Wednesday 4 December 2013

Purpose of Recording



Purpose of Recording
According to experts, recording in social casework
serves the following purposes:
It aids practice
It aids administration
It aids teaching and supervision
It aids research
As an aid to practice
The fact that recording has improved/the practice of
social casework is now well accepted and is considered
as the most important device to develop one’s skills in
this area. Records help in diagnosis and treatment. It
enables the caseworker to analytically reflect upon and
improve his or her practice thus enabling efficient
interviewing and intervention. As the caseworker gives
the information collected, an organised and structured
form, analysis and critical thinking becomes easier.
Case records are essential for refreshing the memory,
especially when cases stretch for too long and the
worker may lose track of detail. They also enable better
planning for the next interview and provide the
opportunity to rectify previous mistakes. This knowledge
when passed on to a new worker ensures that the same
mistakes are not repeated.
As an aid to administration
Records, also serve as important tools of administration.
They serve as an index for the correction of policies
and practices. Further they also give an insight into
the caseworker’s ability and ensure continuity if the
caseworker is transferred, or resigns. They help the
agency in not only evaluating the caseworker but also
in the evaluation and reappraisal of the existing and as
well as future services. Records are also of great
importance when client is referred from one agency to
another for specialized services, as they ensure
continuity. Further they allow sharing of information
between agencies.
As an aid to teaching and supervision
Recording as a teaching and supervision device is
indispensable. Records aid teaching and supervision in
that they add to the body of knowledge of social work
and make this knowledge communicable. They provide
an opportunity to the students to organise and present
information and observations, reflection and action in
a systematic manner. It is useful for reflecting on one’s
role and reactions in an interaction. Recording serves
as a tool for supervision and evaluation whereby a
teacher can encourage students to analyze and
interpret data, expressing their individuality through
it. Supervision encourages the cultivation of better
recording skills and better casework as a result. It can
be used in systematically training the students and is
an important device to introduce students to practice.
As an aid to research
Records can be used for social research and planning
they are the chief source of material for research done
on such important subjects as the effectiveness of
casework as a social work method. Records contain
accumulated experience of social workers which can
be translated into statistical form and thereby help in
finding solution to social problems.

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