Warm vs cold referrals: Why the difference matters in domestic and family violence practice
Introduction
Referrals are a core part of case planning and safety planning for adult and child victim-survivors experiencing DFV. They aren’t just an administrative task. Referrals are an important point of connection, where the way support is offered can either strengthen safety and recovery or unintentionally leave victim-survivors navigating complex systems on their own, increasing the likelihood that they disengage or do not access support.
Research consistently shows that many referrals do not result in an actual connection to services. Evidence from health and community service settings suggests that as few as 20% of referrals result in successful engagement, particularly when follow-up responsibility lies entirely with the client (Goldberg et al., 2018). When considered within DFV contexts, this has serious implications for women’s safety, access to legal protection, housing and income, child-related supports, and longer-term recovery.
In practice, referrals are often described as “warm,” yet may still function as a cold hand-off, where a phone number is provided, a brochure is shared, or the person is encouraged to make contact when they feel ready. This is often shaped by time pressures, role scope, and service constraints, particularly in non-specialist settings. While well-intentioned, this approach can unintentionally leave victim-survivors to manage complex systems without support and does not always align with trauma and violence-informed practice.
This blog explores the difference between warm and cold referrals, why that distinction matters in DFV work, and how practitioners can strengthen referral pathways in practice.
Defining warm and cold referrals
Clear definitions matter, particularly where language is commonly misused.
A cold referral occurs when information about another service is provided, but responsibility for making contact is left entirely with the client. This may include providing a phone number, website, or brochure, or suggesting that the client reach out independently.
A warm referral involves an active, supported connection. With the client’s informed consent, the worker remains involved long enough to help establish contact and reduce barriers to access. This may include making a call together, introducing the client to another worker, sending a referral and following up, or supporting attendance at an initial appointment. Warm referrals are sometimes also described as facilitated referrals in some sectors.
The difference is not effort or intent; it is about where responsibility sits at the point of connection.
Why this matters in DFV practice
DFV work occurs within a context of coercive control, trauma, fear, and often ongoing risk. Many victim-survivors experience trauma responses that can affect confidence, increase anxiety, and impact concentration, memory, and decision-making, alongside limited privacy or safety when accessing services.
Service navigation itself can be overwhelming and re-traumatising, particularly when people are required to repeatedly retell their story or manage systems without support (Blue Knot Foundation, 2020). Similarly, trauma and violence-informed practice recognises that barriers to access are not about a lack of effort or motivation, but predictable outcomes of control, surveillance, and systemic complexity.
Warm referrals help address this by:
Reducing cognitive and emotional load
Increasing the likelihood of a successful connection
Supporting safety and confidentiality
Reinforcing trust and non-abandonment
Aligning referral practice with advocacy rather than hand-off
(Jack & Wathen, 2021; Northern Territory Government, n.d.; Practice Guide 5)
In this sense, warm referrals are not an optional enhancement - they are a form of protective practice.
Respecting choice while staying alongside
Practitioners sometimes worry that actively supporting referrals may undermine client choice or autonomy. In DFV contexts, the opposite is often true.
Trauma-informed principles emphasise empowerment, collaboration, and choice (SAMHSA, 2014). Trauma and violence-informed care builds on this by recognising that structural violence, coercive control, and ongoing risk shape a person’s capacity to act on those choices (Jack & Wathen, 2021).
Leaving someone to manage complex systems alone, particularly at points of high stress or risk, when trauma responses can affect concentration, memory, and decision-making, can leave the victim-survivor feeling unsupported, rather than supported to access help.
A warm referral maintains agency by offering options for how support is provided, not by withdrawing involvement. For example:
“We can call together now, I can send the referral and check back in with you, or we can pause and revisit this later - what feels safest for you today?”
This approach keeps control with the client while still addressing barriers to access.
What does this look like in practice?
In DFV settings, warm referral practices may include:
Exploring any barriers to access, such as transport, safety, communication, or previous experiences with services, and working with the client to address these where possible
Calling another service with the client present and introducing them directly
Sending referrals with informed consent and confirming next steps
Supporting initial appointments where safety and role boundaries allow
Checking in after referral to assess whether the service met the client’s needs
Importantly, cold referrals may still be appropriate in some contexts, for example, where a client prefers independence, has strong system confidence, or where privacy or safety considerations require discretion (Jack & Wathen, 2021).
The key is to decide how much support is needed for the referral, rather than defaulting to providing information only.
Practice considerations and safeguards
Warm referrals are not about doing everything for a client. Practitioners should remain mindful of:
Maintaining clear professional boundaries
Gaining informed consent before sharing information
Sharing only what is necessary for safety and access
Allowing time for the client to make decisions without feeling rushed or pressured
Recognising when timing is not right
Warmth in referral practice should never override a client’s right to decline, pause, or change direction. Where a client does decline a referral, best practice includes providing information where safe, revisiting options later, and continuing to support safety planning (Northern Territory Government, n.d.; Practice Guide 5).
Conclusion
Referral pathways are a continuation of care, not the end of it. In DFV practice, how referrals are made communicates powerful messages about safety, trust, and whether support is truly ongoing.
Small shifts – such as a phone call, an introduction, a follow-up, can significantly change outcomes.
Key takeaway
Warm referrals are not about doing more work; they are about doing the right work at the right moment. In DFV practice, a supported connection is how choice, safety, and advocacy are put into practice.
References
Blue Knot Foundation. (2020). Practice guidelines for trauma-informed care and service delivery. Blue Knot Foundation. https://www.blueknot.org.au
Goldberg, A. E., McCutcheon, P., & Singer, E. (2018). Getting to the warm hand-off: A study of home visitor referral activities. Maternal and Child Health Journal, 22(Suppl 1), 75–85. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10995-018-2534-8
Jack, S. M., & Wathen, C. N. (2021). Trauma- and violence-informed care: Making warm referrals. PHN-PREP, McMaster University. https://phnprep.ca/resources/tvic-warm-referrals/
Northern Territory Government. (n.d.). Domestic and family violence risk assessment and management framework: Practice guide 5 – Referrals. Northern Territory Government. https://families.nt.gov.au/domestic-family-and-sexual-violence/ramf
SAMHSA. (2014). SAMHSA’s concept of trauma and guidance for a trauma-informed approach (HHS Publication No. SMA 14-4884). U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. https://store.samhsa.gov/product/SAMHSA-s-Concept-of-Trauma-and-Guidance-for-a-Trauma-Informed-Approach/SMA14-4884