Local areas services - Operator Manual

Local Referrals

Check services provided by the local areas.

Local referrals

(Note: our food referral process will be changing soon, please see the below the local area’s box on this page to see the new food process as of the 6th of March. This page will be changing to reflect the new process on the 6th)

On this page you can find the list of the local areas and services they might be able to provide to the Support Line callers.

For Mobility Aids, Independent Living and Refugee Services always signpost – go to the signposting section or Refugee Services page

Before referring a case to the area:

explore all other available options;
signpost to relevant organisations or services;
manage the expectations.

Local Area Services

Select Referral

Food Referral A call for support with food provision could be for various, often complex reasons.

Callers can be signposted for food support by being provided with the details of their local food bank, for example, however, if this is not suitable callers can be referred to their local area who may be able to support them.

When referring a caller for food support, it’s important for operators to identify the following during the call:
The number of days of substantive meals they have left

Ask questions such as:
Have you tried your local food bank? Were they unable to support?
How much food do you have at home?
Do you have enough food for dinner tonight?
Do you have enough breakfast for tomorrow?
The number of persons in the household
Any special dietary requirements they may have
Have they received food support from BRC previously?

If the caller has received support from BRC previously, the caller should be signposted to an external organisation for long-term support and not referred to the tactical cell (unless agreed by management).

It’s also important to ensure that no promises are made to the caller during your conversation.
The caller could receive a food voucher from the NSL which are accessed via instructions texted to the service user. Please manage expectations in line with the process.

Medication Referral

A referral for medication collection is usually because the caller is unable to leave the house to collect it themselves.
During the height of the Covid-19 pandemic this was often due to clinically extremely vulnerable people shielding, more recently it could also be due to a positive Covid-19 test, or a variety of other reasons.

As an operator, it’s important for you to identify:
The current location of the medication (i.e., pharmacy)
The delivery location of the medication

Local areas

Use this interactive map (opens in new tab) to search for a postcode. Click here to watch a video with guidance on how to use the map.

Can I refer to the local area for…	London	Northern Ireland	South and Channel Islands	South East	Wales	Central	North	Scotland
Food	no _{yes only for very} _{urgent requests}*	yes	yes	yes	yes	yes	_{yes only for very urgent requests**}	yes
Medication pick up	no	no	yes	no	yes	yes	no	yes

*London area doesn’t offer food parcels, but in a case of a very urgent request they will signpost to relevant local organisations, that might be able to support the caller

**North will only consider supporting if absolutely all avenues have been exhausted for support

New Food referral process and MS form are listed below

Food Referral process 6th of March 2023

Food Referral MS form

Additional helpful links and documents:

Refugee service information page