Recording in social work

Not just an administrative task

O'Rourke, Liz, Liz O'Rourke

• Publisher: Policy Press
• Year: 2010
• Print ISBN:
  9781847427564
• Edition: 1
• eBook ISBN:
  9781447318088
• Topic: Social Sciences
• Subtopic: Social Work
• Index: Social Sciences

Recording is regarded by most social workers as a necessary evil. The research from which this book arises found that recording is a highly complex and demanding aspect of professional practice. Why has such a critical activity received so little attention, despite the concerns over social work records identified with successive inquiries into tragic deaths? This highly topical book explores the often conflicting demands on social workers as they record information on the case files, and will stimulate a long overdue debate as to how to achieve more effective recording in social work.

Appendix 1: The interview

Appendix 1a: Interview schedule

‘On record’: case recording in social work (adult services) – schedule for semi-structured interviews with social workers

Language

Show copy of vignette ‘Being positively objective – Miss Vera Miles’. Ask interviewee to compare the two descriptions of Miss Miles in terms of the effectiveness of the recordings.

Discuss the extent to which Version A or Version B has featured in their own experience of recording.

Experience

1.    How long have you been qualified?

2.    In what setting do you work, for example, service user group, short- or long-term team?

3.    How many hours per week do you work?

4.    How long have you worked in your present post?

5.    What training, if any, have you received in recording skills?

Attitudes to recording

6.    How confident do you feel about recording?

7.    How do you view the recording task?

8.    Why do you describe it like that?

Who is the record for?

9.    When writing the record, who are you thinking about and in what ways do they influence how you record:

– service users/carers?

– your manager?

– those making resource allocation decisions, for example, resource allocation panels?

– colleagues within the department?

– professionals outside the department?

– service providers?

– lawyers?

– any others?

10.  How much do you discuss the recording process with your service users?

11.  How much use of the ‘restricted access’ category do you make in your recording?

11a. In what circumstances would you use it?

Purpose of recording

12.   Here is a list of possible reasons for recording (Appendix 1b). How would you rate their importance?

Recording task

13.   How do you record:

– using a manual system, if so, which?

– using a computerised system, if so, which?

– a combination of both

14.   How would you describe your experience of recording in this authority?

15.   Has your experience of recording changed over the period of your career?

15a. If so, how?

16.   How many hours per week do you think you spend on recording?

17.   How many hours per week do you think you spend on reading information in case files?

18.   How long after a visit do you usually manage to make a record of the visit?

19.   To what extent do you prioritise your recording of different cases?

20.   What feedback do you receive from your manager on your recording?

Transcript recording

I am now going to show you a short video sequence of a home visit. I would like you to watch it, make any notes you feel necessary while the sequence is being played. After it is finished I would like you to imagine you are the worker and decide what you should record from this visit. The object is not to evaluate your intervention, only to identify what information needs to be recorded. This is not concerned with testing your skills, rather it is designed to explore how you record, to understand how you decide what is relevant and the way you choose to describe that in the record.

21.   How did you decide what was relevant to record?

22.   Were there any particular considerations you thought about in terms of how you described what had been discussed between Gerry and David?

Standards of recording

23.   How would you rate the standard of record keeping in case files in this department?

24.   Here is a list of concerns that have been identified about standards of recording in various inspections of different departments across the country. How far do you think they apply to your own recording and that of others in this department?

25.   What do you think are the reasons for these problems?

The social work role in care management

26.   How much do you think the role of the social worker has changed since the introduction of care management?

26a. And how do you feel about that?

27.   How do you think other professionals see the role of social workers?

28.   To what extent do you see yourself as an advocate of the service user and/or a representative of the department? 28a. How comfortable do you feel with those two roles?

29.   How would you compare your priorities in the care management process with those of the department?

29a. If there are differences in priorities how does that affect you?

30.   How do you think issues around what is your professional role and the priorities of care management influence the way you record?

Having come to the end of the interview, are there any other issues you would like to raise?

Appendix 1b: Purpose of recording (interview prompt material)

How would you evaluate the importance of the following items in relation to the purpose of recording, on a scale of high, medium or low, according to your own view? Can you indicate if you think there would be a difference between your view and your agency’s view?

1    Up-to-date information on service user’s needs and eligibility for services

2    Statement of purpose and plan of work

3    Aid to worker understanding, for example, reflective practice

4    Continuity of case work

5    Communication with other agencies

6    Assist others, for example, service providers in carrying out social services purposes

7    Legal accountability

8    Service planning and development Are there any other reasons for recording?

9    Information for statistical returns to government

10  Staff supervision and practice development

11  Evaluation of worker performance

12  Documentary record for service user

Appendix 1c: Identified problems with case recording (interview prompt material)

1    The case record cannot be easily followed

2    No evidence for decisions is provided

3    Assessments are service-led rather than needs-led

4    The service user’s voice is not heard

5    Assessments are not focused on outcomes

6    Analysis of information is insufficient

7    Facts and opinions are not always distinguished

8    Relevant information is buried in irrelevant detail

9    Inappropriate language, including jargon, is used

10   Inaccurate information

11   Judgemental language

12   Assumptions and speculation

13   Distortions and exaggerations

Any other

Appendix 2: Questionnaire: Experiences of recording in social work

Are you a qualified social worker?

Do you work in adult services?

Do you carry a case ...

Table of contents

• Coverpage
• Titlepage
• Copyright
• Contents
• Acknowledgements
• Introduction
• One: Recording in context
• Two: Social work, risk and modernity
• Three: The social construction of the ‘real’ record
• Four: Setting the scene
• Five: The demands of recording
• Six: Resources/constraints impacting on recording
• Seven: Recording dilemmas
• Eight: Conclusions and implications
• Appendix 1: The interview
• Appendix 2: Questionnaire: Experiences of recording in social work
• Bibliography