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East Riding Children's Social Care Online Procedures
Case Recording
Related guidance
- Case records are an important tool for planning and subsequent action concerning a child/young person. The information is of crucial significance for reviews, Care Plans and statements to court;
- Decisions taken during the life of an active case should be recorded with supporting arguments. This will also be the case where it is decided not to act or deliver a specially requested service;
- For records of decisions which significantly affect children/young people it is important to show how consideration has been given to the child's wishes and feelings. This should be recorded in some detail. The child's views should in turn indicate how this has affected the decision-making. (Section 22 (4) (a) and (s), 61 and 64, Children Act 1989);
- Non-factual information which it is considered necessary to record must be identified as such. Where descriptions, judgements, assessments evaluations or opinions are given on the child/young person, designated worker, or any other person (including allegations of misconduct, observations on personality or attitudes and so on) then the source and the extent to which the statements have been verified should be recorded.
- All case recording should be made on Azeus;
- Each case should have a named worker who is responsible for ensuring that the file is kept up to date;
- A separate case record for each child/young person should be established. Information which is relevant to a number of siblings or members of a family group should be copied across all case records on Azeus;
- When completing a case note/visit on Azeus, the designated worker should be mindful of the potential to highlight the note or a significant event in order to populate the significant event chronology on Azeus;
- When information has been received from sources where the informant refuses to give identification the record should include an account of the attempts made to verify the information. When information has been received from a named non-professional who specifically requests that their identity is withheld from the child/young person and/or family, their details should be recorded as a confidential case note. If the information is being recorded as a new contact on Azeus, then the confidential radio button should be pressed;
- It is the responsibility of each designated worker to clarify the status of third party information immediately it is received and to record it accordingly. There should be a reference in the main file to the existence of an entry in the confidential section. Children's Social Care places a clear onus on third parties to take account of the open access policy and to define the status of their information. Where information is received over the telephone or in direct contact then the recipient will need to be sure that the status of the information is clear;
- Where the subject of the electronic case record questions the accuracy of factual information recorded on Azeus, then they will have the right through the designated worker to either have the record amended appropriately, or their own views recorded alongside the existing case note.
Last Updated: December 1, 2023
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