Module:-Recording social case work, use of

supervision
Unit-18
In social casework practice, recording is defined as the
process of writing down relevant information in a
systematic manner about the person who has come to
the agency seeking some help. The information is about
the person, his or her problem, the social, economic, and
health factors contributing to the situation of the person,
the prognosis, the type of intervention, the progress of
the intervention, and the procedures for termination or
referral.
Social casework practice involves many types of
recording depending upon factors such as requirements
of the agency, the theoretical perspective of the
caseworker, the type of intervention, and so on.
Recording in Social Case Work
▪ Recording is an extremely important method to learn
social work practice.
▪ By the study a social worker record
the facts related to their client.
▪ Recording helps in learning.
▪ Social Worker gets a chance to review and improve
their own effective work.
Recording is a written summary of the process
of casework. The records of individuals are legally
protected, except under special circumstances. Records
allow case workers an opportunity to
document their work with individuals and afford legal
protection against suits, as they can show that
caseworkers had followed an intervention plan based on
an appropriate assessment. Recording is
important as it publicizes the efficiency of the services.
Facts have to be gathered, organized, and
recorded for measurement of results. In the process of
giving assistance to an individual there is also a
need to record and document the proceedings for
further follow-up and cross verification.
Types of Recording
Process Recording
• A recording that is of inestimable value to the learners
of social work methods is process recording.
• It is selective in its recording.
• Process is a continuing development involving many
changes.
• It is a series of actions, changes or functions that bring
about an end or result.
• Process Recording tries to record these developments
are directly and meaningfully related to understanding
of the person-in-situation and the intervention process
Need for recording
There are compelling reasons to keep good records.
Recording is an important and integral part of the
case work procedure and is an output of the activity of
the case work. The importance of recording
lies in both the process as well as the product. As
recording and documentation is part of every
profession , case work recording is an inevitable part of
the case work process. The demands ofrecording go
along with the pressing demands of accountability and
documentation in any
profession.
Narrative Recording
▪ Narrative recording in case records and
individual plans within social services represents
the means by which stories can be constructed
with and about the people with whom services
work, influencing relationship building and
outcomes.
▪ Identities and decision-making are forged in
records, shaping people’s lives.
▪ Yet, limited attention is paid to narrative
recording in research and practice.
Principles of Recording
There are some guiding principles for maintaining a good
record. However there is no such thing as
an ideal or model record. A record is a flexible
instrument, which should be adapted to the needs of
the case. Each case is different, the conditions of work
have marked differences and the recording
therefore rests not on following an outline, but in the
mastery of certain component processes.
o Accuracy, objectivity, simplicity, clarity and brevity
should be observed in writing
records.
o Facts and their interpretation should be distinguished
between, as that leads to real
objectivity of the subject matter. The outcome should be
drawn in a balanced
manner without attempting to influence the judgment of
the reader. For example,
frequent fights between the husband and wife might
lead the case worker to
interpret that the wife dislikes or hates her husband.
o The record must be orderly in its arrangement. The
caseworker should think in
advance what should be included and then set the
material out in a logical
sequence.
o The case work records are not meant to be literary
masterpieces, therefore they
should be written in simple language and simple style.
o A verbatim quote can sometimes depict a situation
much better than a narrative
description. Therefore, wherever possible, the reactions
of the individuals should be
recorded in their own words.
o There should be a certain degree of uniformity and
standardization as to the form of
observation.
o A record should have readability and visibility and
should contain a clear and concise
presentation of the material. For example, content can
be organised under topical
headings such as interviews, home visits, and contact
contacts.
o To maintain clarity and accuracy, avoid using words
that are ambiguous.
o Note-taking, as far as possible, should be done
immediately at the end of the
interview and not during the interview.
o It should always be made clear who are involved in the
situation, who is addressing whom and what the
sources of information are.
o The details of every significant subject or situation
should be given. o One should not record the self-
evident, the insignificant, the familiar, and the repetitive.
o Any record should show clearly the nature of the
problem presented or the request made.
Key Purposes of Recording
· Recording helps in effective assessment and
intervention of the person with
problem.
· It enables more effective interviewing and intervention
in the case work process.
· It helps to contribute to analytical reflection and
improvement in case work
practice.
· It is useful for organising and structuring of information
and for orderly thinking.
· It refreshes the memory of the worker and increases
retrospective understanding.
· It enables better planning for subsequent interviews.
· It ensures continuity if any case worker discontinues the
process or comes for the
next session after a long time.
· It helps in measuring or assessing the ability of the
agency.
· It helps for future reference of the person with the
problem.
· It helps in supervision and training of students in
casework practice wherever
appropriate.
· It serves as a resource or teaching material and adds to
the body of knowledge of
social work practice.
· It enables students to develop analytical and
interpretative skills.
· It is helpful in social research and planning in a
particular area.
· It provides statistical data on social problems.
· It may perhaps be relevant to court proceedings or
complaints at present or in
future.
Advantages of Record keeping
ß The process of writing records enables the case worker
to reflect systematically on what has
occurred and plan for future sessions. In other words, the
process of making records enhances
the quality of the case work process.
ß Records provide the case worker with details such as
the names of the people mentioned by
the individual. This frees the case worker to concentrate
on issues raised by the individual
rather than recalling the details from one session to
another.
ß Systematic record-keeping makes any changes in the
individual’s material over a series of
sessions more apparent. The case worker can also show
the individual the progress of the
case work process with evidence .
ß As case workers seek to be professional and credible,
they need to develop the record-keeping
practice that supports them in performing their role and
meets the public expectations of
quality of service and accountability of any professional.
This is regarded as an increasingly
significant reason, which probably explains why most of
the case workers around the country
have chosen to keep records.
Maintaining records in the case work process is the
universal norm. Nevertheless, there is a minority
of case workers who prefer not to keep records at all or
only keep records for some individuals,
usually when seeing individuals in settings that require
records.
Although casework recording is a key element in the
process of casework practice, some caseworkers
perceive it as a tedious and time consuming task that
gets in the way of practice rather than enhancing
it. They express the view that they spend too much time
at their desk in writing the records. Some
research into social caseworkers’ attitude and experience
of recording revealed the fact that the topic
of recording has created many strong and ambivalent
feelings.
a) One needs to ensure that records are both secure and
really confidential. For example, some
case workers may work in settings where burglaries are
so frequent that it is difficult to
maintain secure records. Community-based services
operating out of converted buses or
other forms of mobile premises have to consider the
possibility of the theft of the entire case
work premises, including the records.
b) Record-keeping may complicate trust-building with
individuals. For example, case workers
working with individuals who are vulnerable to legal
prosecution, like female sex workers,
illicit drug users and others, may have to take into
account their clients’ fear that the police
or other authorities could seize any records.
c) Record-keeping is time-consuming.
d) Some case workers are opposed to the possibility of
individuals acquiring a legal right to see
records kept about them. Therefore, they prefer not to
keep records.
e) Some case workers have reservations about creating
records which may be demanded by
individuals for use outside the case work relationship in
legal actions against others. They hope that an absence
of records will enable them to concentrate on the
therapeutic
relationship without having to consider how that work
would be viewed in a court of law.
f) There is lack of training in the practice of recording.
g) There are variable standards in recording practice.
Aspects of Good Recording
ÿ Good recording is done with the participation of the
person whose record it is.
ÿ The views of the person whose record it is should be
recorded including whether he
or she has given permission to share information.
ÿ The record should be accurate up to date of the
process of casework which can be
reviewed periodically and summarized at the end.
ÿ It should include the decisions taken during the process
and the reasons for these
decisions.
ÿ The chronology of significant events should be included
in the record.
ÿ The facts should be recorded distinctively from the
opinions.
ÿ Whatever is recorded should be evidence-based and
ethical.
ÿ The record should mention the assessment as well as
the risk assessment.
ÿ It should depict a clear and complete picture of care
and support given up to date and
the ensuing plan of action towards solving the problem
of the person.
ÿ The personal profile of the individual should include
details such as name, age,
gender, religion, language, region, educational level, and
disability, if any, of the
person.
Records and their Preservation Data protection refers to
the set of privacy laws, policies and procedures that aim
to minimize intrusion into one’s privacy.
Once it is decided to keep the records, the existence of
the records and the level of security with which they are
protected have to be made known to the individual .
There is a strong ethical argument that the individuals
need to know these facts in order to be in control of the
information that they decide to disclose to the case
worker. The minimum standards suggest that the
individuals should be informed about the security of the
records. There are different kinds of procedures adopted
by the case workers for security. First of all, physical
security of the records is of paramount importance.
Locking records in a desk or in a cupboard will prevent
casual inspection by anyone. If there is a foreseen risk of
some unauthorized person wanting to access the
records, then the records have to kept in a safe under
lock and key.
Contents of Casework Records
There are no fixed rules about what must be included in
case work/interview records or how they
ought to be written. Case work records that we see vary
considerably in style, from brief factual
accounts which focus on what the individual reported to
ones that include more of the case worker’s
thoughts and responses. The guiding principle is that the
type of record should be one that supports
the therapy and enables it to be delivered with a
reasonable standard of care. A good record is written
as closely as possible in time to the events it records.
Some case workers set aside ten minutes with
individuals for this purpose. If there is any reason to
think that a record might need to be produced for
legal purposes, it is good to distinguish between what
was directly observed, what the individual said
and the case worker’s own response or thoughts.
There is no single correct way of writing case work notes.
It still appears to be a topic neglected in
basic training. Each case worker has to develop a style
that is sufficient to support the case work but
without being excessive in what is recorded.
There are some other items to be included in the record:
o Any written and signed consents to all interventions.
o Any written and signed contents to all passing of
confidential information
o All appointments, including non-attendance by the
individual
o Intervention contracts
o Up-to-date record of the case worker’s reasoning
behind decisions about significant
interventions and general strategies
o Consultations with anyone else about the individual
o Copies of any correspondence from the individual or
relating to work with the
individual
o Any instructions given to the individual and whether or
not the individual acted on
these.
Matters not to be included in the process of
Recording
· Records ought not to include anything that could
disrupt the therapy if seen by an individual.
· Prejudice and abusive comments are to be avoided.
· Negative evaluations should only be included if they
serve a therapeutic purpose, for
example, a negative counter-transference would be
justified if it is integral to the therapy and
is a statement about the case worker’s internal
processes, rather than directly ascribed to the
individual.
SUMMARY
✨️In social casework practice, recording is defined as the
process of writing down relevant
information in a systematic manner about the person
who has come to the agency seeking
some help.
✨️Social casework practice involves many types of
recording depending upon factors such as
requirements of the agency, the theoretical perspective
of the caseworker, the type of
intervention, and so on.
✨️Recording is an important and integral part of the case
work procedure and is an output of the
activity of the case work.
✨️Although there is no such thing as an ideal or model
record, there are some guiding principles
for maintaining a good record.
✨️As case workers seek to be professional and credible,
they need to develop the record-keeping
practice that supports them in performing their role and
meets the public expectations of
quality of service and accountability of any professional.
✨️Some case workers have reservations about creating
records which may be demanded by
individuals for use outside the case work relationship in
legal actions against others. They
hope that an absence of records will enable them to
concentrate on the therapeutic
relationship without having to consider how that work
would be viewed in a court of law.
✨️Once it is decided to keep the records, the existence
of the records and the level of
security with which they are protected have to be made
known to the individual .
✨️Case work records vary considerably in style, from
brief factual accounts which focus on
what the individual reported to ones that include more
of the case worker’s thoughts and
responses.
✨️Records ought not to include anything that could
disrupt the therapy if seen by an individual.
Prejudice and abusive comments are to be avoided.
✨️The agency has to be clear about its reasons for
collecting the information and explain the
rationale to the client.
✨️The caseworker should explain in a straightforward
way how the client can access his or her
own information, and the extent to which the
information is available to others in the agency.