Step 1: Preparation

If your organization gives referrals or advocates for individuals as part of its normal activities, it should have:

  1. Policies and procedures. These might include interview protocols, and state what records you need to keep (e.g. meeting notes, formal questionnaire.) They will include confidentiality rules, and procedures for releasing client information with signed consent.
  2. Job description of a case manager. If you're a case manager, you are responsible to make sure your client gets the services they need, even when you have to get them from other organizations.
  3. Information on your legal and other rights/limitations in referrals or advocacy.
  4. A list of organizations, services, referral options, professionals, and resources that you usually deal with. The kinds of organization will depend on your clients' needs. For example, you might deal with:

Your list should state exactly what you have to do to refer someone to them, and exactly what you can refer people to them for. That's one reason why clients need community services workers; they can't navigate the range of different services without help.

You should also keep copies of current brochures or business cards, and links to any websites they have.

Step 2: Help clients to identify their own needs and rights

Your first step is to help clients to identify their own needs and rights. This might take some dialogue. If they are angry, they may be very biased and unreasonable. On the other hand, if they are very uninformed, it might take some effort to convince them that they are entitled to something better. In any case, they should be able to determine whether they are getting their rights and having their needs met.

Ethical points: Demonstrate a non judgmental approach, be client-centred, and actively uphold your clients' rights.

Step 3: Can clients advocate for themselves?

In your discussion with the client, assess whether the client has the ability to advocate for themselves. It is good practice to include in the discussion the client's significant others (spouse, family members, etc.) and your colleagues.

Step 4: Inform the client about options and risks

Inform the client about their available options and risks. You need to ensure your information is correct and up to date, and in a form that they can understand easily. Give them brochures of other organizations if appropriate. Beware that they might not really understand the information, even if they say they do.

Ethical points:

Step 5: Help them to choose an option

Help them to identify their preferred option. The choice is ultimately theirs, and you need to respect it even if it would not be your choice. Your role is to make sure that the choice is well-informed.

Step 6: Initiate contact and negotiate

If it's appropriate and the client is agreeable, you can then initiate contact with the most appropriate individuals or organization. Explain the client's point of view clearly in a way that upholds the client's rights and supports their reasonable expectations. Then negotiate a strategy to solve the problem and help your client implement it.

Step 7: Follow-up

Keep an on-going consultation with your client. Discuss progress and outcomes with them, because they need to feel that they know what is going on and agree with it. This will also allow you to take further action when you need to.

If you need to review your strategy, you may need to discuss it with one or more of the following:

Ethical points: Keep information confidential unless the client has authorized otherwise. Identify any potential conflicts of interest and resolve them.