When a case worker refers a client to a provider, both the client and the provider are notified of the referral. Clients and providers are notified using notification letters that are sent to the client and provider. The case worker can record notification text that is displayed in the provider and client referral letters. Notification letters can be issued by one of the following methods: email, by printing the letter for posting, or by printing the letter and physically handing it to a client if he or she is sitting with the case worker.
The notification letters that are sent to clients and providers are based on pre-defined templates. For information on configuring notification templates, see Configuring Notification Templates.
Case workers have the option of sending notification letters to the client or provider automatically or alternatively, they can send them at a later date by printing and posting them to the client or provider. If the notification letters are sent automatically, the system determines how the notification letters are issued based on the preferred communication method recorded for the participants during registration and on any communication exceptions recorded for them. If a client and/provider has a preferred communication method, such as email, the system automatically issues the notification letter by email.
Communication exceptions are methods that cannot be used for contacting the client or provider. If a communication exception of email exists for a client or provider, the system will not issue notification letters by email. In this situation and if no preferred communication exists, the system will inform the case worker so that the client and provider can be contacted by a different means, for example, by phone. For more information on how the system determines the notification method to use when notification letters are sent automatically, see Configuring a Notification Mechanism.