Reflection on Social Work Practise. I thought that enacting to set aside time to do some record keeping would meet the requirements of the Social Work Codes of Practice which emphasise meeting relevant standards of practice and working in a lawful, safe a

Description of events –What did you DO, SEE, FEEL, HEAR? How were you involved? What did other people do?

Today I spent the day in the office updating manual and electronic service user records and carrying out administrative duties in the office such as making out bound and receiving telephone calls and sending and responding to emails.

Analysis – What did you THINK? What theories, policies, forces have impact/help you understand. How well did you do?

I thought that enacting to set aside time to do some record keeping would meet the requirements of the Social Work Codes of Practice which emphasise meeting relevant standards of practice and working in a lawful, safe and effective way and maintaining clear and accurate records as required by procedures established for my work (GSCC 2002 6.1 and 6.2). I reflected back to the day in supervision when I had enquired from the PE whether my recording was according to agency procedures and had been reassured that it was, but that I still had to improve on certain details which would make the recording more informative. I felt that I should set aside this time to ensure that all the information pertaining to service users had been properly recorded. O'Rourke (2009 online) concurs that “social workers need to treat recording as a priority because it is crucial as evidence. It is an activity to which time is allocated...includes taking time to reflect on the complex issues inherent in recording information about service users”.

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I also reflected back to a statement I had read in a report on the internet which stated that “if you haven't recorded it, it didn't happen”. I realised then that even though I would have done the work and not recorded it that would be meaningless if I did not put it on record. I also wondered what would happen in my absence if records of a service user on my caseload were required and I had not done any recording. I felt that would mean that I was not being accountable for my work and it would also mean that if my colleagues needed to deal with an urgent situation pertaining to that service user they would not have any background information for them to work effectively with the service user in my absence. I felt that this would be letting the team down in a way because I believe that keeping effective records is a way of communicating with other team members. Worse than that I realised that it would be a serious case of misconduct and could end up with serious consequences. I also thought about how I would feel if a colleague had not completed records for which I needed background information on a service user, I felt that I would be very frustrated. Records will be evidence that I have understood and honoured my professional responsibility and duty of care.

This thought spurned me on to ensure that I completed all the records in my caseload. “Documentation and record keeping are important to ensure accountability, facilitate coordination of care between providers and for service improvement...[they] must be clear, accessible, and comprehensive” (Trainor 2007 p6). Trainor further asserts that the service user has a right in law to request access to these records at any stage. Judgements made, actions and decisions taken should be carefully recorded. Records should clearly provide the chronology of the case and should demonstrate how the process has been managed by practitioners and indicate how actions taken and decisions made have been endorsed by line managers. I felt that this made it even more important because if service users will have access they would want correct and accurate information recorded about their lives and that it was a duty that I had to fulfil. I was very pleased with the progress that I made on this day because I had carefully made all the entries in all cases.

Action Plan – What do you want to learn more about? What would you do different? What are you going to do?

As a next step I will continue to liaise with my colleagues and PE in supervision to ensure that my record keeping is up to agency standards and that I ensure this by continuing to develop it. I would like to learn more about the content to include in my reports.

References

O'Rourke, L (2009) Practitioners Demand More Guidance and Training in Record-keeping, Community Care, 16 April 2009, Online. Available Feb 2011]

Trainor, G (2007) Record Keeping Policy, Mental Health NHS Trust, Central and North West London Foundation Trust.