Referral to a social worker 003-12010000

If the customer talks about suicide or harm to themselves or others, see Customers talking about suicide or self-harm.

Risks to a customer's privacy have been identified. See Separating Safely - protecting personal details to make sure the customer's personal details are safe before progressing.

This is a Family and Domestic Violence Interaction Point. If the customer is with another person, on speaker phone, or already identified with family and domestic violence concerns, continue with the current business conversation. Otherwise, go to the Family and domestic violence procedure to conduct the risk identification and referral process.

If a child is in immediate danger or risk of harm you must act, and a delegate must call 000.

This document explains how and when staff can refer a customer to a social worker.

Centrelink

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Customer requests social work referral

Customer needs immediate social work referral

Check for a social work referral

Offer a social work referral

Customer requests social work referral

Table 1: this table describes the actions to take when a customer requests a social work referral.

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Step	Action
1	Customer asks for a social work referral If a customer is in distress, a referral to a social worker may delay the customer receiving the help they need. If a customer asks for a referral for a social worker, ask them questions to find out the reasons why. Social workers cannot help with: overturning urgent payment decisions new claim escalations claiming or processing Income Support Payments (ISP) payment restorations financial planning advice determining disputed care situations UTLAH assessments for customers aged 18-21 See Additional support options on the Resources page for help with these enquiries. If the customer: is talking about suicide or is aged under 16 without support, they need an immediate referral. See Table 2 would like to discuss a current social work referral, see Table 3 may need to be offered a social worker referral due to emergency, family or domestic violence, or vulnerable circumstances, see Table 4 needs social worker support from an area that has special arrangements with the Social Work Branch, go to Step 2 would like further support not listed above, see the Resources page for additional support options
2	Specialist social worker support Certain areas within the agency have a special service offer with the Social Work Branch. Use the links below to access the social work referral process for that area: National Redress Scheme - Referring individuals linked to the National Redress Scheme to a social worker Participation Solutions Team - Accessing a PST-skilled social worker Integrity and Information - Social workers' role in debt, payment assurance and compensation Income Management (IM)/ enhanced Income Management - Income Management and enhanced Income Management for Vulnerable Welfare Payment Recipients (VWPR) Youpla Support Program - see Table 2 in Youpla Support Program - overview and initial contact Assessing care situations - Social worker care situations - referrals and assessment of payment claims Social work assessment for Parental Leave Pay (PPL) - Pre-processing checks for standalone and combined claims for family assistance and/or Paid Parental Leave payments Debt deferral - Determining if notification of a debt to an assurer can be delayed while the assuree seeks refuge from family and domestic violence Complex Assessment Officer (CAO) assessment - Assessing and recording distribution income for a private trust or private company distributions exemption Child Care Subsidy exceptional circumstances - Exceptional circumstances for Child Care Subsidy (CCS) and Additional Child Care Subsidy (ACCS) If the customer is asking about a payment or assistance not listed above, see the Resources page for other options.

Customer needs immediate social work referral

Table 2: this table outlines the actions to take when a customer needs immediate social work referral.

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Step	Action
1	Customer needs immediate referral Staff must immediately refer the following customers to a social worker: Customer talking about suicide or harm to themselves or others, see Customers talking about suicide or self-harm Customers aged under 16 without support, go to Step 2
2	Customers aged under 16 without support Tell the customer they will need to speak to a Services Australia social worker. Search for an existing record for the customer. If the customer: has a child Customer Reference Number (CRN), convert the CHI record to a PER record. See Table 1 > Step 7 in Searching for a customer on the system has no existing record, add them to the system. See Adding a customer to the system How has the customer contacted the agency? go to Step 3 go to Step 4
3	Customer at a service centre If the customer is at a service centre: refer them to the local social worker for immediate assistance by contacting the local social worker directly and the local social worker is unavailable, try booking a same day social work callback appointment: Use the Centrelink Appointment System (SWO Callback) to see if an appropriate and timely appointment is available Follow the instructions in the social work information tab in Office Locator See Booking appointments in the Centrelink Appointment System If unable to book a callback appointment, go to Step 4.
4	Social work referral If the local social worker is unavailable or the customer contacts via phone: warm transfer to the Social Work Line select option 2 for other referral issues to speak with the social worker before transferring the customer If no social workers are available, run the Social Worker Referral guided procedure using Young Person 15 years and under as the referral reason. See Table 4 > Step 12. Referral guided procedure is not a substitute for immediate action if a child is in immediate danger or risk of harm. See Risk identification and management of threats to the safety or welfare of a child. Note: do not run the guided procedure on a child CRN or another person's record (for example, a parent of the customer).

Check for a social work referral

Table 3: this table outlines how to check for an existing social work referral.

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Step	Action
1	Check for a social work referral If a customer aged between 16-17 years who is applying for UTLAH calls about a social worker referral do not book through the social worker guided procedure. See Table 5 > Step 2 in Unreasonable to live at home (UTLAH) initial contact for Youth Allowance (YA), Disability Support Pension (DSP), Special Benefit (SpB) or Tertiary Access Payment (TAP) for the correct process for booking in a social work UTLAH appointment. If the customer contacts about a referral, first check to see if referral has already been created in either: Process Direct, select > Referrals to go to the Referrals landing page, or Customer First, select the Activity tab Does the customer have a current referral? Yes, and the social worker: has not contacted the customer yet, go to Step 2 has been in contact with the customer, go to Step 3 No, go to Step 4
2	Customer has a current referral - no social worker contact If the social worker has not contacted the customer yet: Tell them that a social worker will be in contact as soon as possible. The social worker will send a text before they call if the customer is registered for pre call SMS Check the customer's correct contact details are recorded Create a Note/DOC on the customer's record to note the contact or annotate the original referral details Do not create a new referral Procedure ends here
3	Customer has a current referral - social worker contacted If the social worker contacted the customer and the customer wants to speak to the social worker or provide some information, send a Microsoft Teams message to the assessing social worker. Is the social worker available to speak with the customer? Yes: Warm transfer the customer Record details on a Note/DOC No: Record details on a Note/DOC include customer contact and extra information provided Send a message to the assessing social worker confirming contact Tell the customer the extra information has been provided to the assessing social worker who will follow up Do not create a new referral Procedure ends here
4	Ask for more details about social worker request Is the customer calling about one of the following reasons? Experiencing family and domestic violence Impacted by disasters and emergencies Experiencing very vulnerable circumstances, such as multiple barriers and limited support If the answer is: Yes, see Table 4 No, see the Resources page for additional support options

Offer a social work referral

Table 4: this table describes how to assess a customer's needs and complete a social work referral, if needed.

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Step	Action
1	Social worker referrals Some customers may be offered a social work referral due to their circumstances. These include customers who are: experiencing family and domestic violence impacted by disasters and emergencies experiencing very vulnerable circumstances, such as multiple barriers and limited support Is the customer experiencing one of the above circumstances? Yes, go to Step 2 No, see the Resources page for additional support options
2	Assess the need for a social work referral For customers who are: experiencing family and domestic violence, go to Step 3 impacted by disasters and emergencies, go to Step 4 experiencing very vulnerable circumstances, such as multiple barriers and limited support, go to Step 6
3	Customer is experiencing family and domestic violence Not all customers experiencing family and domestic violence need a social work referral. They may already be connected with appropriate support services and may be contacting the agency for other reasons. Ask the customer about support they need: For support with claiming income support payment, see Claiming income support payments from Centrelink For a child support exemption see Exemptions from seeking child support for Family Tax Benefit (FTB) customers For information about claiming Crisis Payment, see New claim for Crisis Payment for extreme circumstances family and domestic violence For a referral to another family and domestic violence service, see Family and domestic violence For information about support services available, see the Resources page To connect with a social worker, go to Step 7
4	Customer impacted by declared disasters and emergency events Not all customers impacted by declared disasters and emergency events need a social work referral. They may already be connected with appropriate support services and may be contacting the agency for other reasons. If the customer: has submitted an AGDRP or NZ DRP claim and is an immediate family member of an Australian resident or citizen who has died or is missing as a direct result of a declared disaster, see Managing non-standard AGDRP and NZ DRP claims would like support or guidance on submitting a claim, see Claiming emergency payments would like a referral to other support services, see the Resources page for links would like to speak to a social worker, go to Step 5
5	Customer experiencing a declared disaster or emergency event social work referral If a customer who is experiencing a declared disaster or emergency event asks for a social work referral: warm transfer them to a social worker on the Social Work Disaster Line: Use Services Australia Workspace transfer option Social Work - Disaster Staff without softphone can use speed dial 178857 and the customer cannot stay on the phone, create a social work referral using the Contingency sw disaster referral Fast Note Check if there is an existing social work referral on the Work List (Process Direct) or on the Activity tab (Customer First) If there is a referral pending, update additional notes in the original referral. Do not create a new referral. See Creating, reviewing and deleting documents (including Fast Notes and DOA DOCs) Tell the customer that a social worker will call them as soon as possible and will send them a text before they call if they are registered for pre call SMS. The call will come from a private number Check the customer's correct contact details are recorded Record details on a DOC on the customer's record to note the contact Procedure ends here.
6	Customer is experiencing very vulnerable circumstances If the customer is experiencing very vulnerable circumstances such as multiple barriers and limited support, ask them if there are ways the agency could support them: Check for any payment issues The Resources page has a list of additional support options If the customer is under 16 and has support see Assisting a customer aged under 16 For support with claiming income support payment, see Claiming income support payments from Centrelink To consider a participation exemption, see Mutual obligation requirements exemptions If the customer still needs more support, consider if they: are experiencing a combination of vulnerabilities or barriers cannot be referred to a community service need specialist intervention have limited support Do any of the above apply to the customer? Yes, go to Step 7 No, Provide community information or advise customer of more information available on website through the Service Finder See also Referral to external support services Procedure ends here
7	Offer a social work referral Ask the customer if they want to speak to a social worker. The customer must agree to the referral to a social worker before referring them. Does the customer want to speak to a social worker? Yes, go to Step 8 No: Provide community information or advise customer of more information available on website through the Service Finder See also Referral to external support services Procedure ends here
8	Customer needs social work referral How has the customer contacted the agency? go to Step 9 go to Step 10
9	Contact the service centre social worker Speak with the local social worker to see if they can: see the customer for same day service, or book a face-to-face general appointment Face-to-face general appointments can only be booked by social workers. If there is no face-to-face social work service available: Try to book a social work phone appointment: Use the Centrelink Appointment System (SWO Callback) Follow the instructions in the social work information tab in Office Locator Include notes about the referral reason in the Appointment Notes field See Booking appointments in the Centrelink Appointment System If there are no available face-to-face or phone appointments go to Step 10
10	Referral to a social worker using Services Australia Workspace The customer must agree to the referral to a social worker before staff refer them. Use Services Australia Workspace to call the Social Work Line There is a direct number for Service Officers working from home who are unable to use Services Australia Workspace Always warm transfer and select option 2 for other referral issues to speak with the social worker before transferring the customer. Feedback will be provided for any inappropriate referrals cold transferred to the Social Work Line Record details on a DOC of any issues addressed with the customer Have these details ready: Customer name Customer Reference Number (CRN) Payment type Reason for referral. If the customer does not want to say, tell the social worker this before putting the call through Confirm the customer's phone number in case the call drops out during transfer Does the IVR message say that no social worker is currently available, or the customer cannot wait on the phone? Yes, book a social work phone appointment, go to Step 11 No, warm transfer the customer, procedure ends here
11	Social worker is not available on the SW Line Where a social worker is not available on the SW Line, offer a social work phone appointment: Use the Centrelink Appointment System (SWO Callback) to see if an appropriate and timely appointment is available Follow the instructions in the social work information tab in Office Locator Include notes about the referral reason in the appointment notes field See Booking appointments in the Centrelink Appointment System If no appropriate and timely appointment is available, go to Step 12.
12	Referring a customer through social work guided procedure Only use the Process Direct Referral guided procedure when: the customer does not need same day service, or there is no available social worker at the time of contact Wait times for contact may vary because: they are dependent on demand, and priority referrals are actioned first Discuss external support options with the customer. See the Resources page for a list. If a social worker referral is still needed, tell the customer: a social worker will contact them and the call will come from a private or unknown number Do not provide a timeframe for contact. Referrals are assigned based on priority and delays may occur subject to fluctuations in demand Make sure the customer's phone number is correct social workers will text before calling if the customer has SMS desktop messaging enabled If the customer does not have SMS desktop messaging enabled, offer to set this up for the customer so they will receive texts before receiving phone calls from agency staff WLM referrals are not a booked appointment. Advise the customer that due to social work availability the customer may be contacted outside their preferred times, including outside of business hours To create a referral in Process Direct, go to Step 13
13	Create a referral in Process Direct To create a referral in Process Direct: Open customer's record: Select > Referral Check the Recent Referrals Summary: If there are any referrals with a status of In Process: tell the customer a social worker will call them as soon as possible do not create another referral Update the following: Referral type: select Social Work Service Referral reason: select the most appropriate referral option Select Next The Referral Summary page will display. Note: a warning message will present. Read to make sure the correct process is followed Referral detail: select the most appropriate referral reason option Select Next Referral summary will show. Review the referral details in the Referral data table In the Additional comments section, brief notes must be written with the reason for the referral, customer's issues and/or why social work intervention is needed. Referrals received without notes will result in staff feedback. Select Finish Procedure ends here.

Medicare

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Social work referrals for Medicare staff

Table 1: This table contains how to make social work referrals for Medicare staff

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Step	Action
1	Customer needs immediate referral If the customer talks about suicide or harm to themselves or others, see Customers talking about suicide or self-harm is under 16 without support, go to Step 5 may need referral to a social worker, go to Step 2
2	Customers who are not in immediate danger or risk of harm Customers not in immediate danger or risk of harm may benefit from a referral to additional, external support options. Service Officers can give timely information about supports and services to customers without referring them to a social worker. Discuss external support options with the customer: See the Resources tab for a list of support options and provide the customer with relevant information Give the customer government and community organisation information by state and territory or advise them that they can find this themselves on the Agency website through the Service Finder See also Referral to external support services The customer may need further support if they: are experiencing a combination of vulnerabilities or barriers cannot be referred to a community service need specialist intervention have limited support Do any of the above apply to the customer? Yes, go to Step 5 No, if the customer: is experiencing family and domestic violence, go to Step 3 needs assistance with payments and services, go to Step 4
3	Customer is experiencing family and domestic violence Not all customers experiencing family and domestic violence need a social work referral. They may have already found appropriate support services and may be contacting the agency for other reasons. Ask the customer what support they need: For a referral to another family and domestic violence service, see Family and domestic violence For information about support services available, see the Resources page To refer the customer to a social worker, go to Step 5
4	Customers who need assistance with payments and services Customers who appear to be in crisis may be finding it hard to access the right payments and services. Refer them directly to the appropriate payment queue using Services Australia Workspace transfer when available. If a customer contacts after the queue is closed, tell them: the correct number to contact to call back the next business day For current Queues and opening hours please see Answering calls in Centrelink or Telephone standards for Medicare and Health Delivery. At the end of the customer’s agency business, refer them to a social worker if they ask for it. Go to Step 5.
5	Customer is experiencing very vulnerable circumstances Refer customers experiencing multiple barriers and with limited support to Social Work Services during business hours Warm transfer the call to a social worker on the Social Work Line Use Services Australia Workspace and select Social Work All Master Programs Choose option 3 from the IVR list to access to a social worker

Operational Information

Referral to a social worker 003-12010000

Centrelink

Customer requests social work referral

Customer needs immediate social work referral

Check for a social work referral

Offer a social work referral

Medicare

Social work referrals for Medicare staff