Write case records TO young people and not ABOUT them

These days, more local authorities are asking social workers to write case records to children, rather than about them.

I’m sure we’ve all experienced reading back through case files and not being able to make any sense of what has happened. Reading these as a social worker is one thing, but for young people or adults that have sight of their own records, this can understandably be traumatic.

Writing to, instead of about, means ‘unlearning’ a certain style of writing. I’ve seen it all in reports. Social workers referring to themselves in the third person, or using the word ‘concerned,’ followed by a string of elaborate jargon that could easily be condensed. I’ve done it myself. I’ve written ‘the local authority’ when what I really mean is ‘my managers, who disagreed with my opinion but still made me write this report.’ I’ve used the best vocabulary I had access to when I wanted to impress at court.

ALL MISTAKES.

Changing your style to write to a child changes your perspective. It affirms your purpose as a social worker and brings humanity back into the paperwork.

Many NQSWs find it complicated, trying to balance writing in a child-friendly way, with including all the information required for an assessment. I know local authorities advise not to include everything on a child’s file, but then I also know social workers criticised in court for information gaps or lack of clarity in their assessments.

The reality is that day-to-day practice often conflicts with the guidance that social workers are given. Well, that stops now. Here are my top tips for keeping children and young people firmly at the centre of all you do:

DON’T DUMB IT DOWN

There is a fine line between writing child-friendly records, and misrepresenting information. Language is everything.

The biggest mistake I see is when social workers are writing about domestic violence. I have seen this described as ‘mummy and daddy having an argument.’ It is vital to be clear with the language we use. ‘Argument’ does not reflect a power imbalance, and absolves any sense of accountability for perpetrators. There will always be difficulties in the level of information shared, but being as transparent as possible with language -. ‘kick, push, hit, shout’ - is better than an umbrella term.

ATTACH NOTES TO DIRECT WORK

A lot of direct work can look like a drawing or colouring on paper. There might be all kinds of different kinds of activities completed, where photographs can be taken and uploaded onto case files to add to records. But whilst a child’s drawing makes sense to you in the moment, it needs context if it is going to mean anything 20 years later.

Take the time to record what the words say, if handwriting isn’t clear. Before you photograph or scan, ask the child if you can write a short sentence under their picture to describe what they’ve drawn. You can explain that this is for them, if they want to look back at it when they are grown up.

WHAT ARE YOU LEAVING OUT?

If you are excluding information based on whether it is relevant for a child to know, it can’t just be because it’s too difficult to put into words. Excluding information because you couldn’t ‘translate’ it into child-friendly terms means there will be considerable gaps and confusion.

Consult with your supervisor or manager; there may be a way you could put together certain pieces of information in a document clearly labelled as ‘sensitive,’ with a note to the child or young person to read it with someone with them for support.

BE KIND

So much of what we do in frontline social work is based on ideas of safety. Sometimes you start to question whether talking about positives will undermine evidence of risk, but it’s okay to find balance. There will always be a strength or a positive in a child’s life, and it’s your job to bring this to life in the records.

Writing with kindness about the people in a child’s life may help you stay true to that kindness in how you treat them. Remember, all the parents we work with were children once. Our empathy shouldn’t switch off the minute someone turns 18.

REMEMBER EINSTEIN

One of my favourite quotes is ‘if you can’t explain it to a six-year-old you don’t understand it yourself.’

Forget the jargon - writing in the most uncomplicated style you can is an underrated skill. If you can do this consistently, your communication skills will develop.

By Social Work Sorted