Stripey Stork Referral Policy

This policy is designed to ensure the quality and transparency of our work through the following:

• Ensuring we remain true to our guiding principles, bringing our passion, commitment and quality to everything we do.
• Ensuring we can support as many families as possible with meaningful high-quality gifted items that alleviate hardship, across Surrey and beyond.
• Ensuring that we remain sensitive to the situations of families and children we help, without judgement.
• Ensuring that we build lasting relationships with referral partners across Surrey and beyond.
• Ensuring that those partners feel confident in the quality of our work, and clear about what help they can access for families they are supporting, and how.

• Families are referred to us by professionals. This helps us to better understand the needs of recipient families and to provide the most appropriate and targeted support.
• We do not accept direct referrals from families. If families approach us directly, we will offer them guidance on getting a referral from an appropriate service.
• There is no referral criteria at Stripey Stork. We will support any family facing hardship who our referral partners believe would benefit from our support.
• We ask for the minimum of information from referral partners – only what we need to know in order to provide appropriate items, and assess the impact of our work.
• There is no limit on the number of times a family can be referred to our service.

• Referrals can come from a variety of partner organisations, including schools, health visitors, social workers, family centres, women’s shelters, churches and foodbanks – any professional entity supporting families that are vulnerable or experiencing hardship.
• We are happy to accept referrals from any professional using their work email address.
• We will ask referral partners to collect items from our warehouse in Reigate, Surrey.
• We can accept referrals from across Surrey and beyond.

• Family Essentials – We can provide everything families need for a new baby, or clothes, shoes, toiletries, books, toys and other equipment for older babies and children up to the age of 16. This could include beds and bedding, buggies, highchairs and weaning packs, bouncers, playmats, coats and school shoes, etc.
• Think Beyond The Basics –We can provide pre-filled pre-school and school bags, school uniform (non-logoed), stationery, activities and games, We also provide filled maternity and hospital bags, and the occasional birthday present or treat for a child, parent or carer going through a difficult time. At certain times of the year we run projects and campaigns to support families in different ways – including Santa Stork, our large-scale Christmas gift-giving campaign, and Mum 2 Mum, giving Mother’s Day gifts to those who may not otherwise get one.

• Stock Requests – If you represent an organisation working with families directly, we can provide supplies for you to keep on site or to distribute to families over time. We can also help with toys for playgroups and preschools.

• Special Requests – We will always try to fulfil special requests, so please do ask us for anything not mentioned above. If we don’t have it, we may be able to source it through our network of supporters and partner organisations.

• A rule which we live by at Stripey Stork is that our recipients should feel like they are receiving a gift, and not a hand-out.
• Every referral is important to us, and we will treat every family’s situation as unique, and be sensitive and discreet.
• We train and develop our team to maintain a deep understanding of the hardships facing families and the challenges facing frontline support services.

We ensure that all equipment given out by us meets current safety standards, is clean, safety-checked and given out with a manual or instructions.

• Electrical items are PAT tested.

• Toys have brand new batteries.

• Buggies, prams, cots, cribs and slings will always come with appropriate safety instructions / manuals.

• We do not give out preloved mattresses, bottles or breast pumps. These items will always be provided brand new.

• It is the referral partner’s responsibility to ensure that the items given to the families are safe and appropriate for the intended use.

For health and safety reasons, we do not provide the following items:

• Cot Bumpers
• Bumbo Seats
• Car Seats – we are unable to guarantee the safety of preloved car seats. Under certain circumstances we can provide a new car seat, although we do not keep a stock of these.
• Formula and Food – we do not keep stock of perishable items.
• Hand-knitted toys and hand-knitted clothing with buttons.