Accurate Recording – Children and Young Persons Care Setting

Records must be kept on all children. The Home’s records on each child represent a significant contribution to their life history, and it is important therefore that all staff are familiar with the Home’s policies on record keeping and understand the importance of accurate, clear and objective recording.

Case records should reflect children’s lives, their achievements and the work that is carried out with them, and should clearly relate to the plans for their futures. The style and clarity of records should increase the understanding that children have about their histories, background and experiences.

Children must be routinely involved in the process of gathering and recording information about them. They should feel they are part of the recording process, and be encouraged to see the Home’s records as ‘living documents’.

Staff should understand their important role in encouraging the child to reflect on and understand their history, according to their age and understanding.

On a regular basis, all children and young people should be supported to contribute to their records in a way that reflects their voice, views, wishes and feelings. Children should also be encouraged to keep appropriate memorabilia of their time spent living at the Home and to record significant life events.

The Children’s Homes (England) Regulations 2015 stipulate that records in relation to children accommodated in children’s homes should be retained securely until the 75th anniversary of the child’s birth or, if the child dies before age of 18 years, for 15 years from the date of death.

This course has been created and delivered by Milly Wildish, a child protection specialist who has worked in criminal, education and local authority settings and has worked as a designated safeguarding lead in a large primary school in London. Milly is a national safeguarding panel member and is currently engaged in a large-scale independent investigation, into current and historical allegations of child abuse.

Your understanding of the course is tested though multiple-choice questions and you will receive a CPD accredited certificate, on the successful completion of the course.