Information and Referral (or just plain “I&R”) is the art and science of bringing people and services together. If you are new to the field, this interactive course is where you will learn some of the background on what that really means. This course is meant as a guide for new staff of an information and referral (I&R) service. It should be viewed as part of the I&R orientation process, covering the nature, purpose, structure, and unique qualities of I&R services. This includes an introduction to the AIRS Standards and an overview of the various ways in which I&R services operate (it is appropriate for experienced I&R practitioners). The course was written by AIRS staff member, Clive Jones, a former President of InformCanada, who is responsible for the AIRS Certification Program, in addition to assisting with training and standards development. It was adapted from material within The ABCs of I&R (copyright AIRS). AIRS is the nonprofit Alliance of Information and Referral Systems at www.airs.org.

This package consists of 5 courses essential to providing a foundation of success for Community Resource Specialists - Database Curators.

First Course: Introduction to Information & Referral

Resource Database: An Overview for Resource Specialists

Resource Database: Style

Resource Database: Introduction to Taxonomy and Indexing

Resource Database: Maintenance

This package consists of 5 courses essential to providing a foundation of success for Community Resource Specialists. 

First Course: Introduction to Information & Referral

Service Delivery: The Information and Referral Process

Service Delivery: Anatomy of a Good Call

Service Delivery: Confidentiality in Information and Referral Services

Service Delivery: Information and Referral Customer Service

An Information and Referral (I&R) resource database that describes the available programs and services needed by a community must be accurate, not just at the moment it is collected but as far as possible, at all subsequent moments. It must also be responsive to the creation of new programs and the closure of existing ones. Database maintenance is a standards-driven requirement for I&R services. This course describes the resource database maintenance process, including ways of handling agencies that are not responsive to requests for information. It outlines activities that help I&R services keep up-to-date on changes in the various sectors of health and human services, and stresses the importance of database security. This course is primarily for I&R Resource Specialists and managers. The course was written by AIRS staff member, Clive Jones, a former President of InformCanada, who is responsible for the AIRS Certification Program, in addition to assisting with training and standards development. It was adapted from material within The ABCs of I&R (copyright AIRS). AIRS is the nonprofit Alliance of Information and Referral Systems at www.airs.org.

Objectives:

• Review current situation
• Outline the main inquiries that I&R’s are receiving
• Learn the CDC (Center for Disease Control) and WHO (World Health Organization) messaging that gives clear and credible information to the public

This interactive course is for new staff at Information &Referral(I&R) organizations who will be responsible for handling I&R inquiries, for the supervisors who oversee this essential work, and for the existing staff needling to reacquaint themselves with key principle. The content provides and overview of the activities of an I&R Specialist, a detailed analysis of the I&R process and the communication techniques required to assist in that process. 

It also represents a useful preparation for more experienced staff who are preparing for an AIRS CRS or CRS - Database Curators examination. 

The ways in which people access Information & Referral (I&R) and other human services are changing – and changing rapidly. Clients want services that are highly accessible, flexible, and individualized to their preferences. I&R organizations and their staff need to deliver quality service using online chat and mobile texting technologies. This course outlines the knowledge and skills required. This course will help human service providers identify the important considerations for setting up chat or mobile texting at their organization, including the components of chat and text software platforms. It will also assist I&R services providers to understand the basics of professional communication in a text-based environment, including how to apply national Standards for I&R service delivery to chat and texting. Special attention will be given to how to handle crises in a text-based environment. This course assists the learner by combining graphics and narrative, while also using recap exercises, section summaries and text transcripts to maintain engagement and ensure the learning objectives are achieved

This course is primarily for Information & Referral (I&R) Specialists who are responsible for answering I&R inquiries and need the ability to handle a diverse range of service delivery, including calls from and concerning young people, the challenges young people face, and the services designed to help them. This interactive course is designed for comprehensive I&R practitioners. It outlines the issues faced by young people and the realities of communicating across a generation gap. The course describes the services that are available for all young people in addition to addressing some of the particular challenges confronted by at-risk youth. This course is not suitable for specialized youth workers. Also, differences in legal frameworks may make this inappropriate for Canadian I&R Specialists. This training was written by AIRS staff member, Clive Jones, a former President of InformCanada, who is responsible for the AIRS Certification Program, in addition to assisting with training and standards development. It was adapted from material within The ABCs of I&R (copyright AIRS). AIRS is the nonprofit Alliance of Information and Referral Systems at www.airs.org.

Every day, Information and Referral (I&R) Specialists answer calls from vulnerable people in difficult situations. With experience, they get to handling these calls quite adeptly. This course is about those other calls. An I&R specialist must have the skills to meet the needs of all types of people in all types of situations, including people who are angry, hostile, manipulative, call frequently with the same problem, or are otherwise difficult to serve. This interactive course describes the range of “challenging” calls generally encountered within an I&R program, techniques for diffusing situations, setting boundaries, and if necessary, terminating calls. This training was written by AIRS staff member, Clive Jones, a former President of InformCanada, who is responsible for the AIRS Certification Program, in addition to assisting with training and standards development. It was adapted from material within The ABCs of I&R (copyright AIRS). AIRS is the nonprofit Alliance of Information and Referral Systems at www.airs.org.

This course is all about service. Service can be defined as an act of helpful activity, help, aid, or assistance. It is not just what you do, but also how you do it; your attitude frames how it feels to be served by you. Service has some applicability to all instances of customer service, but it is primarily geared toward staff at Information & Referral (I&R) organizations - both the I&R Specialists who handle human service inquiries from the public and the supervisors who oversee this essential work. This interactive course discusses the importance of customer service, a positive attitude, and an openness to continuous assessment and improvement. It deals with basic communication techniques and good practices for opening and closing customer calls.

This package consists of 5 courses essential to providing a foundation of success for Community Resource Specialists. 

First Course: Introduction to Information & Referral

Service Delivery: The Information and Referral Process

Service Delivery: Anatomy of a Good Call

Service Delivery: Confidentiality in Information and Referral Services

Service Delivery: Information and Referral Customer Service

This package consists of 5 courses essential to providing a foundation of success for Community Resource Specialists - Database Curators.

First Course: Introduction to Information & Referral

Resource Database: An Overview for Resource Specialists

Resource Database: Style

Resource Database: Introduction to Taxonomy and Indexing

Resource Database: Maintenance

This practice test for AIRS Certification as a Community Resource Specialist - Aging/Disabilities (CRS-A/D) examination consists of 63 questions while the full exam contains 100 questions. However, the questions are in the same format and weighted in the same proportion in subject area as the full exam. Success in the practice exam certainly does not guarantee success in the full exam, but it will provide you with some realistic preparation for the actual experience. Finally, please note that some of the questions within this practice exam might be using the "old" designation of an "I&R/A Specialist" or a "CIRS-A/D."

This practice test for AIRS Certification as a Community Resource Specialist (CRS) examination consists of 50 questions while the full exam contains 100 questions. However, the questions are in the same format and weighted in the same proportion in subject area as the full exam. Success in the practice exam certainly does not guarantee success in the full exam, but it will provide you with some realistic preparation for the actual experience. In addition, although this practice exam contains no questions specific to I&R within Aging and Disabilities, because of the overlap of questions between the CRS and CRS-A/D examinations, this is also a useful preparation for CRS-A/D candidates. Finally, please note that some of the questions within this practice exam might be using the "old" designation of an "Information and Referral Specialist" or a "CIRS."

This practice test for the AIRS Certification as a Community Resource Specialist - Database Curator (CRS-DC) examination consists of 50 questions while the full exam contains 100 questions. However, the questions are in the same format and weighted in the same proportion in subject area as the full exam. Success in the practice exam certainly does not guarantee success in the full exam, but it will provide you with some realistic preparation for the actual experience. Finally, please note that some of the questions within this practice exam might use the "old" designation of a "CRS."