Client Intake and Assessment Procedure

Purpose. This procedure describes the steps every program follows from first contact or referral to the start of service, so that each person is assessed, consented, risk screened and planned for before support begins.

1.Receiving a referral

Referrals arrive from My Aged Care, the NDIS, the Orange Door, schools, hospitals, GPs, area mental health services and self referral. The intake officer must create a record in the Client Register on the day the referral is received, set the status to Waitlist and record the referral source and any urgent risk noted by the referrer. Referrals that indicate immediate risk must be escalated to the program manager the same day.

2.First contact

The intake officer or case manager must contact the person within two working days to explain Willow's services, confirm eligibility and funding, and arrange an assessment visit. Where the person needs an interpreter, one must be booked before the visit. The worker will ask who the person wants involved in the assessment.

3.Assessment visit

The assessment must be completed using the Client Intake and Consent Form and the Home Environment Risk Assessment Template, in the person's home or a place they choose. The worker will explore the person's goals, daily routines, health conditions, mobility, communication, culture, relationships and safety concerns. Where the assessment identifies falls risk, cognitive change, family violence, suicide risk or child safety concerns, the worker must apply the relevant screening and escalate to the manager.

• Goals and what a good life looks like for the person
• Health, medication, allergies and emergency contacts
• Mobility, transfers and equipment
• Communication and decision making support
• Cultural, spiritual and dietary needs
• Home hazards, pets, smoking and other people in the home

4.Consent and rights

The worker must explain the privacy statement, the rights statement, the complaints process and the service agreement in a way the person understands, and must record consent on the form. Where a person cannot give consent, the worker must identify the legally authorised decision maker and record their details.

5.Planning and roster set up

Within five working days of the assessment, the case manager will complete the Individual Support Plan Template with the person and record the plan review date in the Client Register. The case manager will then send a roster request to the rostering desk with the services, days, times, duration and any worker preferences, such as gender or language.

6.Starting service

The first shift must be delivered by an experienced worker or with a buddy, and the worker will read the plan and the risk assessment before arriving. The worker will write a progress note after the first visit and the case manager will phone the person within a week to check the service is right. The Client Register status is then changed to Active.