For 10 years I worked (voluntarily) internationally as Intl Director for
ICEA. Part of my job was to give local contacts, eg childbirth educators,
breastfeeding counsellors, 'supportive' doctors/midwives etc..
Whilst I never had to specifically include disclaimers in those days (I
might do so now), I was careful. Local childbirth consumer groups with whom
I've also worked over 20 years do take care to give a number of names and
we always would try to base our referrals on information received from
surveying class clients and say that.
At a conference in North America some years ago I heard a lawyer say that
no one had been successfully sued for this (ie being included in a suit
against a practitioner), although he did quote a case where a large number
of people were initially named in a suit and that included people who had
apparently referred them to the caregiver.. I had only one case with
negative repurcussions in this way..  that I'm aware of.. where a couple
did sue a caregiver, whose name I had included on a list of suggested
contacts in that country for them, almost automatically due to a high
positive profile.. later I was told by the (US) couple that in addition to
me, others who had recommended this person included LLLI members (I realise
this is 'unofficial'). The couple wanted us to know about the
circumstances, but weren't intending to take action against us volunteers
just trying to help people relocating to 'foreign parts'..
there are obvious advantages to referral using a list of people with a
similar qualification, international or national, even if that's just the
first step for the client. Saying they also have this standard also
protects the sponsor a little too.
Unfortunately, it's now a more complicated and blaming environment, and
consequently more litigious.
Jan Cornfoot
Editor, Birth Issues Journal
Brisbane, Australia

----------