The Santa Barbara Alternatives to Violence Project EXPERIENCE Referral System

Goals once program is established:

  1. To offer AVP Experience graduates (and their families), who are presently struggling with a challenge, resources that can help the family and graduate to function well in their community. 
  2. To refer AVP Experience graduates to be involved in other youth-based organizations that will open doors with those organizations for their involvement.
  3. To provide opportunities where the tools that youth learned in the AVP Experience may be utilized in organizations where their AVP leadership skills can be used to effect community change.
  4. To establish positive relationships and valuable ongoing communication within the referral system.
  5. To provide opportunities for organizations to refer challenged youth the AVP Experience.

Purpose:

  1. To provide appropriate referrals to AVP graduates and their families for issues not addressed during the AVP Experience.
  2. To move any therapeutic aspect out of the work of AVP staff and into the hands of local agencies.
  3. Establish relationships with local youth-focused organizations to facilitate a referral system for a next step in AVP youths’ involvement in the community.
  4. To assure that the individual changes that happen in the AVP Experience have opportunities to be implemented.
  5. To work cooperatively with local organizations and agencies.

Referral System set up and ongoing relationship:

  1. Contact Sheet for referrals to use by AVP staff in the field for referrals to local agencies.
  2. Meeting individually with potential referral organizations/agencies to introduce AVP to request and determine their level of interest/capacity to help with issues that are brought up during AVP staff contacts with family and the youth.
  3. Working with organizations receiving referrals in a positive, professional, and collaborative manner.
  4. Keep communication as simple and clear as possible between SBAVP and referral groups.
  5. A simple method of follow-up agreed upon with each referral, while assuring privacy of clients.
  6. AVP staff meets as necessary with referral organizations to clarify any misunderstandings.
  7. All parties are honoring the MOUs.
  8. MOUs signed and honored. Updated as needed.
  9. Annual reassessment/evaluation of Referrals and Referral System

Reporting:

  1. SBAVP will follow-up with the agencies and youth organizations who received AVP referrals to determine If contact by the youth/family has been made and if it was appropriate.
  2. SBAVP will track the number of referrals, the follow-up of referrals, youth/family response and any communications with the referral party.
  3. This information will be reported monthly to the SBAVP Board of Directors as well as to those agencies/organizations to whom we have referred SBAVP Experience participants.

We seek to be cooperative, working together rather than being competitive, learning from one another as the relationships develop.