Family support workers help families facing social and financial challenges. They connect clients with services and provide tailored support.
Find out what a family support worker does and the related Vocational Education and Training (VET) courses and pathways you can take to secure a job.
What is a family support worker?
As a family support worker, you’ll assess your client’s needs and develop a plan to support them. This might include:
- connecting them with housing or financial support
- helping them access education and training programs
- referring them to specialised services
- supporting them in attending appointments.
If you enjoy helping people and your community, this might be the job for you.
Find out more about family support workers(opens in a new window) and these related jobs on the Victorian Skills Gateway(opens in a new window):
- aged or disabled carer(opens in a new window)
- community worker(opens in a new window)
- counsellor(opens in a new window)
- disabilities services officer(opens in a new window)
- enrolled nurse(opens in a new window)
- social worker(opens in a new window)
- welfare worker(opens in a new window)
- youth worker(opens in a new window).
Related training courses
Search for related VET courses on the Victorian Skills Gateway(opens in a new window):
- ageing support(opens in a new window)
- alcohol and other drugs(opens in a new window)
- community services(opens in a new window)
- mental health(opens in a new window)
- youth work(opens in a new window).
You may be eligible for government funding to help pay for your course.
Average salary
The average weekly earnings for family support workers in Australia is $835.
Source: Your Career(opens in a new window)
Note this salary is current as of May 2024 and is indicative only. A range of salaries apply to different roles across the industry.
Job demand in Victoria
Below are the projected employment forecasts for welfare support worker jobs in Victoria. Figures show the number of workers in 2023 and the new workers expected to enter the workforce by 2026.
‘New workers expected’ accounts for workers adding new jobs to the economy and replacing retirees over the next 3 years. These forecasts are estimates only. There will be additional jobs available as people move between jobs and industries.
Note that specific data is not available for family support workers.
| Region | Workers 2023 | Workforce growth 2023-2026 | New workers needed by 2026 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Victoria | 18,730 | 3.2% | 2,834 |
| Melbourne – inner metropolitan | 3,154 | 2.6% | 408 |
| Melbourne – inner south-east metropolitan | 1,486 | 3.1% | 216 |
| Melbourne – southern metropolitan | 2,543 | 3.5% | 409 |
| Melbourne – northern metropolitan | 2,272 | 3.6% | 369 |
| Melbourne – eastern metropolitan | 2,399 | 2.9% | 337 |
| Melbourne – western metropolitan | 1,730 | 3.6% | 281 |
| Ballarat and surrounds (Central Highlands) | 575 | 3.6% | 94 |
| Bendigo, Echuca and surrounds (Loddon Campaspe) | 774 | 3.2% | 115 |
| Geelong, Colac and surrounds (Barwon) | 1,315 | 4.3% | 246 |
| Gippsland | 808 | 3.3% | 124 |
| Horsham and surrounds (Wimmera Southern Mallee) | 165 | 1.5% | 16 |
| Mildura, Swan Hill and surrounds (Mallee) | 271 | 2.1% | 31 |
| Shepparton, Seymour and surrounds (Goulburn) | 482 | 3.9% | 83 |
| Wangaratta, Wodonga and surrounds (Ovens Murray) | 465 | 3.3% | 72 |
| Warrnambool, Hamilton and surrounds (Great South Coast) | 292 | 2.2% | 34 |
Below are the projected employment forecasts for counsellor jobs in Victoria .Figures show the number of workers in 2023 and the new workers expected to enter the workforce by 2026.
Note that specific data is not available for family support workers.
| Region | Workers 2023 | Workforce growth 2023-2026 | New workers needed by 2026 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Victoria | 9,181 | 4.7% | 1,923 |
| Melbourne – inner metropolitan | 1,718 | 5.1% | 384 |
| Melbourne – inner south-east metropolitan | 812 | 4.2% | 158 |
| Melbourne – southern metropolitan | 1,180 | 4.4% | 238 |
| Melbourne – northern metropolitan | 1,093 | 4.8% | 232 |
| Melbourne – eastern metropolitan | 1,343 | 4.6% | 278 |
| Melbourne – western metropolitan | 832 | 4.6% | 174 |
| Ballarat and surrounds (Central Highlands) | 268 | 4.7% | 57 |
| Bendigo, Echuca and surrounds (Loddon Campaspe) | 328 | 4.3% | 65 |
| Geelong, Colac and surrounds (Barwon) | 566 | 5.7% | 138 |
| Gippsland | 330 | 4.4% | 66 |
| Horsham and surrounds (Wimmera Southern Mallee) | 69 | 2.6% | 10 |
| Mildura, Swan Hill and surrounds (Mallee) | 113 | 3.2% | 18 |
| Shepparton, Seymour and surrounds (Goulburn) | 203 | 4.8% | 44 |
| Wangaratta, Wodonga and surrounds (Ovens Murray) | 195 | 4.4% | 39 |
| Warrnambool, Hamilton and surrounds (Great South Coast) | 131 | 3.2% | 21 |
Source: Victorian Skills Authority employment forecast dashboard
Resources to plan your next steps
Visit our working with children and young people industry profile to find out about:
- what it’s like to work with children and young people, and some of the jobs you could do
- training and skills to work in the industry, and financial assistance to help pay for your course
- help getting a job working with children and young people, and industry job forecasts for Victoria
- other free resources and advice to plan your training and career.
Also visit our education and training services industry profile.
Explore growing industries in your region
Training and careers in your region
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Training and careers in growing industries
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