When to refer clients
Clients are referred in the following circumstances:
- To meet client needs, e.g. the agency may not provide emergency accommodation.
- To provide a service not offered by the agency, e.g. referral to Centrelink to assess eligibility for allowance or pension.
- To access specialist services.
- When the limits of the professional competency have been reached - if working with a client is beyond your ability, refer on.
Referring young people
It is important to be aware of when to refer a young person to relevant support or specialist staff and agencies.
Similar to the above clients, we refer young people (and/or their families) to other support and specialist staff in the following circumstances:
- When there are worker limitations.
- Where there are agency limitations, e.g. the client or family may be requesting services that are beyond the scope of the agency.
- Where there is a need to access more specialised services, e.g. suicide prevention programs, vocational education and training, case management services.
In any of the above, if you feel that the situation calls for experience or skill outside your range of ability, then seek assistance immediately. Do not assume you can handle all situations all of the time. There is no credit in ‘going it alone’ if you are offering the young person and their family less than high quality service. Regardless of the specifics, try not to put yourself in situations where support is not readily available.