Provide back-up coverage for on-call rotation and participate in agency-wide emergency preparedness planning and response.

Required Skills & Competencies

Hard Skills (Technical)

Proficient in electronic health record (EHR) platforms and accurate clinical documentation for billing, outcomes tracking, and audit readiness.
Strong assessment skills using standardized tools (e.g., CANS, ASQ, PHQ-9, GAD-7) and ability to translate assessment results into individualized care plans.
Knowledge of Medicaid, managed care processes, service authorization, and community benefit eligibility requirements.
Experience with crisis intervention, safety planning, and mandatory reporting procedures for child protection and adult safeguarding.
Ability to coordinate care across providers, schools, juvenile justice, and child welfare systems using cross-system communication best practices.
Familiarity with evidence-based interventions and brief therapeutic techniques (e.g., motivational interviewing, CBT-informed strategies).
Competence in using telehealth platforms, secure messaging, and remote engagement technologies for service delivery.
Strong case tracking and care coordination skills, including referrals, appointment scheduling, and follow-up verification.
Proficiency with MS Office suite and basic data entry/reporting tools; ability to extract and summarize data for program reporting.
Knowledge of community resources, housing systems, employment supports, transportation programs, and benefits enrollment processes.
Experience conducting home-based and school-based visits with adherence to safety protocols.
Understanding of HIPAA, confidentiality laws, and ethical documentation standards.

Soft Skills

Exceptional verbal and written communication skills for multi-system collaboration and clear, compassionate client interactions.
Cultural competence and humility with sensitivity to racial, ethnic, linguistic, and socioeconomic diversity.
Strong organizational skills and ability to manage competing priorities within a high-volume caseload.
Empathy, patience, and resilience when working with families experiencing complex trauma and chronic stressors.
Problem-solving and critical thinking to navigate complex service systems and remove barriers to care.
Collaborative team orientation and ability to lead multidisciplinary meetings and case conferences.
Time management and efficiency to meet productivity targets without sacrificing quality of care.
Adaptability and flexibility to respond to emergent needs, changing policies, and evolving program requirements.
Ethical decision-making and adherence to professional boundaries and reporting obligations.
Coaching and family engagement skills to build caregiver capacity and promote sustained client progress.

Education & Experience

Educational Background

Minimum Education:

Bachelor’s degree in Social Work (BSW), Psychology, Sociology, Human Services, Nursing (RN), or related field. Equivalent experience in case management and community-based services may be considered.

Preferred Education:

Master’s degree in Social Work (MSW), Counseling, Marriage & Family Therapy (MFT), Public Health, or related clinical degree.
Licensed or license-eligible clinicians (LMSW, LCSW, LMFT, RN) preferred for blended clinical-case roles.

Relevant Fields of Study:

Social Work
Psychology
Counseling
Nursing
Public Health
Human Services

Experience Requirements

Typical Experience Range: 2–5 years of direct case management or clinical experience in community mental health, child welfare, juvenile justice, or integrated care settings.

Preferred:

3+ years working with children, adolescents, and families in systems of care (behavioral health, child welfare, juvenile justice, schools).
Experience with multidisciplinary team coordination, Medicaid/managed care systems, and outcomes reporting.
Prior experience in home-based or school-based service delivery, crisis intervention, and working with high-acuity caseloads.
Valid driver’s license and reliable transportation for community outreach and home visits where required.
Relevant certifications: CPR, First Aid; Certified Case Manager (CCM) or equivalent a plus.