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Recording Policy and Guidelines

Every child involved with Children's Social Care is required to have their own electronic record on Liquidlogic (the recording system for Children's Social Care). This record is created by the First Contact Team once a referral is accepted by Children's Social Care and will remain active until involvement with the child ends. &nbsp;
The child's record should reflect the child's life and what has happened to them, the people who love and care about them, their achievements and the support offered to help them now and in the future. The record should be written in a way that increases the child's understanding &nbsp;of their background, &nbsp;experiences and the decisions which were made, which is particularly important where a child may not have been able to remain in the care of their parent(s) and/or family or carers.
The child's record will usually be developed from notes taken during a visit or interview and these may be used directly, or from information in a report or court statement. The Family Court, in the case of <a href="http://www.bailii.org/ew/cases/EWFC/HCJ/2018/40.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">RE M and N (Children) (Local authority gathering, preserving and disclosing evidence)</a> advised that social workers/practitioners must make &nbsp;up to date notes which form an understandable, current record. The notes should be legible, signed and dated and include who was there during the meeting/conversation. The notes should be detailed and include descriptions, actions and views etc. In some instances, sketches/diagrams may be helpful in establishing the accuracy of explanations given, e.g. with regard to how injuries were sustained, etc.
Note: These original notes might need to be disclosed in a court.
All records for the child must be held on the child's electronic file - Liquid Logic.

The Child's Record

Every child's record must hold details of the child's full name, date of birth and any identification number. The spelling of names should be accurate and, where possible, evidenced e.g. birth certificate. In some instances, key information may change and it is important that the child's record reflects the child's circumstances at that time.

All Relevant Information about Children and their Families must be Recorded

The following information should be included on the child's record:
<ul>
<li>Names and details of everyone who lives in the family home with the child, highlighting the person (s) who has/have parental responsibility;</li>
<li>Where the child does not live within the family home, the details of where they are living, who with and the legal status of the child;</li>
<li>Names and details of the child and parent/carer's most important people (such as family, friends, neighbours, youth workers) who may offer support to the child and their family and who the child may spend time with;&nbsp;</li>
<li>A record of managers' decisions and reasons for making them;</li>
<li>Details of arrangements for the child to spend time with their family or their important people;</li>
<li>Details and, where appropriate, copies of any Orders made regarding the child;</li>
<li>Copies of reports provided during any court proceedings, including specialist assessments and any reports written by the Children's Guardian;</li>
<li>Information about educational progress and where the child is Looked After , their Personal Education Plan (PEP);&nbsp;</li>
<li>Where a child has Special Educational Needs or Learning Disability, copies of any relevant information, including copies of any Special Educational Needs (SEN) Support Plans or Education Health and Care Plans (EHCP);&nbsp;</li>
<li>Relevant information about the child's health, and where the child is Looked After, a copy of the child's Health Assessment;</li>
<li>Details of any arrangements of the use of private providers, for example, an independent fostering agency;</li>
<li>Copies or photographs of direct work completed with the child/family to help the child to understand their situation or to gather their views for example, direct work tools completed with the child or a words and pictures explanation;</li>
<li>Record of visits by the practitioner working with the child and their family.</li>
</ul>
The child's record should be separate from other records, such as an Adoption Record or those relating to a foster carer or children's home, which are not solely concerned with the individual child. Where some information on one of these other records is relevant to the child, this entry should also be added to the child's record.
When adoption is the plan for the child the responsible local authority may transfer a copy of the child's record (or part of that record) to another adoption agency when this is in the best interests of the child, and a written record is kept of this transfer. (s.4 The Adoption and Care Planning (Miscellaneous Amendments) Regulations 2018, amending s. 49 of the Care Planning, Placement and Case Review (England) Regulations 2010).

The Basic Record

See also <a href="/resources/resource-library">Practice Standards for Recording</a> in the Durham Resource Library.
Each visit should be recorded to include:
<ul>
<li>The place and date of the visit;</li>
<li>Who was there;</li>
<li>Why the visit took place;</li>
<li>Whether an interpreter was used;</li>
<li>Whether the child was seen and if they were seen alone (and if not why);</li>
<li>A description of what was discussed and what the practitioner saw during the visit, including anything that was worrying and anything that helps to reduce the worries or make life better for the child/family;</li>
<li>What the child said, in their own words, or what their behaviour might be telling us;</li>
<li>What the parents said, how they behaved and what this might mean;</li>
<li>Highlight any key changes for the child/or family, such as whether anyone else is living in the family home or if anyone has moved out of the home;</li>
<li>An analysis of what is happening that is worrying, what is helping to reduce the worries and anything else that needs to happen to improve things for the child/family;&nbsp;</li>
<li>Unsuccessful visits to the child should also be recorded, for example, if a visit has been undertaken but no-one was home. In these circumstances, consider whether anything else needs to happen and when the next visit should take place.</li>
</ul>

Recording Visits

The child's record must also include a Genogram, chronology, Child and Family Assessment, the child's plan, and a &nbsp;transfer/closing summary (where appropriate).
All other contact with children, their families, their important people, colleagues and other practitioners must be recorded in the same way, i.e. who was there or seen, the date, the relevant discussions, actions or decisions taken and by whom, and the reasons for decisions. This includes conversations, phone calls, visits, letters, emails, assessments, and reports.&nbsp;
&nbsp;Anything else that the child thinks is important and wants included should be added to their record, such as letters, photographs or school certificates.&nbsp;

Other Key Records

The record should be written and updated in a way that:
<ul>
<li>The decision-making process is clear;</li>
<li>The views of the child, parents and/or carers and the child's important people are clear and include their views around decisions and actions being taken;</li>
<li>Record's the review meeting's goals and next steps that are trying to be achieved with a child and their family, who will do what and by when;&nbsp;</li>
<li>It is clear about how the support offered or actions taken link to the goals or recommendations.</li>
</ul>

Important Characteristics of the Record

There should be an up to date 'Case Note Summary' on each child's record. The summary should provide a brief 'pen picture' of the child, their important people and their current situation. The summary should show the child that the practitioner knows them well, knows what is happening in their life that is worrying and what helps with the worries or makes life better for the child. It should allow colleagues to understand the child and their situation, and include details of the key people involved with the child, their phone numbers/email addresses, and the current safety plan (where relevant) so this information is easy to find if the child's usual practitioner is away from the office or the Emergency Duty Team need to respond outside of normal working hours. The case note summary should be updated whenever there is a significant change in the child's circumstances and/or information, or every 3 months (whichever occurs first). The information shared in the summary should be up to date, accurate, useful, and succinct.&nbsp;
For what information should be included in a child's case note summary see: <a href="/resources/resource-library">Quick Reference Guide to Case Summaries in the Durham Resource Library</a>.

Case Summaries

The practitioner who is directly involved in the event that is being recorded, for example, the practitioner who has completed a visit to the child or taken a phone call, should be the person who records this on the child's record.&nbsp;
Where this is not possible and records are completed or updated by another practitioner, it must be clear from the record which person completed the record.
Records of decisions must show who has made the decision and the reason for the decision.&nbsp;

The Main Practitioner Involved Should Complete the Record

Records should be updated as information becomes available or as decisions are made but where this is not possible, records must be updated within 24 hours of the event.
Where information is recorded late this must be identified on the record and the date and time of the entry should be included.&nbsp;

Records Must be Kept up to Date

Any information included in the child's record must be relevant, accurate and meet the legal requirements of these procedures.&nbsp;
Records about the child and their family should be factually correct. If a child / young person feels that information in their record is not accurate, they have a right to ask for this to be corrected. Local authorities have 1 month to respond to these requests. If such a request is received, the local authority should take reasonable steps to understand if the information is accurate and change the record where needed.
Records must be clear about the difference between facts, opinions, assessments, judgements and decisions. Records must also be clear about what is first-hand information and information obtained from third parties.
A certain amount of cross-referencing between brothers and sisters is inevitable, however information should only be recorded for the sibling(s) involved or where it is relevant to them.&nbsp;

Records Must be Accurate and Adequate

Information recorded on a child's record should be recorded using kind and clear language that the child and their family would be able to understand. The information should be balanced between the worries and any strengths and recorded in a way that would make families want to work with practitioners within Children's Social Care as opposed to them feeling judged. Practitioners should use the family's language and should ask children and families which words and language they would like to be used.&nbsp;
When recording on a child's record, practitioners should remember that it is the child's record, and they may wish to access their record either now or in the future. Practitioners should consider how the recording may make the child feel. &nbsp;
Records must not contain any expressions that might offend any person or group of people in terms of race, culture, class, religion, age, disability, or sexual orientation.
Acronyms and abbreviations should be avoided and any professional terms such as legal orders should be explained.&nbsp;
See: <a href="/resources/resource-library">Language that Cares, Subject Access Request Procedure in the Durham Resource Library</a>.

Language

Children and their parent(s) should be made aware of what information is included in the child's record and they should be involved when information is gathered or recorded about them ('nothing about us, without us'). Children and their parents should feel part of the recording process. A child or their parent(s) can request to see the child's record at any time and in these instances, the <a href="https://trixcms.trixonline.co.uk/api/assets/durhamcs/1b634f70-ec57-4620-929d-8904823984e2/subject-access-request.pdf" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Subject Access Request Procedure</a> should be followed.&nbsp;
Children, parents, their families, and other people who are important to them, should be asked to provide information, share their views and what they want to happen, and contribute to assessments, reports and developing their own plans.&nbsp;
The child (and parents where needed) should be supported to help them share their views for example through an advocate or specialist support such as a signer. &nbsp;
Practitioners should seek consent from children and/or their parents to share information about them with others. Information should be shared with the consent of the child and family if appropriate. Wherever possible the wishes of those who do not &nbsp;want their confidential information to be shared should be respected. Information can still be shared without consent where there are worries that a child is suffering or likely to suffer significant harm or if there is a risk of harm to others. In such circumstances practitioners should ensure that the information shared is necessary for the purpose for which it is being shared and shared only with those who need to have it.
See <a href="https://durhamscp.trixonline.co.uk/chapter/information-sharing " target="_blank" rel="noopener">Durham Safeguarding Children Partnership Procedures, Information Sharing Procedure</a>&nbsp;and <a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/safeguarding-practitioners-information-sharing-advice" target="_blank" rel="noopener">DfE, Information Sharing: Advice for Safeguarding Practitioners</a>.

Involving Children and their Families in the Recording Process

It is the responsibility of the Team Manager to ensure all records are maintained appropriately, although the responsibility can be delegated to other practitioners as appropriate.&nbsp;
The manager should routinely check samples of records to ensure they are up to date and maintained as required and, if not, that they are updated or corrected as soon as possible.&nbsp;

Managers Must Oversee, Monitor and Review all Records

Records and forms must be designed to fit their purpose and used consistently across the organisation.
The Senior Management Team must approve the design of all records and forms before coming into use.

The Design of Records and Forms Must be Approved

All records held on children must be kept securely. Any historical paper files should be stored in a locked cabinet, usually in an office which only staff have access to.
These records should not be left unattended when not in their normal location.
All electronic records must be kept securely and comply with the requirements of the Data Protection Act 2018. This will include arrangements such as:
<ul>
<li>Password protection;</li>
<li>Automatic log out of screens;</li>
<li>Logging off computers;</li>
<li>Changing passwords on a regular basis.</li>
</ul>
Where staff are working in a 'mobile' / 'hot-desking' context, records (including information on computer screens) should not be seen by others.&nbsp;
Where paper files are also kept, information held in electronic records must accurately reflect the same information recorded within paper files.
Where more than one paper volume exists, the dates covered by each volume must be clearly recorded on the front cover.
All records, whether they are physical or electronic, should be securely kept and electronic messaging (e.g. emails) should also be sent in a secure and safe way so that information is only shared with those who have the right to see it.&nbsp;

Records Should be Kept Securely

Removal of Records

Records should not normally be taken from the location where they are usually kept.
If it is necessary to remove a record from its normal location, a manager should approve this and should state how long for. The manager must also be satisfied that adequate measures are in place to ensure the security of the record(s) whilst they are removed. For example, records must never be left in unattended vehicles.
The authorisation for a record to be removed must be recorded and those who may have need to see the records should be informed of their removal. The manager must then ensure the record is returned as required/agreed.
Should the situation ever occur where a file / document is lost or mislaid, the practitioner must report this immediately to their manager and the data breach team should be informed. Every reasonable effort should be made to find the documents and retain them. The child or their parents should be advised.&nbsp;
Where any paper records are taken out of the office then practitioners must comply with the Councils guidelines.

Exceptional Occurrence

Where paper records are moved to a new location, the paper records secure handling and transit guidance should be followed (see <a href="/resources/resource-library">Durham Resource Library</a>).
When paper based files are transferred to another team the Transfer of Files Form (<a href="/resources/resource-library">Durham Resource Library</a>) is completed. This form tracks the team the file is transferring from, the team the file is relocating to and who has &nbsp;received the file at the new location. On completion, this should be forwarded to the relevant administrative Team Leader to be stored on the transfer of files register.

Moving paper records to a new location

Practitioners using computers at home for work purposes must ensure that they are working within the rules of the 'data protection principles' in accordance with the Data Protection Act. Practitioners should familiarise themselves with the Council's Personal Information Security Policy and have completed the Councils e-learning courses relating to UK GDPR and Data Protection.
This applies to practitioners using laptop computers and mobile devices.&nbsp;
Should the situation ever occur where a laptop is lost or mislaid, the practitioner must report this immediately to their manager and to corporate ICT. Every reasonable effort should be made to find the laptop.&nbsp;
Consideration should be given as to whether the child or their parents should be advised of such an event where personal information may be on the device.

Use of Computers at Home

Subject Access Request Procedure

Practice Standards for Case Recording

How we Practice in Durham Guide

Language that Cares

Children's Services Policies, Values and Principles

This policy sets out the framework within which Children's Services work with children, young people and their families. It is underpinned by a range of legislation including, but not limited to:
<ul>
<li>Children Acts 1989 and 2004;</li>
<li>Children (Leaving Care) Act 2000;</li>
<li>Care Standards Act 2000;</li>
<li>United Nations Convention on the Rights of The Child;</li>
<li>Human Rights Act 1998;</li>
<li>Adoption and Children Act 2002;</li>
<li>Children Act 2004;</li>
<li>Children and Families Act 2014;</li>
<li>The UK General Data Protection Regulation;</li>
<li>Children and Social Work Act 2017;</li>
<li>Working Together to Safeguard Children 2023;</li>
<li>Children's Social Care National Framework 2023.</li>
</ul>
It is largely directed towards the work we undertake with Children in need of help and protection and Children and young people who are looked after by the Local Authority; which is carried out in partnership with all sectors of the Local Authority and with other statutory, independent and voluntary sector services.
We adopt the Signs of Safety principles in all of our work with Children, Young People and their families. This provides a theoretical basis for strengths based, solution focussed practice which has the child/young person at the centre of practice but also ensuring that families and their networks are fully involved. This includes families and their networks ensuring that plans and interventions that work for them in their family are at the heart of our practice.

Introduction

Working Together to Safeguard Children emphasises the importance of multi-agency working ensuring a child-centred approach while also considering the family context. The guidance recognises the need to build positive, trusting and co-operative relationships with parents and carers to deliver support which is individually tailored to the needs of the family.
There are fundamental expectations to endeavour to work cooperatively which apply to all individuals, agencies and organisations working with children and families.
The <a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/childrens-social-care-national-framework" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Childrens Social Care National Framework</a> contains national standards for how these services should be delivered. This is statutory guidance and must be adhered to unless there is a valid reason not to do so.

A Shared Responsibility

The key outcomes for all children identified in the Children Act 2004 remain relevant and enable the local authority, Children's Social Care and our practitioners to focus on the key aspects for all children. The statements set out below are based on these key outcomes and have been amended to reflect current Government policy priorities.

Key Outcomes

All children and young people have the right to have their physical, emotional and mental health safeguarded and promoted. This includes reducing the childhood obesity level, lowering the rates of teen pregnancy in the UK and minimising the impact of suicide on young people. Where appropriate, they should be supported to develop a sense of well-being through:
<ul>
<li>Positively understanding their identity;</li>
<li>Building resilience;</li>
<li>Helping them to develop their self-image and confidence;</li>
<li>An approach that provides positive affirmation and encouragement.</li>
</ul>
All young people should be given the encouragement and opportunity to live a healthy lifestyle.

Being Healthy

All children and young people have the right to be safe and secure, protected from harm and neglect, and to live in an environment that enables them to develop to their full physical, mental, spiritual, moral and social potential. This includes being safe from a range of worries and concerns. When they need help to achieve these outcomes it should be available in a timely way and delivered through effective interventions.
All children and young people have the right to family life wherever possible and to be supported to take part in community life. They have the right to a continuity of care wherever possible and to develop and preserve their own identities.
All children have a right to a loving and secure home and, where this cannot be provided by their birth parents and their network and/or wider family, children and young people should have the opportunity to experience this through adoption, special guardianship, child arrangement orders or long term fostering.

Staying Safe

All children and young people have the right to good education and training which meets their identified needs and equips them to live full adult lives. Children and young people who are looked after should have the opportunity to attend good schools, higher education/training establishments where they make the expected or greater than expected progress and effective use is made of the additional resources available for them through the pupil premium. All children and young people, including young carers have the right to time and support to pursue appropriate leisure interests.

Enjoying and Achieving

All children and young people should be encouraged and supported to make an age-appropriate positive contribution wherever they are living or call 'home'. They will be able to do this best where they have a continuity of care, an understanding about their identity and information which they can use to make informed decisions about themselves. Therefore, contributing to their own lives.
Children, young people and care leavers should also be encouraged to take an interest in their communities, through school, higher education/training or local clubs, and to take part in activities which contribute to these and/or support others.

Making a Positive Contribution

All children and young people have the right to be supported in their studies, to be prepared for adult life and work, and to be equipped with the skills and knowledge that will help them overcome any social disadvantage, become self-sufficient and able to make positive choices for themselves.

Economic Well-Being

See also Principles of Best Practice Infographic in the <a href="/resources/resource-library" >Durham Resource Library</a>.
We have an agreed set of Principles of Best Practice, which underpin our practice. These principles are based upon the Service's ethos that "every conversation matters, every day counts". Our Values are&nbsp;OPEN, i.e.&nbsp;Outcome focussed,&nbsp;People focussed,&nbsp;Empowering and iNnovative.

Our Principles of Best Practice

We work together to achieve the best for people through the following principles;
<ul>
<li>The Best for our Children&nbsp;- We want every child to be safe, have the best start in life, good health and access to good, quality education, training and employment. We will strive to be a good parent when children are looked after in our care;</li>
<li>Think Family/Think Inclusion&nbsp;- We will work with other agencies to deliver good outcomes for all children and young people through childhood, into adulthood and independence. Wherever appropriate, there will be one lead practitioner to coordinate a whole family plan;</li>
<li>Timeliness&nbsp;- We know that childhood is precious and that every day counts. We will work hard to ensure there is no delay for children and young people's plans as a result of our work;</li>
<li>Stability&nbsp;- We know that moving homes or schools can be hard for children and young people and can affect their progress and wellbeing. We will work hard to minimise moves for children and support smooth transitions.</li>
</ul>

Outcome focused

We are people focussed through ensuring we put people and communities at the heart of everything we do and value our employees through the following principles:
<ul>
<li>Working With&nbsp;- We will work with children, young people, families and each other with compassion and humility. Within our work with others we will be honest but will be hugely kind to all. We will continue to offer high support, high challenge to ensure everyone receives the right support at the right time;</li>
<li>Child Focused&nbsp;- We will ensure that we spend time with every child and young person so that we understand what life is like from their perspective to understand their daily lived experiences, to be clear what 'good' looks like for them and to help prepare them for their next steps;</li>
<li>Relationships Matter&nbsp;- We will take responsibility for creating and maintaining effective relationships with children, young people, families and each other using language that everyone can understand. We will strive to provide consistency of workers as we know this is important in building trusting relationships. See Language that Cares document in the&nbsp;<a href="/resources/resource-library" >Durham Resource Library</a>.</li>
</ul>

People Focused

We are Empowering by ensuring that we value, trust and support each other through the following principles:
<ul>
<li>Strengths Based&nbsp;- We will discuss with children, young people and families what we are worried about, ensure that we understand what is going well in their family and help them find their own solutions. We will adopt an evidence-based approach to assessing need and managing risk;</li>
<li>Supporting Families and Communities&nbsp;- We believe that children and young people should remain living in their families and local communities with support where it is safe to do so. We want communities to be confident that our services safeguard and protect when they need to. We want to ensure that children and their families are supported primarily by the families identified network, ensuring that the safety is created by the network at the earliest point. We want to support families to create their own plans that work for them in their family.</li>
</ul>

Empowering

We are iNnovative by ensuring we embrace change and look for better ways to deliver services through the following principles:
<ul>
<li>Transparency and Accountability&nbsp;- We will work with partners to make sure there is clarity in who makes decisions for and with children and young people and why these decisions are made. We will regularly review situations to ensure that decisions and support remain appropriate and ensure that we spend public money wisely;</li>
<li>Creative&nbsp;- We will be creative in finding the best way to support every individual child and family to achieve good outcomes as soon as issues are identified as well as working to reduce their reliance on services (See Signs of Safety Networks information).</li>
</ul>

iNnovative

The <a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/childrens-social-care-national-framework" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Children's Social Care National Framework</a> is a statutory guidance document that outlines the principles and objectives of children's social care in England.&nbsp;
The purpose of the National Framework is to bring together essential information for those working in local authority children's social care. It clarifies the purpose of children's social care, factors enabling good practice, and the desired outcomes for children and young people.
It provides guidance on what practitioners must do to comply with the law. It serves as a reference unless there is a valid reason not to follow it.
The National Framework is relevant not only to local authority staff but also to safeguarding partners and agencies collaborating with children's social care.
Practitioners can access supplementary resources, including:
<a href="https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/657ad8e9254aaa000d050d10/An_Illustrated_Guide_to_the_Children_s_Social_Care_National_Framework.pdf" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Illustrated Guide: Designed for children and young people, this guide explains what they should expect from the help and care they receive</a>.
<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r5zx4YQEVmI" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Animated Guide</a>: Available on YouTube, this animated guide provides an engaging overview of the framework.
<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=04WTYu2hRr0" target="_blank" rel="noopener">A British Sign Language captioned and audio summary version</a>.
<a href="https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/65d5e982188d7700160387f8/Children_s_social_care_national_framework_-_easy_read.pdf" target="_blank" rel="noopener">An easy-read version for enhanced accessibility</a>

Children's Social Care National Framework

Homepage

This chapter was reviewed and amended in May 2024, to ensure it was in line with Durham's 'How We Practice in Durham' Guide and 'Language That Care's' document.&nbsp;

1.09.05 - Language That Cares.pdf

 
     2    “our commitment to children, young people and their families is that we will always speak with them and write about them using plain, straightforward and family friendly language that makes sense to them.”  helen fergusson, head of children’s social care   ‘no one has ever asked me before how i feel about the words adults use … it’s good to be able to share my ideas! durham young person         acknowledgements  thank you to the children and young people from durham county council children’s social care, children in care council and investing in children, who led this project following learning from the national tact ‘language that cares’ document.   children and young people with care experience, those working with families first teams and children looked after teams developed this language guide through various workshops and group activities.  
     3      contents          chapter 1  why focus on language?                                                   4 summary            5  chapter 2 language guide developed by children and                      6 young people across county durham   chapter 3  not using victim blaming language                    15 summary                                                                                   16  chapter 4                17 useful links         
     4     chapter 1: why focus on language?  changing the narrative - language that cares children’s services are committed to using clear, precise and understandable language so that everyone, especially children, young people and families, understand what we are saying and writing.  not using straightforward and commonly understood language runs the risk of making people feel foolish, inadequate, excluded and powerless when what we want is for them to feel strong, empowered, confident and hopeful. sometimes professionals use over complex words, abbreviations and jargon because: it feels quicker; it’s what we are used to; we mistakenly think that improves quality, we see other professional using it or we don’t think, we forget or don’t notice the negative impact this has on the people we are trying to work with and help.  at worse, unnecessarily complex language, professional jargon, abbreviations can, consciously or unconsciously, make us seem arrogant, superior, can be something to hide behind or show power in an unhelpful and unskilful way.  we build good, honest and respectful relationships, which fundamentally underpin all our work, through good, clear communication both verbally and non-verbally. we want to be clear and firm in a hugely kind manner.   tact fostering and adoption published ‘language that cares: changing the way professionals talk about children in care’  in march 2019 tact fostering and adoption published ‘language that cares: changing the way professionals talk about children in care’.  this is a useful and practical guide that challenges language that is often used by those who work with children and young people who are looked after and are care experienced.  children’s services support the use of language that cares:  click to open the tact document   as a response to this guide, children and young people across children’s social care and durham children in care council (cicc) have been discussing a variety of words used by workers across social care.  this language guide details suggestions about the words they tend to prefer and would like us to think about when talking with them, in front of them and when writing reports or forms. all children, young people and families should feel comfortable and understand the language we use and we should make sure of this by asking not assuming that they do.  
     5    every child and young person is unique. the way we talk with children, young people and families plays a crucial role in relationship building.  we want to show that we value and respect families’ wishes and feelings when it comes to the way we talk with them, in front of them and write about them.  to do this, we need to have conversations about the words and phrases children, young people and their families prefer us to use and what they mean to them.  remember, when you are getting to know and are building a relationship with a child or a young person, check out and understand what words they like to use and those they don’t like. it shows that you are interested and care. it is recognised that there will still be sometimes when we need to speak or write using more official words or phrases. on these occasions, we will explain meanings to children, young people and their families so they understand them. when writing reports, we will explain at the start how certain words/phrases will be used so everyone knows who and what we are writing about.  for example: ‘the young person likes to referrer to the time she spends with her parents as ‘family time’ rather than contact so this is how this is referred to within this report.  for example: joseph prefers to be called joe, so throughout this report i will refer to him as joe.   summary  clear, straightforward and understandable ask the child or young person what words they prefer to be used respect what the child or young person says by using their chosen words  explain official words that need to be used so everyone understands their meaning support and challenge other professionals to use language that cares         
     6    chapter 2: language guide  the top six words and phrases that children and young people dislike the most  words and phrases durham children and young people tell us they tend to prefer …but, remember to ask the person you are working with what they wish to be used  1.contact-  we prefer: family time/ seeing people you care about/ meeting family     2.in care- we prefer: being cared for     3.child in need-  we prefer: young person needs extra care / extra support        4.lac- we prefer: a person who’s cared for / cla / yp / called by your name/  ‘when you tell people, you’re going on contact no-body knows what that means’ durham young person  ‘do not say cin!!’  durham young person  ‘when speaking about us why are you labelling us as ‘in care’  durham young person  
     7        5.care plan-  we prefer: child and family plan/ personal progress plan/ my personal plan / family plan       6.siblings-  we prefer: brother or sister  a-z list of suggestions developed by children and young people: a abscond we prefer: running away/ disappearing act  advocate we prefer: messenger/ talks on your behalf/ a person to represent your feelings/ spokesperson  assessment  we prefer: make a plan / look at the information      ‘assessment sounds like a test i have to do at school’  ‘i don’t know what is going on when you say an assessment’ young people from durham    ‘the plan is about our family so say just say that’ ‘the plan tells me when i’ll see mam and dad’ young people from durham    ‘lac sounds like there is something wrong with us’  durham young person  
     8    asylum seeker-  we prefer: young person/ someone who needs our help/ someone seeking safety/ sanctuary seeker/ safety seeker  b birth/ biological parents-  we prefer: real parents/ first parents/ actual parents  c care leaver- “fine the way it is!”  challenging behaviour-  we prefer: take out the word challenging/ distressed feeling/ hard behaviour/ struggling thoughts/ individual behaviour/circumstances / behaviour    consistent guide-  we prefer: routine guide/ someone who cares/ consistent support  contact centre/room-  we prefer: family visitation centre/ place to see people you care about/ place to see family and friends/ family time centre  corporate parent-  we prefer: member of the council/ council member/ there to help you/look after you when you’re in care/a councillor who cares/our helper/ community guardian  d designated teacher-  we prefer: chosen teacher/ one to one support/ nominated teacher  
     9    difficult to place-  we prefer: failed by the system/ hard to match to a suitable family/ hard to place/ hard match/ difficulty placing    drop out–  we prefer: leaves early / leaver/ early leave/ retire  e emergency placement-  we prefer: place to stay when it is difficult to find a place at short notice/last minute placement/ emergency home  f foster carer-  we prefer: people who look after you while you’re in care/ carer/parent/guardian  full potential-  we prefer: best/ biggest achievement/ reaching the goals/goals reached  h high aspirations-  we prefer: high personal goal/ positive high goals/ just aspirations positive personal goals    i initial child protection conference- we prefer: next steps meeting/plan meeting   isolation- we prefer: lonely/ being on your own/alone/loneliness/on own 
     10     l lac review-  we prefer: meetings/ personal progress plan/your 6-month review  lac visit-  we prefer: social worker visit/ visit/ support worker visit      leaving care-  we prefer: leaving / moving out/ leaving home  long term placements-  we prefer: place to live for a long time/permanent home/long term home      m moving placements-  we prefer: moving house    ‘there should be more positive stories around lac, cla is no better as a suggestion. maybe just stick to acronym cic (child in care), and abbreviations need to be explained clearly’ young people from durham   ‘need to remove the word placement entirely!’ young people from durham   
     11    n neet-  we prefer: unemployed and not in education/ out of education and unemployed      neglect-  we prefer: not looked after properly/not always cared for   p pa-   we prefer: someone who advises you/advisor   p pathway plan-  we prefer: your plan/ preparing for independence/ future planning  peers-  we prefer: people you can talk to/ friends  permanence-  we prefer: being in care until you’re an adult/ forever home/ permanent home  placement-  we prefer: family home/ your home/ where you are living/ where you live/ home     ‘nobody knows what neet means’ durham young person  ‘they say that to us because mam doesn’t always do the right thing’  durham young   person  ‘placement needs to be removed entirely from vocabulary and any other terms that have placement in. swap it to the suggested word’ young people from durham  
     12      r respite- we prefer: to give your carers a break/ holiday just for carers/home away from home/ break  restrained- we prefer: protecting someone from harm/stopped from harming anyone or yourself/holding    reunification-  we prefer: going back home/ reuniting/coming together again    risk we prefer: not safe/need protecting/help to keep us safe   risk assessment  we prefer: safety plan/ keep safe plan/ safety care plan  s short term placement-  we prefer: place to stay for a little time/ temporary home/ short term home    sick–  we prefer: poorly/ ill/ not very well  social worker-  we prefer: worker / one to one worker / helper    ‘social worker has so much stigma associated with it, as soon as you say social you think of social services and being removed’ durham young person  
     13       special needs-  we prefer: extra support      staff/ support staff /unit manager-  we prefer: workers/ names/ person in charge/ carer/ adults in the house   statutory visit-  we prefer: visits/ check-up visit/ chance to be listened too    staying put-  we prefer: staying at home/ living with your foster carers when you leave care  supported lodgings-  we prefer: semi-independent living/ place to help you prepare to live by your self  t taf-  we prefer: family meeting / our meeting   therapy-   we prefer: help/ sessions/ meetings  ‘it’s about our family so it should be called our meeting’ ‘taf is a nonsense word if you’ve not heard it before’ young people from durham   ‘“special needs” as a term is derogatory and inappropriate, this has been a issue for a long time and should not be used anymore at all! ’durham young person  
     14    transition-  we prefer: next chapter   y ypa  we prefer: advisor, helper                        ‘no abbreviations’  durham young person  
     15    chapter 3: avoiding victim blaming language  when we speak with and about children and young people, parents and carers, we have a responsibility to make sure that the words we use don’t make them feel as if they are being blamed for something, especially when it is not their fault.  this can sometimes happen even when we are trying to be careful with our language and without us intending to imply this.   there are many reasons why children and young people who have suffered or who are suffering harm are unable to let us know what has, or what is happening to them and how they feel. behaviour is communication.  this type of communication helps us to recognise that a child or young person is not coping, is distressed, in turmoil and, or suffering and needs our help and support.  our approach should not be ‘billy is a nightmare’ but rather ‘billy has lived a nightmare’.  take time to reflect on the words and phrases we use.  for example, think about how a child or young person, who is vulnerable and likely to already be unnecessarily blaming themselves for the situation they are in, would interpret ‘involved in’ child sexual exploitation?  might they feel implicated or complicit, that they are part of the problem?  we would never say that a 6-year-old is ‘involved’ in sexual abuse, so why would we say this for an older child or young person? or calling them ‘difficult to place’, again it is easy to see that this could add or reinforce a child or young person’s miss placed self-blame and further destroy self-esteem and trust in us. a large amount of blaming language relates to children and young people who are at risk of, or are, being harmed by child sexual and or criminal exploitation.  historically, the words ‘child prostitution’ were commonly used which implied that the child or young person is responsible for the abuse when no child or young person can consent to being abused.   phrases like ‘lifestyle choices’ and ‘putting themselves at risk’ are now being challenged and are no longer acceptable in our work.  both these terms imply that the child or young person is responsible for the risks presented by the perpetrators of abuse.  the child or young person is not able to make a free and informed choice as they are being coerced and controlled is part of the abuse, which they can’t always recognise or communicate. alternative phrases should be used to explain that the child or young person is at increased risk because of others abusive behaviour. by slowing down our thinking about language and reflecting on what unintended messages words could be giving to already vulnerable children and young people, supportive and non-blaming language will help us use language which will then become embedded and our culture.   
     16    we embrace and adopt the language guidance for professionals created collaboratively by the children’s society, victim support and national police chief’s council: appropriate language; child sexual and/or criminal exploitation link: click here for appropriate language; child sexual and/or criminal exploitation      summary  • behaviour is communication  • billy has lived a nightmare  • a child or young person can’t consent to their own abuse  • take time to reflect on words and phrases that might sound and feel critical or blaming of the child or young person and use something kinder and accurate                
     17    useful links tact language that cares: changing the way professionals talk about children in care. alternative words and phrases to use with and about children who are looked after tact language that cares    appropriate language: child sexual and/or criminal exploitation.  guidance for professionals on changing language to avoid blaming children and young people   appropriate language; child sexual and/or criminal exploitation   glossary: created by children and young people for children and young people by the family justice young peoples board, children and family court advisory and support service (cafcass) cafcass glossary       


12.06.01 Language That Cares.pdf

4.07.02-3 Language That Cares Doc Feb 2023.docx

“our commitment to children, young people and their families is that we will always speak with them and write about them using plain, straightforward and family friendly language that makes sense to them.” helen fergusson, head of children’s social care ‘no one has ever asked me before how i feel about the words adults use … it’s good to be able to share my ideas!durham young personacknowledgements thank you to the children and young people from durham county council children’s social care, children in care council and investing in children, who led this project following learning from the national tact ‘language that cares’ document.  children and young people with care experience, those working with families first teams and children looked after teams developed this language guide through various workshops and group activities. contentschapter 1 why focus on language?                                                4summary 5chapter 2language guide developed by children and                   6young people across county durham chapter 3 not using victim blaming language                15summary                                                                                   16chapter 4       17useful linkschapter 1: why focus on language? changing the narrative - language that careschildren’s services are committed to using clear, precise and understandable language so that everyone, especially children, young people and families, understand what we are saying and writing.  not using straightforward and commonly understood language runs the risk of making people feel foolish, inadequate, excluded and powerless when what we want is for them to feel strong, empowered, confident and hopeful.sometimes professionals use over complex words, abbreviations and jargon because: it feels quicker; it’s what we are used to; we mistakenly think that improves quality, we see other professional using it or we don’t think, we forget or don’t notice the negative impact this has on the people we are trying to work with and help.  at worse, unnecessarily complex language, professional jargon, abbreviations can, consciously or unconsciously, make us seem arrogant, superior, can be something to hide behind or show power in an unhelpful and unskilful way. we build good, honest and respectful relationships, which fundamentally underpin all our work, through good, clear communication both verbally and non-verbally. we want to be clear and firm in a hugely kind manner. tact fostering and adoption published ‘language that cares: changing the way professionals talk about children in care’in march 2019 tact fostering and adoption published ‘language that cares: changing the way professionals talk about children in care’.  this is a useful and practical guide that challenges language that is often used by those who work with children and young people who are looked after and are care experienced.  children’s services support the use of language that cares: click to open the tact document  as a response to this guide, children and young people across children’s social care and durham children in care council (cicc) have been discussing a variety of words used by workers across social care.  this language guide details suggestions about the words they tend to prefer and would like us to think about when talking with them, in front of them and when writing reports or forms. all children, young people and families should feel comfortable and understand the language we use and we should make sure of this by asking not assuming that they do. every child and young person is unique. the way we talk with children, young people and families plays a crucial role in relationship building.  we want to show that we value and respect families’ wishes and feelings when it comes to the way we talk with them, in front of them and write about them. to do this, we need to have conversations about the words and phrases children, young people and their families prefer us to use and what they mean to them.  remember, when you are getting to know and are building a relationship with a child or a young person, check out and understand what words they like to use and those they don’t like. it shows that you are interested and care.it is recognised that there will still be sometimes when we need to speak or write using more official words or phrases. on these occasions, we will explain meanings to children, young people and their families so they understand them.when writing reports, we will explain at the start how certain words/phrases will be used so everyone knows who and what we are writing about. for example: ‘the young person likes to referrer to the time she spends with her parents as ‘family time’ rather than contact so this is how this is referred to within this report. for example: joseph prefers to be called joe, so throughout this report i will refer to him as joe.summaryclear, straightforward and understandableask the child or young person what words they prefer to be usedrespect what the child or young person says by using their chosen words explain official words that need to be used so everyone understands their meaningsupport and challenge other professionals to use language that careschapter 2: language guide the top six words and phrases that children and young people dislike the most words and phrases durham children and young people tell us they tend to prefer …but, remember to ask the person you are working with what they wish to be used1.contact- we prefer: family time/ seeing people you care about/ meeting family ‘when you tell people, you’re going on contact no-body knows what that means’ durham young person ‘when you tell people, you’re going on contact no-body knows what that means’ durham young person 2.in care-we prefer: being cared for‘when speaking about us why are you labelling us as ‘in care’ durham young person ‘when speaking about us why are you labelling us as ‘in care’ durham young person 3.child in need- we prefer: young person needs extra care / extra support ‘do not say cin!!’ durham young person ‘do not say cin!!’ durham young person 4.lac-we prefer: a person who’s cared for / cla / yp / called by your name/ ‘lac sounds like there is something wrong with us’ durham young person ‘lac sounds like there is something wrong with us’ durham young person 5.care plan- we prefer: child and family plan/ personal progress plan/ my personal plan / family plan  ‘the plan is about our family so say just say that’‘the plan tells me when i’ll see mam and dad’young people from durham  ‘the plan is about our family so say just say that’‘the plan tells me when i’ll see mam and dad’young people from durham 6.siblings- we prefer: brother or sister a-z list of suggestions developed by children and young people:aabscondwe prefer: running away/ disappearing actadvocatewe prefer: messenger/ talks on your behalf/ a person to represent your feelings/ spokespersonassessment we prefer: make a plan / look at the information‘assessment sounds like a test i have to do at school’ ‘i don’t know what is going on when you say an assessment’young people from durham ‘assessment sounds like a test i have to do at school’ ‘i don’t know what is going on when you say an assessment’young people from durham asylum seeker- we prefer: young person/ someone who needs our help/ someone seeking safety/ sanctuary seeker/ safety seekerbbirth/ biological parents- we prefer: real parents/ first parents/ actual parentsccare leaver- “fine the way it is!”challenging behaviour- we prefer: take out the word challenging/ distressed feeling/ hard behaviour/ struggling thoughts/ individual behaviour/circumstances / behaviour  consistent guide- we prefer: routine guide/ someone who cares/ consistent supportcontact centre/room- we prefer: family visitation centre/ place to see people you care about/ place to see family and friends/ family time centrecorporate parent- we prefer: member of the council/ council member/ there to help you/look after you when you’re in care/a councillor who cares/our helper/ community guardianddesignated teacher- we prefer: chosen teacher/ one to one support/ nominated teacherdifficult to place- we prefer: failed by the system/ hard to match to a suitable family/ hard to place/ hard match/ difficulty placing  drop out– we prefer: leaves early / leaver/ early leave/ retireeemergency placement- we prefer: place to stay when it is difficult to find a place at short notice/last minute placement/ emergency homeffoster carer- we prefer: people who look after you while you’re in care/ carer/parent/guardianfull potential- we prefer: best/ biggest achievement/ reaching the goals/goals reachedhhigh aspirations- we prefer: high personal goal/ positive high goals/ just aspirations positive personal goals  iinitial child protection conference-we prefer: next steps meeting/plan meeting isolation- we prefer: lonely/ being on your own/alone/loneliness/on ownllac review- we prefer: meetings/ personal progress plan/your 6-month reviewlac visit- we prefer: social worker visit/ visit/ support worker visit‘there should be more positive stories around lac, cla is no better as a suggestion. maybe just stick to acronym cic (child in care), and abbreviations need to be explained clearly’young people from durham ‘there should be more positive stories around lac, cla is no better as a suggestion. maybe just stick to acronym cic (child in care), and abbreviations need to be explained clearly’young people from durham leaving care- we prefer: leaving / moving out/ leaving homelong term placements- we prefer: place to live for a long time/permanent home/long term home‘need to remove the word placement entirely!’young people from durham ‘need to remove the word placement entirely!’young people from durham mmoving placements- we prefer: moving housenneet- we prefer: unemployed and not in education/ out of education and unemployed ‘nobody knows what neet means’ durham young person‘nobody knows what neet means’ durham young personneglect- we prefer: not looked after properly/not always cared for ‘they say that to us because mam doesn’t always do the right thing’ durham young   person‘they say that to us because mam doesn’t always do the right thing’ durham young   personppa- we prefer: someone who advises you/advisor ppathway plan- we prefer: your plan/ preparing for independence/ future planningpeers- we prefer: people you can talk to/ friendspermanence- we prefer: being in care until you’re an adult/ forever home/ permanent homeplacement- we prefer: family home/ your home/ where you are living/ where you live/ home‘placement needs to be removed entirely from vocabulary and any other terms that have placement in. swap it to the suggested word’young people from durham‘placement needs to be removed entirely from vocabulary and any other terms that have placement in. swap it to the suggested word’young people from durham rrespite-we prefer: to give your carers a break/ holiday just for carers/home away from home/ breakrestrained-we prefer: protecting someone from harm/stopped from harming anyone or yourself/holding  reunification- we prefer: going back home/ reuniting/coming together again  riskwe prefer: not safe/need protecting/help to keep us safe risk assessment we prefer: safety plan/ keep safe plan/ safety care plansshort term placement- we prefer: place to stay for a little time/ temporary home/ short term home  sick– we prefer: poorly/ ill/ not very wellsocial worker- we prefer: worker / one to one worker / helper ‘social worker has so much stigma associated with it, as soon as you say social you think of social services and being removed’ durham young person‘social worker has so much stigma associated with it, as soon as you say social you think of social services and being removed’ durham young personspecial needs- we prefer: extra support ‘“special needs” as a term is derogatory and inappropriate, this has been a issue for a long time and should not be used anymore at all!’durham young person‘“special needs” as a term is derogatory and inappropriate, this has been a issue for a long time and should not be used anymore at all!’durham young personstaff/ support staff /unit manager- we prefer: workers/ names/ person in charge/ carer/ adults in the house statutory visit- we prefer: visits/ check-up visit/ chance to be listened too  staying put- we prefer: staying at home/ living with your foster carers when you leave caresupported lodgings- we prefer: semi-independent living/ place to help you prepare to live by your selfttaf- we prefer: family meeting / our meeting‘it’s about our family so it should be called our meeting’‘taf is a nonsense word if you’ve not heard it before’young people from durham ‘it’s about our family so it should be called our meeting’‘taf is a nonsense word if you’ve not heard it before’young people from durham therapy- we prefer: help/ sessions/ meetingstransition- we prefer: next chapter yypa we prefer: advisor, helper ‘no abbreviations’ durham young person ‘no abbreviations’ durham young person chapter 3: avoiding victim blaming language when we speak with and about children and young people, parents and carers, we have a responsibility to make sure that the words we use don’t make them feel as if they are being blamed for something, especially when it is not their fault.  this can sometimes happen even when we are trying to be careful with our language and without us intending to imply this.  there are many reasons why children and young people who have suffered or who are suffering harm are unable to let us know what has, or what is happening to them and how they feel. behaviour is communication.  this type of communication helps us to recognise that a child or young person is not coping, is distressed, in turmoil and, or suffering and needs our help and support.  our approach should not be ‘billy is a nightmare’ but rather ‘billy has lived a nightmare’. take time to reflect on the words and phrases we use.  for example, think about how a child or young person, who is vulnerable and likely to already be unnecessarily blaming themselves for the situation they are in, would interpret ‘involved in’ child sexual exploitation?  might they feel implicated or complicit, that they are part of the problem?  we would never say that a 6-year-old is ‘involved’ in sexual abuse, so why would we say this for an older child or young person? or calling them ‘difficult to place’, again it is easy to see that this could add or reinforce a child or young person’s miss placed self-blame and further destroy self-esteem and trust in us.a large amount of blaming language relates to children and young people who are at risk of, or are, being harmed by child sexual and or criminal exploitation.  historically, the words ‘child prostitution’ were commonly used which implied that the child or young person is responsible for the abuse when no child or young person can consent to being abused.  phrases like ‘lifestyle choices’ and ‘putting themselves at risk’ are now being challenged and are no longer acceptable in our work.  both these terms imply that the child or young person is responsible for the risks presented by the perpetrators of abuse.  the child or young person is not able to make a free and informed choice as they are being coerced and controlled is part of the abuse, which they can’t always recognise or communicate. alternative phrases should be used to explain that the child or young person is at increased risk because of others abusive behaviour.by slowing down our thinking about language and reflecting on what unintended messages words could be giving to already vulnerable children and young people, supportive and non-blaming language will help us use language which will then become embedded and our culture. we embrace and adopt the language guidance for professionals created collaboratively by the children’s society, victim support and national police chief’s council: appropriate language; child sexual and/or criminal exploitationlink: click here for appropriate language; child sexual and/or criminal exploitation  summarybehaviour is communicationbilly has lived a nightmarea child or young person can’t consent to their own abusetake time to reflect on words and phrases that might sound and feel critical or blaming of the child or young person and use something kinder and accurateuseful linkstact language that cares: changing the way professionals talk about children in care. alternative words and phrases to use with and about children who are looked aftertact language that cares  appropriate language: child sexual and/or criminal exploitation.  guidance for professionals on changing language to avoid blaming children and young people  appropriate language; child sexual and/or criminal exploitation glossary: created by children and young people for children and young people by the family justice young peoples board, children and family court advisory and support service (cafcass)cafcass glossary 