Record keeping.

[Muchadoaboutnuthing]

Do the LA or private agency through which you foster require you to keep records on the children in yor care? I'm just wondering how this is done. For example do they have specific forms/questionaires for you to fill out or do you just keep your own in a diary form. Are these checked by your social workers, if so how often? Any information on this subject would be really appreciated. Thanks.

My recordings consist of

Any medical appointments the fc had
Any meetings in relation to fostering I had what the meeting was about who was there and a brief outline of what was talked about
Telephone conversations who,what time and what about
If fc is looked after by another person how long by whom

Also if te fc is unwell and most important how the fc is before and after contact

I do mine on my computer which I keep on a secure USB stick but some LA or ifa like it written

Oh is also keep all my emails that i send and that are sent to me.

We do ours daily, written, in separate diaries for each child in placement with us.

It involves general day to day stuff, any disclosures, any conversations with other professionals, I record receipt/sending emails, how the LO's are, list of any medicines given, any mention of parents generally but especially in relation to contact, any injuries - bruises etc and location of where they are etc..

On SSW supervision (every 6 weeks) she checks the diaries and signs them - these recordings are vital for our own protection but can also be used in court as evidence and so I take it extremely seriously and pretty much record, record and record some more...

At my IFA the carers do daily recordings and send them to me each week or fortnight by email. Things like important conversations, behaviours, contact, how school went etc.Then they do a monthly summary, addressing the 5 ECM outcomes.

Any health issues are recorded in a booklet and any emails sent regarding that child are saved in a file.

I forward the daily/monthly recordings onto the childs SW after I've read them.

I'm with a LA and we have to keep a daily log book - in diary form - plus separate recordings of any incidents/illnesses/medication. I usually record what we've done each day, what child has eaten, their general temperament, any significant milestones met etc.

Not too bad when you only have one child but when you have three it's not great!!! I'd love to be able to do them on a computer because most days each child's has a lot of the same info but we're forbidden from putting anything to do with the children on pc - even if encrypted.

And here in lies the problems things and so wildly diffrent we need uniformty