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Send and track an outside referral

Write a referral letter to the police, social care or another body, then follow its reply to a close.

Checked against the screens:

Every organisation can choose its own words for the people and roles it works with. When you are signed in, this guide uses your organisation’s words. Otherwise it uses the product’s own.

For DSLs, managers and admins. The platform does not send anything. You download the letter and send it yourself. If a child is in danger now, call 999 first.

Steps

  1. Open Referral board. Its columns are Draft, Sent, Acknowledged, Decision and Closed.
  2. Press + New referral. Choose the young person and the outside body.
  3. Fill in the fields the letter needs. You can go back to change the fields.
  4. Read the preview. It becomes a PDF filed with the referral.
  5. Press Save the letter. The referral now shows as sent.
  6. Open the referral and press Download statutory letter (PDF). Send it to the body yourself.
  7. When they reply, paste it into Acknowledgement text and press Mark acknowledged.
  8. Use Record decision, then Close referral when it is finished.

If it goes wrong

  • Saving the letter does not send it. The page says so. Send the PDF yourself the same day.
  • If you see Permission denied, your role cannot open referrals. Ask a DSL or admin.
  • If a save is unclear, reload and check the referral before trying again.
  • If the body is not on the list, choose other and say who it is in the fields.

How it links together

The referral usually follows a concern; the letter is built from a template your organisation can edit (see the guide on referral letter wording). The PDF is filed with the young person. Only DSLs, managers and admins see the board. Replies you record appear on the referral timeline.

Life of an outside referralThe platform saves the letter. You send it and record the replies.
  1. DraftFields and preview
  2. Letter savedMarked as sent
  3. You send itDownload the PDF
  4. AcknowledgedTheir reply
  5. DecisionWhat they will do
  6. ClosedFinished

Who the bodies are

You can refer to the LADO, MASH, social care, the police, CAMHS, MARAC, Prevent or another body. Each has its own letter wording.

What the board shows

Each card shows the young person, the body, when it was sent and when a reply is due. A due date turns red when it is overdue.

You can filter by body, by DSL and by status. Press Apply to filter and Reset to clear.

Letters

The letter is built from a template and the fields you fill in. Saving it files a PDF with the referral and starts the clock for a reply.

Nothing leaves the platform. If you do not send the PDF, no one has been told.

Following it up

  • Sent means the letter is saved and you have sent it.
  • Acknowledged means the body has replied to say they have it.
  • Decision means they have told you what they will do.
  • Closed means the work is finished.

Each step has a short form. Paste or write what the body told you. The timeline on the referral keeps every step.

Letters you can change

Your organisation can change the wording of the letters. That is done on the templates page, not on a single referral.

Questions people ask

Does the platform send the letter?

No. It saves a PDF and shows the referral as sent. You must download it and send it yourself.

Who can start a referral?

A DSL, manager or admin. Anyone else sees a message saying the role is needed.

What do the columns mean?

Draft is not yet saved. Sent is saved and sent by you. Acknowledged and Decision follow the body's replies. Closed is done.

What if the body does not reply?

The card shows when a reply was due and turns red when it is late. Chase them and note it on the referral.

Can I undo a referral?

You cannot unsend a letter. Add a note on the referral and tell the DSL. Close it if it was raised in error.

Is a referral the same as a concern?

No. A concern is internal. A referral goes to an outside body, usually after a concern has been looked at.