1. Purpose and scope
This document on minimum standards and procedures for individual referrals aims to guide protection agencies’ staff (including frontline workers) in direct contact with refugees and host communities or any person affected by protection issues or in need of a specific service. The proposed standards intend to facilitate referrals as a means of ensuring the most holistic approach possible to the needs of beneficiaries.
They cover all types of referrals done within the protection sector (for instance to legal counseling services, case management) and those done from a protection agency to a specific sector (for instance to shelter, basic assistance, education etc.). This document does not intend to be an exhaustive explanation of each agency’s approach to referrals, but rather captures common principles and standards, and ensures minimum standards between organizations, in order to facilitate coordination and ensure accountability.
These standards complement existing specific standards for referrals – for instance Child Protection National SOPs, SGBV SOPs – or specific procedures – e.g. referrals of cases of early marriage for legal assistance.
An individual has the freedom and the right to disclose an incident to anyone. She/he may disclose her /his experience to a trusted family member or friend. She/he may seek help from a trusted individual or organization in the community. Anyone the individual tells about her/his experience has a responsibility to give honest and accurate information. These guidelines apply to cases in which a service provider has been asked to take action for access to services on behalf of an individual or an individual has asked a service provider to take action in facilitating access to a service. General information on services (for instance requested during awareness raising sessions) is not to be considered a referral and, similarly, provision of information to an individual about how they can independently approach a service provider to seek services is not to be considered a referral (even if such information is provided on a one-to-one basis).
These procedures and standards apply in the following cases:
Referral made from frontline workers (non-protection staff) to protection service providers (i.e. case management agency, legal service providers)
Referral from protection service provider to another protection service provider - Referral from protection service provider to a non-protection service provider (e.g. legal to health)
Referral from non-protection service providers to protection service provider (e.g. education to protection)
Self-referral from community members to (protection) service provider - Referral from community group members, focal points/volunteers to (protection) service provider