DharmaNet

1. Project Overview: Community Care Close to Home

The purpose

Care needs are not limited to medical treatment. Older adults, people recovering from illness, people who need assistance with daily activities, and family caregivers may also need reliable practical support, information and help navigating local services.

DharmaNet is a proposed framework for organising these forms of community support. It aims to make responsibilities clearer, help people identify appropriate assistance, and create structured ways for trained workers and local organisations to contribute.

The project is intended to develop a network, not require every community to establish a fully equipped centre. Depending on local needs and available partners, support could be coordinated through an existing institution, a community organisation, a participating service provider or a dedicated local facility.

Who it may serve

• Older adults who need practical assistance or social support.
• People recovering from illness or injury who need appropriate non-clinical help.
• Individuals and households that need assistance navigating available services.
• Family members and informal caregivers who need information, preparation or support.
• Community organisations and service providers seeking a more organised way to coordinate appropriate care-related assistance.

What the project may develop

Subject to local needs, resources and approvals, a DharmaNet initiative could establish:

• A defined process for understanding a household’s support needs and obtaining consent.
• A directory or network of suitable local services and support organisations.
• Trained workers for clearly defined non-clinical support tasks.
• Caregiver awareness and practical preparation activities.
• Referral and follow-up procedures for situations requiring qualified or specialised assistance.
• A documented method for monitoring service quality, safety and participant feedback.

No operating DharmaNet network, centre, provider directory or service capacity is implied by this description.

2. Project Model: From Need to Appropriate Support

The proposed service journey is:

Identify need → Understand and obtain consent → Match appropriate support → Deliver or refer → Follow up → Review

Possible areas of support

These are potential service areas, not a claim that every activity is available or appropriate at every location.

How a local node could operate

A local DharmaNet node could be based in an existing community institution or another suitable facility. A dedicated centre could be considered where local demand and the operating model justify it, but a rented centre is not a mandatory starting point.

The local team would need to establish:

1. Defined services: What assistance is offered, what is excluded, and who is qualified to perform each task.
2. Intake and consent: How requests are received, support needs are understood, and personal information is handled.
3. Worker preparation: How workers or volunteers are selected, trained, assessed where applicable, and supervised.
4. Service coordination: How suitable workers or providers are identified, responsibilities are agreed, and referrals are made.
5. Follow-up and accountability: How completion, concerns, complaints, incidents and participant feedback are recorded and reviewed.

A request must not automatically result in service deployment. The proposed activity must be within the available team’s competence, capacity and authorised scope.

Relationship with the wider KarmaYoga system

DharmaNet could draw on the wider learning and livelihood framework to prepare people for suitable care-support roles. Training, practical assessment, service delivery and external qualification are separate steps, and each requires its own arrangements.

The network may also complement HealthCareNet, but the two concepts have different emphases:

• DharmaNet: community support, caregiving, household needs, caregiver support and access to appropriate services.
• HealthCareNet: healthcare-related service coordination, patient navigation and healthcare-support roles.

The exact division of responsibilities would need to be defined before implementation.

Related frameworks include the Care and Community Support Programme and the Training and Assessment Network.

3. Resources and Financial Model

People and capabilities

A local implementation may require some combination of:

• A project or local service coordinator.
• Appropriately prepared care-support workers.
• Volunteers for clearly defined community activities.
• Qualified healthcare or other specialist professionals when the service requires them.
• Training, supervision, safeguarding and quality-review support.
• Administrative and technical support appropriate to the operating model.

The actual staffing arrangement depends on the services selected. A community-awareness initiative, a home-support service and a staffed care facility have different requirements and should not be treated as interchangeable models.

Infrastructure and technology

Requirements would be determined by the agreed scope. A small coordination initiative might need only suitable meeting space, communication facilities and secure records. A more involved service may require staff facilities, equipment, transport arrangements, specialist partners or other infrastructure.

Any technology used for coordination or record-keeping must support appropriate access controls, privacy and accountability. Technology cannot replace professional judgement, direct supervision or the responsibility to respond appropriately to safety concerns.

Funding and sustainability

Potential funding sources, subject to eligibility and approval, include:

• Charitable donations and grants.
• Corporate social responsibility support.
• Sponsorship of defined community programmes.
• Contributions from participating institutions or permitted programme sources.
• Payments for separately agreed services where a lawful commercial model is appropriate.

The funding model must be determined for the specific project. Free charitable support and paid services should have clear eligibility, payment, accountability and service arrangements. No particular revenue stream, referral margin, participant fee or guaranteed income is assumed.

The intended institutional separation is:

• Wara KarmaYoga Foundation: may develop or support charitable care-awareness, training and community-development activities within its approved objectives and resources.
• Wara Systems: may provide separately contracted technology, coordination or commercial service capabilities where appropriate.
• Participating institutions and providers: may contribute premises, personnel, specialist services or other resources under an agreed arrangement.

Wara may receive an agreed payment for actual programme, system, technology, curriculum or implementation services provided to the project, as defined in the project-specific financial arrangement.

4. Governance, Safeguards and Risk

Care-related services involve personal vulnerability, trust and potentially sensitive information. Safety and clear accountability must therefore be part of the operating model from the beginning.

Scope of service and professional boundaries

DharmaNet must not be presented as a substitute for a hospital, clinic, licensed care institution or emergency service.

Workers may perform only tasks permitted by their training, demonstrated competence, role and applicable requirements. Diagnosis, prescribing, clinical decisions and other restricted activities must remain with appropriately qualified and authorised professionals. Clinical procedures require the relevant training, facilities and authorisation.

Urgent or potentially serious situations require an appropriate escalation process and contact with qualified professionals or emergency services. A local coordination node must not be represented as an emergency-response provider unless that function is separately established and authorised.

Safeguarding and privacy

An implementation plan should define:

• Informed consent and respect for the preferences and dignity of the person receiving support.
• Appropriate worker selection, identity checks and references where required.
• Boundaries for home visits, personal care, handling money and access to private spaces.
• Confidential handling of personal and health-related information.
• Incident reporting, complaints, escalation and review.
• Appropriate supervision and referral arrangements.
• Applicable legal, regulatory, insurance and professional requirements.

Additional safeguards may be necessary for people who have difficulty communicating their preferences or making decisions independently.

Responsibilities and institutional boundaries

Principal risks and controls

5. Mission Value and Expected Outcomes

DharmaNet aims to make community support more organised and accountable while helping people receive appropriate assistance closer to home.

Expected value

For individuals and households, a well-designed initiative may make it easier to understand available support, identify suitable providers and obtain agreed non-clinical assistance.

For caregivers, it may provide access to practical guidance, clearer service boundaries and better information about where to seek help.

For workers and volunteers, it may create a structured way to develop relevant capabilities and contribute responsibly. Where suitable paid work becomes available, it may also provide a pathway towards livelihood opportunities, without guaranteeing employment or income.

For participating institutions, the project may provide a defined and reviewable way to support community care. Any wider replication would depend on demonstrated results, local demand, suitable personnel, funding and separate approval.

Measures of progress

A pilot should select indicators that match its actual scope. Suitable measures may include:

• Number of individuals or households reached.
• Number and type of support requests received.
• Proportion of requests resolved, referred or left pending, with reasons recorded.
• Number of workers or volunteers prepared for their defined roles.
• Completion of required training and competency checks.
• Participant and caregiver feedback.
• Safeguarding incidents, complaints and corrective actions.
• Cost per participant or completed support activity, where the data can be collected meaningfully.

Measures should distinguish activities completed from outcomes achieved. A referral recorded, for example, does not by itself establish that a person received the required service or experienced a better outcome.

A practical path to implementation

A responsible first step is to select one local need and define a limited pilot around it. Before delivery begins, the project should establish the target group, service boundaries, delivery partner, staffing, safeguarding arrangements, funding, referral process and review method.

The project is intended to create measurable value within its own scope. If successful, its experience and learning may be reused or adapted for future programmes, subject to separate consideration and approval.