I'm interested in knowing what a social worker's file actually looks like. I am wanting to remove a boy from a situation in a fanfiction story but would like the social worker's file to look as close as possible to one in "real life." Does anyone have any idea what this would look like if this was a real child? Name: Harry James Potter Removed from relative's home New gaurdian - Severus Why removed from home: Multiple bruises, lacerations on back from belt, neck injury, minor; broken arm, never healed properly, etc, add your own ideas I need to know what this would actually look like in a real file. Thanks!!!
first of all, you're missing his vital statistics: age/dob pob ss# address phone school attending [if old enough] grade level parents/guardian [names/contact info, if different from child's] and in re the physical details, file would have to include medical record copies, as well as any reports of problems/injuries from teachers, neighbors, etc., plus any police reports and child's 'record' if he'd been in any trouble... there'd also be transcripts/reports of interviews with neighbors/teachers/relatives/etc. and dcs/judge's recommendations...
General appearance (cleanliness, overall living conditions) of the primary residence will also be there, along with notes from interviewing the parents (unless the children were removed in the parents' absence). The interview notes will contain the interviewer's impressions of the parents' suitability as caretakers (subjective, but often a make or break summary).
Actually, there is a prescribed clinical tool called a "Social History" that most social workers complete on any new patient. It is an extensive document covering everything from basic info to childhood maturity milestones. Familial history is also included...for example, it is important if the child's father grew up in an abusive environment. Many years ago, when I ran a mental health clinic, my most important job was to establish a "Social History" on each new patient. It was often a two to three hour interview, including family input, medical records, review of other pertinent sources of information like police reports, eye witness statements, extended family/friend impressions, etc. For your purposes, do a search on "Social History formats" and you should find lots of info about the exact topic of youth authority social histories.
Re: Posting Thank you, I know have various different ideas of how to approach this topic. You have all been very helpful. I applaud.
