Case Summary
A
case summary provides a summary of events, changes and work
undertaken by key professionals over a period of time.
Using a Case Summary
Case summaries support effective practice in a number of
ways. They can:
- support work with families
Completing or sharing a summary with a family offers an
opportunity to reflect on progress over the period covered
by the summary and to discuss achievements as well as any
difficulties or stresses being experienced.
- offer an opportunity to involve families in recording
Completing or sharing the summary with family members can
provide an opportunity for family members to record their
views or to have their views recorded.
- support the implementation of the plan for the child
or young person
The summary should be directly related to the aims and
objectives for the child or young person as stated in the
child's plan. The summary can be a useful tool to set out
the tasks necessary to achieve the objectives.
The summary should include details of interventions and
the practitioner's and family's view of their effectiveness.
Summaries can be used to support supervision.
Case summaries can help to ensure continuity and are an
important source of information for colleagues and supervisors
in the absence of the case holder.
Writing a case summary provides practitioners with an opportunity
to reflect on the effectiveness of interventions and to
review progress towards agreed goals.
Case summaries should be completed at regular intervals,
at least every three months and when cases are closed or
transferred.
Case summaries should be related to the overall objectives
for intervention with the child or young person and their
family and should include:
- what contact the practitioner has had with the family,
including when the child or young person was seen;
- information from other key individuals and agencies
on their involvement with the family during the period
covered by the summary;
- any resources provided to the family, including the
practitioner's time, how these resources where used by
the family and their outcome;
- the practitioner's analysis of progress towards the
specified objectives and whether these should be modified
in any way;
- the young person's and families views of progress.
Example case
summary fieldwork (Microsoft Word format)
Click here for further information
on using case summaries in residential care
Key records index
