Besides supplying the information required under the specific heads or areas indicated in the intake sheet, the social worker records many other things as the case progresses. His/her work diary is meant for jottings on events as they happen. The jottings cover names, addresses, dates, notes on interviews, points of importance gleaned from conversations with people other than clients — collaterals and resource persons, observations, inferences and elements of the casework process. The word 'interview' is used here to indicate to the social worker's conversation with the client and members of his immediate family.
(getButton) #text=(Social Work Material) #icon=(demo)(getButton) #text=(Social Casework) #icon=(demo)(getButton) #text=(Social Group Work) #icon=(demo)(getButton) #text=(Teaching Job) #icon=(demo)(getButton) #text=(Assistant Professor Jobs) #icon=(demo)(getButton) #text=(Govt. University Jobs) #icon=(demo)(getButton) #text=(Private University Jobs) #icon=(demo)
Collaterals are those, who, because of their special association with the client, are in a position to furnish information to the social worker about the client or help the client in some way. The doctor who is treating the client, and the teacher of the school-going client, are some examples of collaterals. Likewise, there can be other collaterals. The collateral connection is between the social worker and the doctor, or between the social worker and the teacher with reference to the client, because both the social worker and the doctor, or, the social worker and the teacher have interactions with the client in a professional relationship. Resource persons are those who, on account of their special position in the community, are able to help the client by means of material or non-material resources. From the data which are in a jumble in the work diary, the social worker organises systematically the content of the formal case record, which is a formal or official record maintained at the agency.
.jpg "Social Casework Record")
The casework record serves some important purposes. It is humanly not possible to retain in mind all the information related to a client. Writing becomes necessary for formulating the social assessment and plans of action in each and every case. Putting down the events and related aspects in black and white helps the social worker in evaluating his/her own work. So the practice of recording regularly the features of the case along with the helping activities, facilitates the casework process. Casework records are necessary from administrative considerations as well. They provide the data necessary for reviewing periodically the work of the agency, from perspectives of quality and quantity of service. From the content of the case records the administrator is able to find out how, where, and in what, the social worker's professional time is spent; and this kind of reviewing is necessary to assess the effectiveness of the work of the agency.
The Grace Mathew highlighted the following key quality of the casework records in her book “Introduction to Social Casework.”
A Case Record should be Readable and Visible
Readability means that the record is written in such a manner that the reader finds it easy and comfortable to read the record. Ideas are arranged in a smooth flow of sentences and words. Visibility means that certain things can be easily singled out from the record. For improving visibility, the content can be organized under appropriate topical headings, and dates indicated against events. For example, interviews (with dates), home visits (with dates) and contacts with collaterals and others are all different topical headings.
The Case Record should have Clarity, Accuracy and Objectivity
Clarity means avoiding ambiguity or vagueness that makes the reader confused with regard to the meaning. Accuracy refers to precision, and being precise in one's statement is a good way of preventing ambiguity- For instance, clarity will be enhanced if the social worker mentions the approximate age of the client instead of saying, "She is middle-aged". The statement that the client has four children of school going age can be meaningfully qualified and made clearer by indicating the ages of the children. Objectivity means that the statements are not coloured by the writer's personal feelings, bias or prejudices.
A Certain Level of Uniformity of Standardization is Desirable in Case Records As between Agencies
Standardization and uniformity refer to the recognition by all agencies that offer casework as one of their services, that certain items of information and details of casework are important and that they should be included in the case records. Agencies operate for different objectives and as a result, variations are to be expected in the pattern of case records. Making provision for variations does not rule out the possibility of maintaining a format of uniformity relating to some points of reference.
Conclusion
There is certainly a close connection between the quality of a case record and the quality of the social worker's performance. Material that goes to fill a case record has to flow from the doing part of casework. Undoubtedly, a worthwhile record can evolve only out of competent professional practice. Nevertheless, there are social workers who are good performers but bad writers, in the sense, that owing to a lack of facility of expression in the language of their writing or for other reasons, they are unable to produce meaningful case records despite their good performance.
.jpg)
