CHC62015 · Advanced Diploma
Advanced Diploma of Community Sector Management
Formalise your senior management experience with the nationally recognised Advanced Diploma of Community Sector Management (CHC62015). An AQF Level 6 qualification, fully online and self-paced, for experienced managers in aged care, disability, mental health, community services, housing and youth services who need formal recognition of the management competencies they already use every day.
- DurationSelf-paced · up to 12 months
- AssessmentWork-based
- DeliveryOnline
- LevelAQF Level 6
- Where5 locations
Overview
Work that genuinely matters.
The CHC62015 Advanced Diploma of Community Sector Management reflects the role of workers who manage community sector organisations or programs — leading teams, managing finances and risk, driving quality and compliance, and implementing service programs. An AQF Level 6 qualification delivered fully online and self-paced by Sage Education Australia, assessed against the management work you already do in your organisation.
Expected pathway
Who this is for.
- Your role
- Currently employed in a management or senior coordinator role in aged care, disability support, mental health, youth services, housing, community welfare or a related field — supervising a team and holding responsibility for compliance, quality, risk, financial oversight or service program outcomes. Or moving into a management role with an offer or plan in place, and an organisation willing to give you access to the workplace evidence you’ll need.
- Experience & qualifications
- No formal training package prerequisite. The assessment model draws on the management work you’re already doing, so your current role, experience or existing qualifications must give you the context to demonstrate real management competency.
- If you don’t fit the pathway
- You may still be a good fit if you bring relevant senior experience, prior qualifications or a strong community sector track record without a current management title. We look at your qualifications, work history and access to workplace evidence to see if it’s right for you. We don’t enrol candidates who wouldn’t be set up to succeed — but we’re open to the conversation.
What you'll learn
Practical skills, and the judgement to use them well.
- Lead strategic and operational managementTeam leadership, workplace relationships and change management at the level that drives real organisational outcomes.
- Manage compliance across sector frameworksLegal and ethical compliance under the Aged Care Quality Standards, NDIS Practice Standards, community services frameworks, WHS and privacy law.
- Manage finances and resourcesFinancial planning, budgeting, monitoring and reporting — the competencies that separate a senior manager from a team leader.
- Drive quality, risk and continuous improvementBuild quality frameworks, manage organisational risk and make innovation and improvement everyday practice.
- Lead service programs and case management supervisionDesign and implement service programs, and set up supervision frameworks for the frontline case managers reporting to you.
- Build a psychologically safe workplaceEstablish debriefing processes, respond to crises at organisational level and protect staff wellbeing in a sector with high vicarious trauma and burnout.
Course units
13 units of competency.
8 core units plus 5 electives.
Core units 8
- BSBFIM601Manage finances
- BSBINN601Lead and manage organisational change
- BSBMGT608Manage innovation and continuous improvement
- BSBRSK501Manage risk
- CHCDIV003Manage and promote diversity
- CHCLEG003Manage legal and ethical compliance
- CHCMGT001Develop, implement and review quality framework
- CHCMGT003Lead the work team
Elective units 5
- CHCCCS007Develop and implement service programs
- CHCCCS019Recognise and respond to crisis situations
- CHCCSM006Provide case management supervision
- CHCMGT005Facilitate workplace debriefing and support processes
- CHCPRP003Reflect on and improve own professional practice
8 core units plus 5 electives.
Delivery & assessment
Your workplace is the evidence context.
Unlike qualifications with a separate placement, CHC62015 is assessed against the management practice you already do in your current role. Your organisation is the workplace context for all assessment — it recognises real work rather than simulated tasks.
Fully self-paced online
No compulsory live classes. Video tutorials, readings, assessment guides and evidence templates in your online learning library. Move at the pace your workload allows.
On-demand assessor support
Email your assessor or request a video call any time. Written replies within 2 business days; calls scheduled within 5. Content questions, evidence clarification, resubmission planning.
Optional virtual tutorials
Where numbers and interest allow, optional group tutorials for peer discussion and trainer Q&A. Supplementary — never required for assessment — and recorded.
What you submit for each unit
- Written management project Using your own organisation as the analysis context — a real compliance review, risk assessment, change plan or quality framework analysis.
- Workplace evidence portfolio Authenticated artefacts that corroborate your project — policies, plans, risk registers, budgets, team plans, minutes, quality reports. Sensitive information may be de-identified.
- Professional conversation For units needing deeper verification of knowledge or decision-making — by video call, using a standardised question framework.
- Third Party Workplace Report Independent verification of your management competency from a senior signatory — see How enrolment works.
Three submission attempts per task. Not Yet Satisfactory feedback tells you what’s missing, references the unit requirement and guides your approach — without giving you the answer.
How long does it take?
Fully self-paced with a maximum enrolment period of 12 months. We give you a recommended schedule of roughly four weeks per unit — but you can move faster or slower depending on workload, existing evidence and how quickly you can access the workplace artefacts each unit needs. Most candidates progress steadily alongside their day job.
Pathways
How enrolment works.
Recognition of Prior Learning (RPL)
Given who this course is for, RPL is often the right pathway for some or all units. Extensive, recent senior management experience — backed by workplace evidence, a strong TPR signatory and demonstrable knowledge — may let you show competency without the standard project assessment.
How RPL works at this level
You complete a self-assessment tool first. Your assessor reviews it and advises which units suit RPL, which need gap evidence, and which are best completed through the standard pathway. RPL needs the same evidence quality — workplace evidence, professional conversation and third-party verification. Meeting our eligibility criteria is the starting threshold; the competency decision rests with your assessor.
Verify your employment
Because your workplace is the evidence context, we verify your employment before confirming enrolment. Our Compliance Manager reviews your documents — usually within 5 business days.
What we need
- Signed employment contract or letter of employment — role, organisation, commencement date
- Current job description — showing team leadership, compliance, quality, risk or service-program responsibilities
- A nominated Third Party Workplace Reporter — name and contact details of a suitably senior person willing to complete the report at the end of your enrolment
If your documentation doesn’t clearly show management-level responsibility, we’ll contact you to discuss the alternative pathway before proceeding.
Confirm your Third Party Workplace Report signatory
Your TPR must come from one of: a person in a high managerial position (CEO, Executive Director, Operations Director or Board-level role) with oversight of your work — or a supervisor managing multiple team members with substantial relevant experience in leadership, compliance, risk, finance, quality and service programs.
How we verify the signatory
The signatory must speak from direct observation of your practice across the management domains. The report is structured to require specific, unit-referenced responses — generic endorsements aren’t accepted. Our Compliance Manager verifies the signatory’s identity and position directly before your assessment file is finalised.
Not sure you have a suitable person? Talk to us before you enrol. It’s a common conversation in smaller or flat organisations, and there are usually workable options — better upfront than at the end of your course.
Course fees
One fee. Instalment plan available.
Government subsidy isn’t available for this course. All students pay the fee-for-service rate — spread it with an instalment plan agreed in writing before you start.
Government subsidy isn’t available for this course. All students pay $300 per unit ($3,900 for 13 units); an instalment plan is available on request and agreed in writing before you start. Credit transfer for qualifying units completed elsewhere is free and reduces your fee.
Not included in your course fee
- Printed certificate$50 including postage. Your digital certificate is emailed free as standard.
- Credit transferNo cost — bring evidence of any qualifying unit completed with another provider.
Refunds. Full refund if you withdraw within the 14-day cooling-off period. The full refund policy for fee-for-service students is in the Student Handbook.
Fee shown is the full course fee for 13 units. Credit transfer and RPL reduce your fee proportionally.
Career outcomes
Level 6 is increasingly what the position description asks for.
Health and Welfare Services Managers are projected to be among the strongest-growing management occupations in Australia through 2028, driven by expanded aged care, NDIS and community services funding. AQF Level 6 qualifications increasingly appear in community sector management position descriptions — including senior roles in NDIS-registered providers and aged care organisations.
- Strongestgrowth among management occupations to 2028 — Health & Welfare Services Managers
- Topprojected employment growth occupations — JSA Employment Projections
- Level 6now expected in many senior community sector roles
Sources: Jobs and Skills Australia Occupation Reports and Employment Projections. Labour market figures are indicative — not a guarantee of employment or earnings.
Roles graduates hold or advance into
- Chief Executive Officer / Executive Director (SME organisations)
- Operations Manager
- Service Manager
- Program Manager
- Area Manager (multi-site aged care, disability or NDIS)
- Quality and Compliance Manager
- Case Management Supervisor
- Regional Manager
- Community Services Director
Job titles and requirements vary between employers.
Not a clinical qualification. CHC62015 is a nationally recognised AQF Level 6 vocational management qualification — above a Diploma (Level 5), below a Bachelor’s degree (Level 7). It is not a university management degree, an MBA or a Bachelor of Business. If your career goal specifically requires a Bachelor’s or Master’s, this may not be the right qualification — talk to us about the pathway that fits.
What a day looks like
Sectors this qualification supports: aged care, NDIS-registered disability services, community mental health, housing and homelessness, youth services, family support, community welfare and allied social services — anywhere community sector management is practised at AQF Level 6.
Before you enrol
What you need to know.
Entry Requirements
There are no formal training package prerequisites for CHC62015. Because the assessment model uses your workplace as the evidence context, Sage requires at enrolment:
- A current management or senior coordinator role in the community sector — or an agreed alternative pathway based on your qualifications, work history and access to workplace evidence
- Employment verification: signed contract or letter of employment, and a current job description showing management-level responsibilities
- A nominated Third Party Workplace Reporter who meets our signatory requirements
- Reliable internet, a device with webcam and microphone, and moderate digital literacy
Frequently asked
Straight answers.
I’m not in a management role yet. Can I still enrol?
Possibly. The expected pathway is a current management or senior coordinator role. If that’s not you, we look at your qualifications, work history and access to workplace evidence to see whether it’s the right fit. We won’t enrol you if you wouldn’t be set up to succeed — but we’re open to the conversation. Talk to us before you enrol.
Who can sign my Third Party Workplace Report?
Either a person in a high managerial position in your organisation (CEO, Executive Director, Operations Director or Board-level role), or a supervisor who manages multiple team members with substantial relevant experience. Our Compliance Manager verifies the signatory’s identity and position directly. Unsure whether you have someone suitable? Talk to us before you enrol.
Is this the same as a university management degree?
No. CHC62015 is an AQF Level 6 vocational qualification; a Bachelor’s is Level 7 and an MBA typically Level 9. It’s designed for community sector management — recognised under Aged Care Quality Standards, NDIS Practice Standards and sector position expectations — and isn’t a substitute for a university degree.
My organisation is quite small. Will I have enough workplace evidence?
Usually, yes. What matters is that you perform management functions and can produce the artefacts to evidence them. Smaller organisations often make this easier — you have direct oversight of finance, quality, risk and team leadership all at once. Talk to us about your context.
How does RPL work at this level?
You complete a self-assessment tool; your assessor reviews it and advises which units suit RPL, which need gap evidence, and which are best done through the standard pathway. RPL needs the same evidence quality — workplace evidence, professional conversation and third-party verification. Eligibility is the threshold; the competency decision rests with your assessor.
Will I receive a printed certificate?
Your certificate is issued digitally as standard, at no cost — it’s emailed to you when you complete. A printed copy is available on request for $50 including postage.
Is government funding available for this course?
No — government subsidy isn’t available for CHC62015. All students pay the fee-for-service rate, and an instalment plan is available on request.
Can I get a government subsidy?
Yes, for many of our courses. Sage is a Queensland Government Skills Assure Supplier, delivering subsidised training under Career Start (Certificate III) and Career Boost (Certificate IV, Diploma, Advanced Diploma and skill sets). Eligible students pay a small co-contribution. Some courses, including First Aid, aren’t subsidised. Talk to our team to find out what you qualify for.
Can I study online?
Yes, we do offer online delivery of some of our courses. However, you may need to attend a workshop to acquire practical skills mandatory for vocational placement.
We assess your situation at the time of enrolment and suggest an appropriate study mode.
Do you guarantee employment?
We do not guarantee employment. However, historically, most of your graduates secure employment as soon as they complete their course.
There is overwhelming employment demand currently, and you are very likely to secure a position if you follow our guidelines.
Who will organise my vocational placement?
We will organise your vocational placement when you’re ready to do so. However, please note that you must meet all requirements and acquire practical skills before your vocational placement is confirmed.
Related courses
Where this can lead.
Enquire
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We’ll check your funding eligibility, talk through campuses and timetables, and give you the next intake date. No pressure, no jargon.
- 1You send the formTakes 30 seconds. Only the details we need to call you back.
- 2An adviser calls youWithin one business day — a real person from one of our centres.
- 3You get a clear answerYour exact fee, next intake, and the campus that suits you.
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