Record Keeping - General Principles

When logging a concern, it is the role of the person recording to effectively convey the nature of the concern. Staff should take the time to ensure that concerns provide an accurate representation of the situation, and cover the child or young person's perspectives, wishes and feelings. The information recorded is likely to have a direct influence on the support put in place for the child and their family.

When recording incidents or actions on My Concern, staff should ensure that records are:

• Professional (avoid jargon, initials (see appendix 5) and abbreviations)

• Objective (be descriptive, use the body maps and avoid subjective words)

• Accurate (avoid vague or ambiguous statements, distinguish between fact and opinion and use the child’s words)

• Child Centred (wherever possible capture the perspectives, wishes and feelings of the child)

• Timely ( concerns should be logged at the earliest possible opportunity)

• Succinct (details should be comprehensive, but concise)

• Evidenced ( upload relevant evidence to the concern, such as statements, risk assessments) NB: evidence of indecent images or videos should NOT be viewed by staff or uploaded to My Concern as outlined in KCSIE, the Trust Safeguarding and Child Protection Policy and Youth Involved Imagery Policy)

• Action Focused (include any action that you have already taken and outcome of this action)