Referrals

Ross Woods, Jan. 2010, rev. 2019

 

If you can’t help your client, you should refer him/her to another service that can. As a community services worker, you will often need to send your clients to other services and specialists (or to other departments in your own organization) to get various kinds of support.

 

How to prepare

You need an up-to-date list of all the available services that your organization normally works with and refers people to. You will need to get a full range of options on what you can do. (Sounds obvious, but you still need to do it.)

This may be a list of phone numbers and a simple way of referring. On your list, include a note on the accepted referral practice. For many services, a phone call referral is enough, especially if you have a continuing relationship. Some will need a letter of referral, perhaps from a medical practitioner.

Make sure the list is placed where you can easily see it in an emergency. However, you might need to make sure that only staff can see it. Places like women's refuges keep their addresses confidential to prevent visits from potentially violent relatives of clients.

Your list needs to be complete with contact details and any particular rules for accessing the service. You'd want to consider:

For example:

Name Service Phone number Hours Who to talk to Referral procedure Address Fees
St John Ambulance 000 Anytime Whoever answers N/a N/a Expensive
Dr Bones Medical doctor (GP) 9555 1234 Office hours Receptionist (make appointment) Phone call 123 John Street, Littletown Medicare only
The_house AOD detox, withdrawal and support 90808080 Anytime Receptionist Phone call 765 High St, Littletown N/a
Crisis Counseling Inc. Mental health 98980765 Anytime Whoever answers N/a 21 Lame St, Littletown N/a
Dr James Bottomly Mental health 98767676 Office hours Receptionist (make appointment) GP letter 76 York Rd, Bigtown Medicare
Littletown Police Station Police 000
131444
Anytime Whoever answers N/a 234 Mark Street, Littletown N/a
Dr John Schmittles Pediatrician 91234555 Office hours Receptionist (make appointment) GP letter 35 Luke Street, Bigtown Medicare
URBAN Womens Refuge Domestic violence 91234567 Anytime Sally Goodwin Phone call 878 Jane St, Littletown N/a
St Hilda’s Emergency accommodation 98765432 Anytime Roger Sims Phone call 32 Thin St, Littletown Means-tested
Inner City Inc. Emergency accommodation 91919191 Anytime Rick Smoo Phone call and Centrelink letter 12 Long St, Littletown Means-tested
Jobs R Us Employment, careers & job advice 91234555 Office hours Fred Jobs Centrelink letter 71 Fat Way, Bigtown N/a
Disability Services Disability 91234555 Office hours Maureen Murray Phone call and GP Letter 32 High St,
Littletown
N/a
GetRich Inc. Financial counselling 91212121 Office hours Ken Boyze Phone call 12 High St,
Littletown
N/a
Littletown Centre Family and relationship counselling 98989788 Office hours Sharron Botts Phone call 8A:Low St,
Littletown
Means-tested
Centrelink Centrelink 98989898 Office hours Whoever answers Phone call 12 Fat Way,
Bigtown
N/a
Kidz R Us Child care 91231231 7.00 a.m. - 6.00 p.m. Cheryl Girlze Phone call 43 Long St, Littletown Means-tested
DCP Child protection 9123 4555 Office hours Robyn Smith Phone call 132 Matthew Street, Bigtown N/a
Legal aid Legal assistance 9125 5534 Office hours Joseph Schlonk Phone call 111 Matthew Street, Bigtown Means-tested
Bigtown Community Legal Legal assistance 9534 1255 Office hours Jeff MacTavish Phone call 11 Luke Street, Bigtown Means-tested

 

The simple cases

You've already prepared the procedure, so now you only have to follow it.

Your agency will usually deal with the organizations and professionals on your list. Inside some of them, you will have the names of individuals you can contact directly. Over time, you'll build a good working relationship so you can solve problems as simply and efficiently as possible.

In practice, many referrals are quite simple. A simple discussion is often enough. You phone up, talk to the contact person, ask about referring someone, state exactly what kind of support your client needs from them, and then send the client around.

In some cases, you should be present during the meeting with the other service. For example:

You should then do whatever is necessary to keep all records maintained, stored and accessible; fill in the case notes and referral notes (Follow your routine procedures.)

 

The other cases

Sometimes you might have to negotiate. Things to watch out for:

In many cases, you can't just refer people to other organizations; you'll have to work with them to provide services to clients. During that time, keep in contact with your client and make sure they get the support they need. Later on, you may need to develop longer term plans so that the services runs self-sufficiently, without you needing to keep an eye on it.

Will the referral help the client? You’ll probably also need to evaluate the benefit of referral to the client, and several ways are quire common. You can discuss options with the client, carers and family. Were the satisfied? What sort of things didn't work or went wrong?

Be aware that some services work under different kinds of limitations. For example:

 

Getting referrals from other organizations

You will have to inform other organizations about what you do so that they can refer clients to you. This means having information for them (usually a brochure or website) and telling them your procedure for accepting new clients. It will also involve handling telephone referrals.

 

Be relevant and current. Make sure the written information is adapted specifically for their needs, and not cluttered with difficult language or unhelpful information. When giving information orally by phone, make sure you ask the right questions so you know exactly what they need.

 

Gather feedback on your written materials. You might find that they are not as clear as you thought, or even that they are used for purposes that you hadn't expected. (For example, people might use your fund-raising brochures for referring clients.) Use the feedback to develop future materials and resources.

 

Referral ethics

Link: Ethics in community services