Types of Record

"If you didn't write it down, it didn't happen."

The statement shows the power of documentation or recording or reporting in any field. And especially in social work, where we deal with individuals, families, groups and communities, they all are different from previous case that might be in nature, cause, process and so on. And the recording of each and every event with clients can be used for the future reference in sorting out the problems of client.

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Types of Record

1.      Process Record

2.      Problem Oriented Record

3.      Summative Record

4.      Diagnostic Summary

5.      Goal Oriented Recording

6.      Narrative Recording

7.      Role Recording

1. PROCESS RECORD

·        Process record is one method by which you can record the content of an interview. It involves a written record of all communication both verbal and nonverbal (based on the worker’s best recollections), and a record of the worker’s feelings and reflection throughout the interview. Audio or video recordings can also be used, for the case worker to (a) identify client’s feelings during the interview, (b) assess client’s feelings, or (c) present summary comments.

·        Process is continuous development involving many changes. It is a series of actions, changes or functions that bring about an end result. Process recording tries to record these development and actions. These developments are directly or meaningfully related to understanding of the person in situation and the intervention process. It is selective in its recording. Interactions, which have directed bearing or meaning for intervention are recorded and the rest of the details of interactions are discarded. The focus is not on the development of the events as such but on the development related to understanding of and intervening in the person’s psycho social life. In process recording the process of helping is recorded which includes the relevant conversations, observations and reaction of the worker in the developmental sequence. It gives an idea to the supervisor if the case worker has used his knowledge of human behavior and social situations, if his reactions to the client’s verbal and non verbal communications are appropriate and if planning for future is consistent with the presenting situation. The usefulness of the process recording depends to a considerable extent to the ability of the worker to recall exactly what had happened, and in what order and to look at the facts in an objective manner in order to get at underlying feelings and meanings. Process recording is time consuming, so should be used carefully.

·        Process recording is a form of recording used frequently by the caseworker. It is one method by which the caseworker can record the content of an interview. It involves a written record of all communication both verbal and nonverbal based on the worker’s best recollections, and a record of the worker’s feelings and reflection throughout the interview. In this type, the process of interview is reported and is a rather detailed description of what transpired with considerable paraphrasing. It preserves a sequence in which the various matters were discussed. It includes not only what both the worker and the client said but also significant reaction of the client and changes in mood and response. In this method, the interview and observation go hand-in-hand. It may be verbatim or non-verbatim reproduction.

2. PROBLEM ORIENTED RECORD

·        Problem-oriented record (POR) a method of client case record keeping that focuses on specific problems The components of the POR are: (a)data base, which contains information required for each client regardless of diagnosis or presenting problems i.e., all history, physical findings etc; (b)problem list, which contains the major problems currently needing attention; (c)plan, which specifies what is to be done with regard to each problem; (d)progress notes, which document the observations, assessments, future plans. 

·        It is a specialized form of documentation used to delineate problems identified and treatment goals in interdisciplinary settings. This system requires the recorder to identify the problem areas, assess them and then state what he plans to do about each problem. The ideal use of problem oriented recording is for all disciplines to record on the same form in the same interdisciplinary record. One of the primary purposes of recording in the interdisciplinary settings is for documentation, but it is also intended to provide a means of exchanging information.

·        Problem-oriented recording is a method that focuses on specific problems. The components of this method are (a) data base, which contains information required for each client regardless of assessment or presenting problems, (b) problem list, which contains the major problems currently needing attention, (c) plan, which specifies what is to be done with regard to each problem, (d) progress notes, which document the observations, assessments, and future plans.

3. SUMMATIVE RECORD

·        Summative assessment is a summary of all the formative assessment carried out over a long period and makes statements about the client’s progress. Effective assessment involves evaluation or decisions about the client’s progress and their gives us the information we need to plan for the next steps. This is called assessment for learning: it is the formative assessment, based on observations and other forms of evidence, which informs or guides everyday planning.

·        It is an entirely different style of writing and is preferred for intake, transfer closing and other special aspects of official agency records. Summary recording is the preferred method for ongoing social work practice because it is much briefer than process recording, hence much less time consuming to write and to record. However, summary recording requires more thought and planning on the worker’s part because he must decide what to record and what to omit. Regular progress notes, periodic summaries (i.e. intake or transfer report) and special reports are usually written in summary style. 

·        Summery records are short and easy to use when considering the total service process. It tries to summarize the main events and avoid the details of all events. It include entry data , social history, a plan of action, periodic summaries of significant information, action taken by the worker and a statement of what was accomplished as the case gets closed. Summery recordings save time and labor when process recording comparatively is very time consuming.

·        Summary recording is a good device for organizing and analyzing facts. It points to the meaning and the relative importance of the materials gathered. A careful summary made at appropriate intervals reduces any bulk writing, clarifies direction and saves the worker’s time. Summative recording is a summary of all the formative assessment carried out over a long period and makes statements about the client’s progress. It is commonly assumed to be a review or recapitulation of material that has already appeared in the record. It may be either topically arranged or may appear as condensed chronological narrative. Mrs. Sheffield has defined summary in social casework recording as “A digest of significant facts in the client’s history which has previously been recorded”. A summary can be an assessment, a periodic summary or closing summary. The closing summary is a summary made at the time the process of casework is terminated. To be most effective, it should be written by the worker who was responsible for the intervention at the time of termination. The periodic summary is simply the summary of information previously recorded and is made at more or less regular intervals or at the end of more or less definite episodes in the family history.

Contents of summary recordings are as follows:

a)     Full name of the client

b)     Identification number

c)     Date of the interview

d)     Date of the recording was done

e)     Name of the worker

f)      Purpose of the interview

g)     The content – what occurred during the interview?

h)     A description of any problem areas identifies by the social worker and / or the client

i)       A description of the services provided by the social worker

j)       The practitioners professional, analytical assessment of the meaning of what has occurred during the interview usually under the diagnostic summary.

k)     Plans (Goals and treatment) for future contacts or follow up.

4. Diagnostic Summary

It is a special analytical statement that assesses what is known about a client and sets forth a specific treatment plan. The diagnostic summary provides an opportunity for the worker to set down his/hers professional impressions, reactions and concerns about his/her client. Put into writing, these ideas can be helpful to other staff who work with that individual at a later date as well as to the person making the entry. A diagnostic summary enables a supervisor to learn quickly about the needs of the clients his/her staff are serving.

It should include:

1. The problems and needs as seen by Client

2. The problems and needs as seen by the worker

3. The member’s feelings about the Client situation

4. The appropriateness of the clients' feelings and behavior

5. Efforts initiated by the clients to solve the problem.

5. Goal Oriented Recording

Under this type of recording basic social history and background information is gathered and recorded. However there is considerable emphasis on including the client in the assessment process and in setting goals and developing specific plans for reaching the identified goals. This approach leads to uniformity in recording and statistical reporting practices among social workers and forces staff to include the client as an active participant in the planning phases.

6. Narrative recording:

In narrative recording everything that has happened is recorded as it has happened whether it is positive or negative. It consists of all the statements, observations and comments of the worker. It is the narration of all the happenings and detailed accounts of all the events which go in the narrative recording. The attempt of narrative recording is to reproduce all the situations.

7. Role recording:

It is the refined version of process recording. It is highly selective in its approach and focuses on the role of the case worker in his interaction with client from time to time.

Recording in Social work

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