Provision of Referral Information 650-50-25

(Revised 5/15/2012 ML #3328)

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I & R staff will provide telephone or walk-in information and referral services in which the caller has one-to-one, human contact with I & R staff.

 

Once the needs of the caller have been identified, I & R staff will:

1. Assure the caller that all calls are handled confidentially and no information will be released to the Department of Human Services and its contractors without the caller’s verbal permission, as allowed by federal and state consent regulations.
2. Inform the caller certain information may be kept on file for the Aging and Disability Resource-LINK records.
3. If caller agrees, staff will obtain as much information on the SAMS Call Summary as the caller is willing to provide. If caller refuses to provide information, staff will affirm the caller has that option.
4. Explore what other resources and services the caller is currently receiving or if they have received information from any other source.
5. Where possible, provide a minimum of three referrals to give the inquirer a choice. Callers will be responsible for choosing which, if any, resources they wish to access.
6. Refrain from recommending any one service over another.
7. Explore with the caller if they will be able to follow up on referral information provided without further assistance.
8. If the situation requires, complete the referral(s) on behalf of the caller:

• I & R staff will explain what information will need to be released and to whom the information will be released in order to complete the referral.
• I & R staff will ask for the caller’s verbal permission to release the information to make the referral on behalf of the caller to each specified agency or program.
• I & R staff will document the caller’s verbal agreement on the SAMS Call Summary in the computer caller screen. Access to SAMS call log is restricted to Program Administrators and I & R staff within the Aging Services Division.

9. Respect caller confidentiality at all times. Information shared must be kept within the limits agreed upon with the caller:

• An exception to this would be a situation where the caller may be in danger of hurting himself or herself, staff will release information as needed to obtain emergency services for the caller.

10. Before terminating calls, I & R staff will inquire if the caller has any further questions about the information provided; thank the caller for using the Aging and Disability Resource-LINK.
11. Staff will inform callers that they may receive a follow-up call from I & R staff to determine if the caller was linked to the services he or she needed.
12. A “soft transfer” of the call will be completed when staff determines that a direct transfer would be appropriate; i.e. caller deemed unable to make the call themselves or is having difficulty understanding the referral and service process. “Soft transfer” is when staff connects the caller to another party or agency and stays on the line until connection is made. When a soft transfer is deemed appropriate, I & R staff obtain the caller’s verbal permission to transfer the call to the appropriate agency. I & R staff will announce the caller to the agency and remain on the line until assured parties have been connected.
13. When completing referrals, I & R staff will approach agencies in a courteous manner, speak with the appropriate personnel, and have all relevant information for the referral at hand. Relevant information may include the caller’s name, phone number, address, age, as well as their identified needs.
14. When a referral has been completed, the Aging and Disability Resource-LINK staff will document completion of the referral on the SAMS Call Summary in the database, noting the date and the name of the person who received the referral information in order to complete follow-up calls.