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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

1.05.04 Words and Pictures Short Form.docx

who am i?what do i know?why are we meeting?          what is going to happen next?

1.06.21 Words and pictures short form.docx

10.07.01 - Words and Pictures Feb 2022.pdf

(contingency)
(safety plan)
has insurance incase things go wrong
doors lock to keep me safe for the whole journey.
makes sure people involved in my journey
are safe
takes me to see important people to me
ed approved 20 by my iro
mirrors
70 be aware of the impact of others
exit
pitstop
ahead
but for
morabilia
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has speakers so i can be heard
plays my music and listens to my
to reflect
moves on he
speed for me.
has an alarm to give
danger warnings
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like
takes
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me to
my family two - genogram.
work)
activities and
plan .
(family
network )
and professionals
child protection
(plan or
no plan )
review route
has spare tyres-just
secure dour locks to keep danger out.
exitroutes
has sat nav incase i get lost on the way.
c.i.n. route
pitstop to reflect on what is going well on my
journey and worries
moving forward.
has sat nav incase i get lost on my way.
'signs of ' healing.
pitstop
right
on what is going well or worries
my car
choices what i like
long
journeys
helps me get to
school/college
incase " my plan changes direction
has enough room to - transport important people involved in my
has insurance that takes account of past harm accidents ( harm matrix)
speakers so has - can be heard on
my journey
has spare types because of bumps along the way.
has a mileage clock to reflect my journey (chronology)
has mirrors to know the impact of those around me
m.o.t. passifail - safety scale 0-10
has
enough petrol for long journeys.
plan transport
conference
chair pitstop
things i
( direct work)
am good at.
has enough petrol ,
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care plan cars
incase ( safety plan)

1.05.03 - Words and Pictures introducing Early Help.pdf

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1.07.06 - Group Supervision Process Handouts - Words and Pictures.pdf

group supervision process: words and picturessignssafetyof®part of the signs of safety implementation documents – 2nd edition, march 2017
signs of safety group supervision process: words and pictures    version 1.0 copyright © 2017 resolutions consultancy – andrew turnell, katrina etherington and pene turnell2.group supervision process: words and picturesthinking about words and pictures explanationsfor any safety plan to make sense to children, they must have an explanation of the past issues and problems that require the development of a safety plan. for children and young people who have been in care for a significant period of time, inevitably there is also a mixture of explanations they have heard about why they were removed from the parents. alongside this, carers and profes-sionals are often uncertain how and what to tell children. in this context a sense of silencing and secrecy can quickly build up for everyone involved. the words and pictures process is designed to deal with the silencing, secrecy, mixed messages and confusions that surround child maltreatment and the circumstances that lead to children being placed in care, and to deal with this directly in the relationship between the parents and the children. a words and pictures explanation is first and foremost the parents’ explanation of the child protection issues for the children. created together with the professionals, it is an explana-tion, or set of age-appropriate ‘words’, that lays out the child protection concerns to the children and later to extended family and friends. when the words are explained to the children, a set of ‘pictures’ are also created to match the explanation and to facilitate the children’s understand-ing. hence it is a ‘words and pictures’ process. the explanation creates a foundation of openness within the family and their network from which a meaningful safety plan can be created. group supervision processthis signs of safety group supervision process is designed for groups of 4 to 10 people. it revolves around the caseworker who brings forward the case. (sometimes, of course, there is a number of people bringing forward the case). the facilitator leads the group process, assisted by an advisor. other group members are involved as observers/participants. the roles of each are described in the following diagram:observer/participantslisten carefullysupport group processwrite their ideas with best thinkingfacilitatorasks questionsleads processdraws on advisor for assistanceadvisorhelps the facilitator and does not talkcaseworkercaseworker(person wanting case reviewed)brings their best intelligence and thinkingo/po/po/po/po/pafc
signs of safety group supervision process: words and pictures    version 1.0 copyright © 2017 resolutions consultancy – andrew turnell, katrina etherington and pene turnell3.the entire group, but in particular the facilitator and advisor, must focus on the process and not get caught up or over-organised about the content and detail of the case. this process is all about growing the capacity for the team to create together a fast process for working through, and getting direction in, a case. as with every meeting in child protec-tion, effective meetings are always led skilfully.group process1. introductions (2 to 3 minutes)if the group is new to the group supervision method the facilitator should introduce the process including a quick description of what each person’s role: the facilitator is the only person that talks directly to the caseworker  the advisor acts to assist the facilitator to lead the process the observer/participants have the opportunity to learn by staying out of the content of the case and focusing on analysis and judgement process thereby assisting the worker to gain a better overview of the case and the direction he or she wants to take. the facilitator has the professionals, the caseworker, and anyone directly involved in the case say who they are, what their role in the case is, and how long they have been involved in the case. the facilitator will probably need to prevent the professionals involved in the case from going into case content at this point. 2. genogram (3–5 minutes)the facilitator draws the family genogram to include the basic information of age along with the names of the immediate family parents, partners, children, extended family members, and relevant friends. this should include clarifying where children are living, if not with one or both parents. again, to keep the process focused, this is not the time to describe case information. once complete, the facilitator can ask the worker”: ‘is there anyone else the children or parents would say are important in their lives that we haven’t got on the board yet?’ add these to the genogram.3. background information (3–5 minutes)the facilitator gives the worker 3–5 minutes to provide an overview of the case, usually by asking, ‘what makes this an open child protection case now?’ the worker should be al-lowed to talk without interruption. the facilitator and observers should make notes of the worker’s exact words and begin to analyse the information. while listening, the facilitator can make notes at the side of the whiteboard and should not be trying to ‘map’ the case by locating information into particular columns. the more experienced workers become at using the process, the more succinct they will be at providing the critical information that is needed to move through the process. 
signs of safety group supervision process: words and pictures    version 1.0 copyright © 2017 resolutions consultancy – andrew turnell, katrina etherington and pene turnell4.4. worker’s goal/purpose (3–5 minutes)purpose: the facilitator asks the worker for the purpose of creating a words and pictures. ‘why do you want this or think it is important for your case, and for the child and the family?’this is the most important part of the four preparatory steps because it provides clear focus for the facilitator and group as to the purpose for preparing a draft words and pic-tures explanation. ask: ‘what do you want out of this consultation in order to be able to write the draft words and pictures for the case?’ the facilitator should dig in a little to get a clear, specific purpose for the words and pictures. if the worker says, ‘i want to know what to do next,’ this is too general and the facilitator should ask what specifically they feel they need help with in order to figure out what to focus on next to help get the process started. if the worker provides a general goal or one that can’t necessarily be achieved in the ses-sion, such as ‘i want an explanation for the child about why he is in care’, the facilitator can identify this and ask something like this: ‘ok, so you want to have an explanation for why the child is in care. what do you need from this consultation to help you move toward being able to write the draft you feel captures what you know that you can take to the family with confidence?’ remember the words and pictures explanation will be the parent’s explanation for their child/children with clear bottom lines from cps about what must be in the story. however, it is not something that can be completed in this consulta-tion because the family and other key stakeholders are not present. 5. interviewing the workerwhen steps 1 to 4 are complete, the facilitator asks everyone to individually write down on a piece of paper (that can be handed to the worker) the best questions they can think of for this case to get information from the worker that will help write a draft words and pictures explanation. the questions are created to be posed to the worker first and then for the worker to take to the family. during the interview the worker is noting the pieces of information they see they now need to obtain from the family/child/extended/carers to first write the draft and then to help lead the family in finalising the words and pictures explanation.  these questions should be targeted at both the positive and negative aspects of the fam-ily’s unique situation and should seek to gain the different perspectives of all those con-nected to the family and the case. questions should be written out fully in the form they would actually be asked. good questions should be relevant and be able to be asked of everyone involved: the parents, children, extended family members, and professionals who are involved in the case. at least half of the questions should be written as relationship questions. (5 minutes) 
signs of safety group supervision process: words and pictures    version 1.0 copyright © 2017 resolutions consultancy – andrew turnell, katrina etherington and pene turnell5.6. sharing the work6.1  everyone reads out one or two of their strongest questions to the large group.6.2  the facilitator then interviews the worker, using the worker’s own questions and some of the best questions from the group.   6.3  all group members give their questions to the caseworker.   6.4  the facilitator can review the process by asking the worker: ‘what has been most useful for you about the process so far?’ the facilitator could also ask: ‘on a scale of 0 to 10 – where 10 means i’ve got what i need from the consult already and 0 means i’m no better off or any clearer than when we started – where are you?’7. draft a ‘rough’ positive frame the facilitator asks everyone in the group to draft a frame for the words and pictures that focuses on the positive elements of the family. getting workers to do this enables them to get out of the anxiety-provoking task of writing the difficult aspects. this gives workers practice at simple, child-friendly language without the extra pressure of finding the words for a difficult conversation at the same time. remind workers to focus on the strengths and/or existing safety within the family. this is the opportunity to help the family develop resilience and pride within their family group.8. picture for the positive the facilitator asks everyone in the group individually to draw a picture that matches the frame for the positive aspect of the family. workers need to think about the elements of the positive frame that they want to capture in the picture. what would be most meaningful for the family? workers need to ensure the picture complements the words and vice versa.9. draft a ‘rough’ negative frame the facilitator asks everyone in the group to draft a frame for the words and pictures that talks about one of the negative aspects of the story. getting workers to do this allows them to have an experience at finding words for the most difficult things for families to talk to children about. remind workers to focus on the harm/danger for the child and to recall the information from the interview with the worker that identified past harm and future danger. 10. picture for the negative the facilitator asks everyone in the group to work on drawing a picture for the negative frame. workers need to think about the elements of the negative frame, especially what and how they think they can complement the words with a picture. workers need to be reminded that they do not draw the actual trauma or incident (e.g. the violent incident, the actual abuse). workers need to think about messages of reassurance and resilience, along with what they might like the child to do in the future or a similar situation. 
signs of safety group supervision process: words and pictures    version 1.0 copyright © 2017 resolutions consultancy – andrew turnell, katrina etherington and pene turnell6.11. review and next steps11.1. the facilitator now reviews the process so far by asking the worker: ‘what has been most useful for you about the process so far?’ then the facilitator asks: ‘on a scale of 0 to 10 – where 10 means i’ve got what i need from the consult already and 0 means i’m no better off or any clearer than when we started – where are you?’ if the group has stayed on track, the worker should be rating relatively high at this stage. the facilitator then asks the worker if this is this enough for now. if the answer is yes, end here.   if no, the facilitator should ask: ‘what else do they need to focus on?’ then the facilitator should spend some time on that, usually by listening to the issue and getting questions created for that issue.  a low rating from the worker probably indicates the group process has gone off track significantly from what the worker wanted, or that the worker actually now wants something else or perhaps is feeling swamped and anxious about the case. whatever the problem, the facilitator will need to back up and help the worker identify where the sticking point is and agree on a process to deal with that.12. review process for groupthe advisor leads a review with the whole group about what was useful, what they learned, and any issues they have. (the review should not be about the content of the case).how often do we use this group process in the agency or team?when presenting and teaching this group mapping process, these questions are often asked: ‘how often should we do this in our agency? do we do this in every case?’this group process is designed to: build a shared, structured, collective team and agency culture, and process for thinking through cases using the signs of safety approach; enable child protection professionals to explore each other’s cases, bringing their best thinking, including alternative perspectives, and to do this without getting caught in one or two people dominating or the group telling the practitioner whose case it is or what they must do; develop a shared practice of bringing a questioning approach to casework, rather than trying to arrive at answers.this group process cannot be undertaken in every case discussion. however, the process can be replicated in individual supervision and when practitioners are thinking through cases for themselves.building and sustaining this sort of questioning culture for thinking through cases as a team usually requires this process being undertaken at least once every two to four weeks. 
signs of safety group supervision process: words and pictures    version 1.0 copyright © 2017 resolutions consultancy – andrew turnell, katrina etherington and pene turnell7.the process presented here offers quite a tight structure, because helping professionals often tend to default to individual supervision, so group supervision is not a normal part of most agencies’ practice. where group supervision is normal, the group conversations can often be very free form and unstructured with little sense of shared purpose. if the majority of quality supervision is individual, this creates a very privatised practice culture within the agency, places excessive pressure on the team leaders or supervisors to be the fount of all wisdom for all practitioners, and limits the capacity to draw on the knowledge and experience of peers. many supervisors and practitioners shy away from group supervi-sion or, if they have to participate, they do so in a constrained way because of previous bad experiences. it is strongly suggested that supervisors and teams follow the process offered here closely, particularly as they build the habit of group supervision in their teams. this process is safe, well tested, refined, and avoids group dynamics where one or two people dominate.the advisor role is central to the success of the group process. the advisor should be very active, checking in regularly with the facilitator about their sense of direction and effective-ness of what they are doing. likewise, the facilitator should quickly draw on the advisor if they are feeling stuck or unsure. 


1.05.02 - Using words and pictures to explain difficult situations to children.pdf

1.05.01 - Starting point for creating a draft words and pictures explanation.pdf

 © 2020 elia international ltd.                drafting a words and pictures explanation  questioning themes for drafting a words and pictures explanation   to draft a words and pictures explanation for the parents to bring to the children/young people whether its short or long form the professional prepares questions to ask the people closest to the children about:   1. key events child’s perspective parent’s perspective professional’s perspective  2. worst events child’s perspective parent’s perspective professional’s perspective  3. most positive events child’s perspective parent’s perspective professional’s perspective  4. how have these events came about child’s perspective parent’s perspective professional’s perspective   the best questions here are relationship questions asked with complete compassion for the parent’s experience and story of their life asked with the while also holding the seriousness of the concerns.   in preparing the questions think about:  • child’s perspective: what does child’s most need to know, what have they been asking questions about, what might they have overheard? what questions has the child been asking? what are the questions that keep them awake at night? • what might the child have decided about why all this has happened? what might they have overheard? • what has the child been told about what’s happened? • who are the best people that know the child best that we need to ask?   


2.07.13 Trajectory Example EH - Nov 2023.docx

example - trajectoryweekstasksmeetings / appointments with professionalsfamily time with mampreparation stage:meet with all of the family – mam, boys, dad, step mam sheila and sheila’s daughter.complete assessment based on information gathered from professionals as well as all of above.direct work with the children.share the plan.agree to have a family network who will come up with a plan.connor and cole will have contact with mam via text messaging, phone calls (daily) and video calls/visits to hospital.week 1 -2regular visits or calls to mum – weekly.direct work with the children will explore the safety house with the children to start thinking through the safety plan.introduce the idea of words and pictures to parents and network.start safety planning with everyone – asking focused questions re triggers and red flags.decide who will the boss of the plan.weeks 2-4start 4-week plan of focussed direct work with connor and cole around recognising their emotions, managing anger/worries.start drafting words and picturesweekly meetings with connor and cole in school.meet with david and sheila to gather ideas for draft words and pictures.meet with mam to talk through words and pictures and gather her thoughts and ideas.weeks 4-6develop safety plan and outline roles and expectations of each member of safety network.share draft words and pictures with safety network.family worker will start 2-week piece of work with connor around gambling.family worker will start a 4–6-week piece of work with mam, david and sheila to support parents to put routines and rules back into place for connor and colereview taf meeting to be held.meet with safety network members to share ideas/worries/safety goals.discussions around words and pictures with david, sheila and mam.work around gambling will be shared with mam, david and sheila and support given for them to carry this forward with connor.david, sheila and mam will join taf members to review progress.weeks 6-8introduce safety journal (for connor) and safety item (for cole) to all family members/safety network.meet with children and family to share final copy of words and pictures.work around connor and cole’s emotions will now be coming to and end with keyworker and family worker. any referrals needed that this work has identified will be made. for example, school counsellor/emotional resilience nurse.visits to the boys, mam, david and sheila to explain safety items and support given to start using these immediately.children will be visited in the presence of family to share words and pictures.visit will be made to mam, david and sheila to share update/progress on emotional work.weeks 8-10all work around putting safe and secure routines/rules into place for connor and cole at mam and at dad’s will now be complete. we will review the progress of this work with family members and share thoughts on how family can continue and progress with this.meet with safety network to identify key signs to look for that will tell us things are getting hard for mam again. possible challenges that may come from this will be discussed and solutions to this will be worked out. safety journal will be reviewed.visit to mam, david and sheila to hare views around routines we now have in place.meeting with safety network.weeks 11 - 12final review taf will be held.final session with the family and network – celebrate all their successes.case will close to one point but will remain open to the family network and mental health services until the children are adultsfinal review taf will be held.