What a supervisor or program manager can do
This page is the boundary of your job: what you can see, what you can change, and what stays with the person doing the work. If a button someone describes is missing for you, the answer is usually here.
The two roles do the same things. What differs is how much you can see — a supervisor sees their own team, a program manager sees the whole organisation. Only one action is genuinely restricted to managers, and it is marked below.
Overview
Supervisors lead teams of Case Workers, manage incoming Referral requests, and ensure Service Users receive timely and quality service delivery. They serve as the bridge between program management and frontline Case Workers.
Key Responsibilities
Referrals Request Management
- Reviewing incoming Referral service requests
- Accepting or rejecting Referrals with documented reasons
- Allocating accepted Referrals to team members
- Ensuring timely processing of urgent and priority Referrals
Team Oversight
- Monitoring Case Worker Activity and engagement
- Tracking Service User contact frequency (flagging Service Users not contacted in 5+ days)
- Reviewing Activities / Service Episodes ratio for team productivity
- Managing workload distribution across team members
Service Delivery Monitoring
- Tracking active Service Episodes under their supervision
- Monitoring pending service dispatches
- Ensuring Referrals progress through the workflow
- Following up on delayed or stalled Referrals
Quality Assurance
- Reviewing Referral assessments for completeness
- Ensuring documentation standards are maintained
- Providing guidance on complex cases
- Escalating issues to program managers when needed
Permissions
| Action | Supervisor | Program manager |
|---|---|---|
| View Referral requests | For your services | Across the organisation |
| Accept Referral requests | Yes | Yes |
| Reject Referral requests (with reason) | Yes | Yes |
| Allocate Referrals to team members | Yes | Yes |
| View Case Workers' records | Those you supervise | All of them |
| View Service Episodes | Active ones on your team | All of them |
| View Activities | Your team's | Every team's |
| View Service User information | Yes | Yes |
| Approve programs | No | Yes |
| Access settings | No (admin only) | No (admin only) |
Data Visibility
Supervisors can see:
- Their own records - personal Activities and assignments
- Supervised staff records - all records belonging to Case Workers they supervise
- Organisation-level Referrals - Referral requests assigned to their services
This scoped visibility ensures supervisors have full oversight of their team without accessing data outside their responsibility.
Dashboard Features
The Supervisor Dashboard provides a management-focused view with four key sections:
- Three count tiles - Service Episodes awaiting commencement, high-priority Referrals, and active Service Episodes, with month-to-date figures beneath them
- Pending Referral Requests - Incoming requests with Accept/Reject actions
- Service Users Needing Contact - Service Users not contacted in 5+ days
For detailed dashboard documentation, see Supervisor / Program Manager Dashboard.
Workflow Overview
Referral Request Processing
Referral Dispatched → Service Request Created → Supervisor Reviews
→ Accept (allocate to team member) → Service Delivery
→ Reject (with documented reason)
Supervision Hierarchy
Program Manager
└── Supervisor
└── Case Worker 1
└── Case Worker 2
└── Case Worker 3
Best Practices
Prioritization
- Process Emergency, Crisis and Urgent Referral requests immediately
- Review the Pending Requests card at the start of each day
- Monitor the Service Users Needing Contact section daily
Team Management
- Distribute workload evenly across Case Workers
- Use the Activities / Service Episodes ratio to gauge team engagement
- Follow up when Service Users haven't been contacted in 5+ days
Communication
- Provide clear notes when allocating Referrals to team members
- Document reasons when rejecting Referrals
- Escalate complex cases to program managers promptly
Timeliness
- Aim to process new Referral requests within 24 hours
- Follow up on Referrals pending service dispatch
- Monitor the "Days" column for overdue Service User contacts
Common Tasks
| Task | How To |
|---|---|
| Accept a Referral request | Supervisor Dashboard |
| Reject a Referral request | Supervisor Dashboard |
| Monitor Service User contacts | Supervisor Dashboard |
| View dashboard | Supervisor / Program Manager Dashboard |
| Search for Service Users | Searching for Clients |