Defensible decision-making in children’s social care - challenge questions for leaders: Leaders' Briefing (2022)
Introduction
Defensible decision-making should run like a golden thread throughout social care practice with children and families. It should be evident in every supervision discussion between first-line managers and practitioners, and all case records and management oversight summaries on a child’s file. Three key elements need to be in place to support defensible decision-making within the organisation;
- Practitioners need high quality supervision which supports the process of defensible decision-making.
- Both practitioners and practice supervisors should be able to provide clearly written commentary on a child’s file which explains how and why decisions were made.
- A child’s file belongs to them. We need to be confident that decision-making is recorded in respectful and clear language, providing a coherent narrative about ongoing work with a family and the rationale behind key decisions.
This open-access short publication:
- Provides an overview of key issues to prompt discussion and enhance organisational capability in defensible decision-making.
- Includes challenge questions for middle managers and senior leaders to consider.
It is designed to be used alongside two other related resources exploring defensible decision-making. See Related Content below.
Professional Standards
PQS:KSS - Support effective decision-making | Quality assurance and improvement