3.3: Intake & Registration

A clear intake and registration process helps young caregivers and families move from initial referral or interest to participation in Powerhouse®. It also helps your team gather the information needed to support participants safely and appropriately.

Your organization may already have an intake or registration process that can be used or adapted, or you may need to develop one for Powerhouse®.

Planning Your Intake & Registration Pathway

Start by considering what happens when a young caregiver or family is referred or reaches out to your organization. Consider:

• How will referrals and inquiries be received?
  For example, through an online form, email, phone call or existing organizational intake process.
• Who will receive and follow up on them?
  Identify the staff member or role responsible for responding to young caregivers and families.
• What happens after the initial contact?
  Determine how the young caregiver or family moves into intake or registration.
• How will referral partners know where to send someone?
  Make sure there is a clear referral point that can be shared through your outreach and partnership work.

A simple pathway might look like:

Referral or Inquiry → Initial Contact → Intake/Registration → Powerhouse® Program

The goal is to create a clear pathway so that young caregivers, families, referral partners and your team know what happens next.

Think About Your Organization

What intake or registration process will you use for Powerhouse®?

❏ We can use our existing process.
❏ We will adapt an existing process.
❏ We need to develop a new process.
❏ We are not sure yet.

What Should You Collect?

Once you have considered how young caregivers will move through your intake and registration process, think about the information your team will need to collect. Once appropriate consent is in place, intake should gather the information needed to safely support a young caregiver in Powerhouse® — without asking families to share more than is necessary.

Review your existing intake process to make sure it captures the information needed for your Powerhouse® program, including where applicable:

• Participant name, date of birth and contact information.
• Parent or guardian information, where applicable.
• Emergency contact information.
• Relevant allergies, dietary restrictions, health, medication, accessibility or other support needs.
• Authorized pick-up or release information, where required.
• Relevant information about the young person’s caregiving situation and support needs.