We Don't Say Yes to Every Referral
- Julian Vilsten
- 6 days ago
- 3 min read
As a Support Coordinator, you know the cycle.
You have a participant with complex needs, perhaps a mix of intellectual disability and high-risk behaviours. You send out five referrals. You cross your fingers.
One provider responds within an hour: “Yes! We have immediate capacity. Send the plan.”
No questions about the behaviour support needs. No check on the complexity. Just a “yes.”
You breathe a sigh of relief. You’ve ticked that box. You report back to the family that help is on the way.
But four weeks later, the cracks appear. The provider stops answering emails. Or they finally deliver a Behaviour Support Plan that is so generic it’s impossible to implement. Now you have to do the hard part: replace them to save what’s left of the funding.
You are back to square one. But it is worse than that. You have wasted a month of the plan duration. You have wasted funding on intake sessions that went nowhere. And you have to explain to a frustrated family why the professional they just met is walking away.
At Outcomes Lab, we believe the “Automatic Yes” is the real danger. That is why we don’t accept every referral. In fact, we reject many of them.
Here is why that is actually good news for you.
The Problem with the “Automatic Yes”
Let’s be clear: Immediate capacity isn’t always a bad thing. We have it too, often when a new clinician joins our team or when the support needs of our existing caseload change.
The enemy is the Volume Model.
In the NDIS market, many providers say yes to everything. If a clinician has an empty slot, they fill it. The participant is treated as a billable hour rather than a person with specific, nuanced needs.
But complex presentations, especially those involving Autism Level 2-3 or significant behaviours of concern, cannot be solved by just anyone.
If a provider accepts a referral just to fill a calendar slot, without checking the full clinical picture, they are setting the participant up for failure. This leads to the “churn and burn” cycle that causes so much burnout for Coordinators.
The Team Intake Review
We operate differently. We don’t just check our calendars; we check our competence.
Every referral sent to Outcomes Lab undergoes a rigorous Team Intake Review. This isn’t an administrative task. It is a clinical process led by our leadership team, including Clinical Neuropsychology oversight.
We look at the referral and ask hard questions:
Do we have the specific expertise? We don’t just look for “a” practitioner; we look for the practitioner. Does our available Behaviour Support Practitioner have the specific skill set for this referral? Do they understand this diagnostic mix?
Can we dedicate the time? Capacity isn’t just about an open slot in a calendar. It is about bandwidth. Can we dedicate the time needed to appropriately support this person for the long term, or would we be stretching ourselves too thin?
If the answer to these is “no,” we decline the referral.
Why a “No” Respects the Plan
Rejecting a referral is an act of integrity.
We know the pressure you are under to get services in place. But accepting a client we cannot serve well is worse than a delay, it is a setback.
When a provider withdraws after intake, the damage goes deeper than the budget.
Time is lost: Months of the plan vanish with no progress to show for it.
Outcomes stall: Instead of building skills, the participant regresses while waiting for a new start.
Quality suffers: You are forced back into administrative crisis mode instead of supporting the family.
When we say “no,” we are protecting your time and the participant’s future. We are ensuring that when we do say yes, we are committed to delivering the high-quality outcomes you need, not just burning through a service booking.
The Right Fit
This rigorous triage means one important thing for you.
When you receive an acceptance email from Outcomes Lab, it isn’t an automated response. It is a promise.
It means our clinical team has reviewed the case and determined that we are the best team for the job. It means we have matched your participant with a clinician, whether a specialist Behaviour Support Practitioner or a Psychologist, who has the skills to handle the complexity.
We don’t just fill slots. We match for outcomes.
Ready to stop the referral churn? Our mobile team across South-East Melbourne supports families with genuine clinical review. Reach out to Outcomes Lab today.
About the Author
Julian Vilsten
Founder, Outcomes Lab | Clinical Neuropsychologist | Advanced Behaviour Support Practitioner. MClinNeuro, BBNSc (Hons)
With over a decade of clinical experience, Julian combines neuropsychology with practical behaviour support. He is dedicated to neuroaffirming practice and building support systems that champion autonomy and genuine well-being.
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