Child Protection and Welfare Practice Handbook - Health Service ...

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116 Child Protection and Welfare Practice Handbook • The fixed idea: adhering to one hypothesis regarding a case irrespective of other information available that may refute the hypothesis. For example, the view that improving the family’s accommodation situation would lead to automatic resolution of other problems. • Over-optimism: focusing on the strengths in the family and underplaying the weaknesses. • Over-pessimism: focusing on the weaknesses and issues and ignoring the positives. • Over-identification: the worker sees the situation from the point of view of only one family member. • Fixed belief: an attitude or belief about the case distorts the assessment, for example gay parents should not care for children. • Groupthink: the professionals working together on the case develop a view about the situation and disregard other perspectives. 3.8 Record-keeping and file management Record-keeping is of critical importance. Unless accurate records are maintained, the ability to adequately protect vulnerable children may be severely curtailed. It is essential that staff in Children and Family Services keep contemporaneous records of all reported concerns. These should include details of all contacts, consultations and any actions taken. • Case notes should be succinct, focused and proportionate. • Best practice requires records to be up to date, written clearly, with explicit details of any decisions taken, while explaining the reason for these decisions. • Case notes must be signed by the social worker and by the Supervising Team Leader following each supervision session. • Records should be factual, accurate and legible. They should also be dated and signed after each entry. • Where possible, case notes should be recorded contemporaneously or on the day that the action took place. • Records should be accessible at all times during a key worker’s absence from the office.
Social Work Procedures and Practice 3.9 Use of chronology as part of the assessment process A key issue identified in a number of case inquiries has been the absence of a well-structured and clear chronology. Keeping a chronology is recommended as good practice to assist in identifying trends/patterns of concern or positive change. What it is: A chronology of significant events is a timeline representation of an agency’s involvement with a child/family, milestones reached and any known significant events that will impact on the safety, care and well-being of the child. Chronologies are a key component of risk assessment where significant or ‘key events’ pertaining to risk should be recorded. They can reveal risks, concerns, patterns and themes, strengths and weaknesses within a family. What it is not: A chronology is not an assessment, but only part of a comprehensive assessment. It is a working tool, not an end in itself, and also does not replace comprehensive case file notes. The key objective of keeping an up-to-date chronology in child protection and welfare practice is: to compile a chronological history of significant events and provide easy • reference to the contents of the records; to allow for patterns around issues/concerns to be detected and for • these to be shared between professionals. Practice Note: Key points of chronologies • To be effective, the chronology must be accurate and rely on good up-to-date case recording. It should contain sufficient detail, but not substitute for recording in • the file. Be flexible in recording – detail collected may be increased • if risk increases. Review and analyse – it may be a helpful tool in preparing • for and reflecting on for supervision. Different constructions of a chronology are needed for different • reasons, e.g. current work and examining historical events. Record what action was taken and the decision underpinning • decision-making at the time. Many chronologies list events and (continued) 117
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Index A abuse categories of, 10-14
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Children First Implementation Offic
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hazards, exposure of children to, 1
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NOTES
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What is the Child Protection and We
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