Service Record
12.
1.
13.
2.
14.
3.
4.
15.
5.
16.
6.
17.
7.
18.
19.
8.
9.
D:\81908021.doc
10.
11.
1.
Service Name:
This is the name of the service that is offered. If the service has no designated name, create a simple
descriptive name like “After-School Program” or “Food Pantry.” If the agency has given the service a
name, such as “Teen Link,” use “Teen Link” rather than “Teen Hotline.”
2.
Primary Code:
This is for display only. The Primary Code can be changed in the Professional Codes with the other
taxonomy. (See 12. Professional Codes for detailed information.)
3.
Full Description field
This field contains a complete and detailed description of the service.
Style
Try to begin each sentence with a verb, and let the assumed subject of the sentence be the
service. Here are some action words to inspire you for the first word of the paragraph:
Acts as…
Connects…
Gives…
Operates…
Serves…
Aids…
Counsels…
Handles…
Oversees…
Sponsors…
Addresses…
Coordinates…
Helps…
Prepares…
Supervises…
Advocates for…
Develops…
Holds…
Presents…
Supports…
Administers…
Distributes…
Hosts…
Promotes…
Teaches…
Arranges…
Educates…
Maintains…
Provides…
Works…
Assesses…
Encourages…
Manages…
Publishes…
Assists…
Evaluates…
Monitors…
Rents…
Conducts…
Facilitates…
Offers…
Responds to…
D:\81908021.doc
Service Description Style
Repeating Information
Agency Names and Acronyms
Primary and Secondary Services
Do not repeat information included in other fields.
Do not use acronyms without first spelling out the full name. The exception
to this rule is DSHS. Sometimes the service description will refer the reader
to another organization’s service. You must refer to that agency by its name
as it appears elsewhere in Data Manager.
In providing as complete and detailed description as possible, be sure to
make it clear which are the primary services and which are the secondary
services. (Primary services, which can be accessed by a new applicant,
should all receive corresponding taxonomy codes. Secondary services, which
are only available to enrolled clients as components or benefits of the larger
program, should not be coded.)
Generalizations
In general, avoid incomplete lists of offerings. When this in necessary (such
as on a community center’s “Recreation Programs” service page, where the
list of specific recreational offerings is too long and too specific for the
taxonomy coding that we use), make it clear that your list is simply providing
examples, rather than a comprehensive record of every element of the
program or service.
“…includes…”
As much as possible, avoid the word “includes,” because its meaning is
unclear. (It can indicate either a comprehensive or a partial list.)
Addresses and Phone Numbers
Do not include site addresses or phone numbers here. If support groups,
after school programs, etc. are offered at temporary sites and this site
information can be obtained by calling the main phone number, write, “Call
for site information.”
People Receiving Services
In referring to the people receiving the services described, our goal is to
keep our language as uniform and consistent as possible with terminology
used regionally in the health and human service fields. Examples:
…among others…
…for instance…
…sometimes include…
…for example…
…often include…
…such as…
Preferred Terms
Applicants
Clients
Consumers (in mental health
field)
Participants
Patients (in medical
field)
Recipients
Residents (in housing)
“Those who…”
Terms to Avoid
As much as possible, also avoid terms that label and/or categorize people by single descriptive features (e.g.
“the disabled,” “the homeless,” “addicts,” etc.). Instead, use language like “people with disabilities,” “people
who are homeless,” “anyone with a history of addiction,” etc.
Customers
D:\81908021.doc
Guests
Individuals (because this term is often used in the social
service field as a measure of household unit. I.e. –
“individual” vs. “family.”)
Persons
4.
Short Description field
This field gives a brief overview of the information found in the entire service page, including the most
important information for the particular service. Phone workers see the Short Description (along with
the Link Record fields) before they see any other parts of a service listing. The field’s purpose,
therefore, is to help phone workers in efficiently determining which listings may be appropriate
referrals and thus worth looking at in more detail.
Style for Short Description Field
 Be concise and clear, and do not duplicate any information (such as hours) that appears in the
Contact fields of the Link Record.
 Incorporate as much of the style from the Full Description as possible, but since the field offers
limited space, use semi-colons to separate components of the description.
 The phrases between the semi-colons to not have to be complete clauses.
 An example of a Short Description field is: “Provides financial assistance for electric, gas & water bills;
families, with children, in ZIP codes 98106, 98116, 98126 and 98136; shut-off notice required; call for
appointment.”
5.
Eligibility field
This field refers to client qualities or considerations necessary to receive program services.
Style for Eligibility Field
 Begin by describing the population, (e.g. Youth…)
 The description may include ages served, referrals or vouchers that may be required, income level,
membership, etc.
 When listing ages, use these formats: “Youth, ages birth through 3,” and “Adults, ages 65 and older.”
 Include geographic eligibility here, as well as in the “Area Served” field on the Site Page.
 For programs that serve only part of a particular ZIP code, use the following wording: “part of ZIP code
98168,” rather than “ZIP code 98168 (partial).
 If there are no eligibility requirements, add “No restrictions.” to this field.
 Leave out verbs even in statements like “Primarily serves children, youth, etc”. Verbs may appear in
subsequent sentences of the eligibility section.
 Geographic areas in King County and in Seattle, such as “North King County” or “North Seattle” are
capitalized.
6.
Application field
Enter instructions on how to apply for the service offered.
D:\81908021.doc
Style for Application Field
 Write sentences with the caller as the implied subject. For example, “Call the intake number to set up
an appointment or walk in.”
 The phrase “walk in” when used as a verb or as a command does not have a hyphen in it. It is
hyphenated when it is used as an adjective and is referring to a person: “Walk-in clients are accepted.”
 Since the Documents field in Resource House is a pick-list and we would like it to be a text field, we’ve
decided to add documents information to the Application field. After the information about applications,
make two hard returns and write “Documents Required:” Then, add any information about required
documents that are needed to enroll in or receive services.
7.
Fee:
Lists any applicable fees charged for this program.
Style for Fee Field

Use complete sentences where appropriate.

If the service is free, write “None.”

Write dollar amounts as “$4,” not “$4.00.” Use $ before the first dollar amount only: “$10-15,” not “$10$15.”

Do not use slashes; use the word per: “$2,500 per semester,” not “$2,500/semester.”

Use commas in amounts in the thousands ($1,000).

Use the phrase “medical coupons (Medicaid)” rather than either term on its own. Use the term
“Medicare” for federal assistance programs.

Separate type of fees with periods. Use the phrase “sliding scale fee,” not “sliding fee scale.”

Use “Fees are subject to change…” or a similar phrase if you think the prices might change before our
next update.
8.
Fee Req:
This field isn’t used anywhere. Ignore it.
9.
Referral Req:
Indicates whether or not a referral is required in order to apply for services. This is a Yes/No
toggle field; the default is No. If this field is set to Yes, the service will NOT appear in search
results in the Web application. It only necessary to change this setting to Yes while defuncting
a service. If an agency is defunct, it does not appear on the Web.
10.
Web link field:
If this program has a separate website from the agency, enter it here. Use “http” only when “www” is
not included in the address.
11.
Wait time field:
This field indicates how long it takes for a client to receive services after applying. We don’t use this
field very often, but it could be helpful if the agency provides this information.
D:\81908021.doc
12.
Link Locations:
Press this button to link this service record to another site.
13.
Features:
During the update for each service, we are moving all features from the service record to the link
record. Do not leave any features in this field.
14.
Professional Codes field:
Please refer to Module 13 for more information about AIRS taxonomy codes.
15.
People’s Codes:
During the update for each agency, we are removing the People’s Codes. Do not leave any People’s
Codes in this field.
16.
Keywords:
This field is only for agencies in the Where to Turn cycle. The keywords are used to index this agency in
the Service Pages section of the Where to Turn. Make sure that every Where to Turn agency has a
keyword (although, not all services for each agency are included in the Where to Turn). Use your best
judgment, based on taxonomy codes about the best keyword to use for each service.
17.
Area Served Data List:
Always keep this field blank on the service record. If there is information in this field, please move it to
the link record.
18.
Documents:
Leave this blank. Move all information from the field to the “Documents Required:” section of the
Application field.
19.
Enrollment Fields:
Leave this blank.
D:\81908021.doc