feature BY JOHN DeGARMO, ED.D.
Documentation, Documentation,
Documentation
J
ust as location, location, location are
the three most important words for a
real estate agent, documentation should
ring in the ear of every foster parent. They
just might be the three most important
words a foster parent needs today. Written
documentation can go a long way toward
keeping foster parents safe, and even helping
protect them from false accusations.
The life of a foster parent is often one filled
with laughter, surprises and great joy. At the
same time, as you care for children in need
in your own home and family, there can be
challenges as well. To be sure, you will need
all the resources and tools available to you in
order to meet these challenges. Many times,
these challenges are unexpected. One of these
tools that is sure to help is documentation.
Now, documentation does not mean that you,
as a foster parent, should record and report
only those negative experiences while caring
for a child in care. Indeed, positive events
and occurrences should also be reported and
documented. Document when he started
eating healthier, behaving more positively,
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acted kinder. Note when negative behavior
began to decrease, and how he attempts to
handle difficult situations in a more positive
way.
Throughout the placement of your foster
child in your house, it will be necessary for
you as a foster parent to keep written records,
a journal or some sort of documentation.
This written account will help you keep an
accurate account of the time your foster
child lives in your home. This documenting
can be done a number of ways, or even a
combination of them, as well. Many people
keep a written diary, notebook or journal,
writing about the day’s events each evening.
Others may use a computer, laptop or tablet
to document and record the events of the day,
saving these documents in a computer file of
some sort. Still others may use a behavioral
chart to note events and progress of a child,
while others may use a calendar format.
Whatever you use, it should be something
that allows you to record information and
details of a child’s behavior, emotional status
and changes, progress in school in both
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academics and behavior, medical issues and
simply day to day events.
It is important that your writing is done in a
manner which is observational, descriptive
and is a non-biased account of your foster
child. Furthermore, you will want to make
certain that your written account neither
includes your opinions nor is written from an
emotional approach. If you wish to include
your opinions and feelings about him,
you might wish to start a personal journal
for yourself about his time with you. Your
documentation journal is not about you or
how you feel, it is simply about the child’s
progress, status and events in his life.
As it says in the classic “Do Re Mi” song
from the movie “The Sound of Music,” it is
important to start at the beginning. Begin
a journal about your foster child, beginning
with his arrival. Explain the state of dress,
behavior and emotional well-being when
he arrived. Document the conversation
between the caseworker and the child. As
these first few nights of being placed into a
new home are often traumatic for a child,
note how those first few nights went. How
did he react at bedtime, at mealtime, upon
meeting you and your family, and of being
introduced to your house rules? Indeed,
describe his progress and daily events in your
home and with your family. Don’t be afraid
to include just about everything. Record
how he interacts with any of your children,
relatives and friends of the family. Note how
he helps around the house. Document how
he relates to any pets you might have. Include
documentation on any positive behavior,
conversations and general day-to-day living
in your home.
Quite likely, your child from foster care is
going to come to your home behind on
medical shots, and perhaps on several
medications. In short, he is probably going
to have to visit the doctor soon, and perhaps
even often. If he becomes sick, include this in
your written records: the time he was sick, as
well as how it was treated, including doctor
visits and any medicine that you gave him.
Note the conversations between him and
the doctor, and between you and the doctor.
Indeed, try and document the conversations
between not only a doctor and a child, but
also between the child in your home and
his caseworkers, therapists, teachers, birth
parents, biological family members, teachers,
law enforcement and other people and
conversations you feel are important.
If he is the typical child, he will probably
fall down at some point while living with
you and skin his knee, scrape his chin, have
a bruise, or some other type of injury. It
is important that you document when it
happened, how it occurred, and how and
what you did to treat it. You might also be
wise to let your caseworker know about such
injuries occurring in your home, as well in
case a birth parent or family member should
notice and ask at the next visitation. Again,
no need to worry too much if and when this
should happen to the child in your home.
Children will play, fall and get scratched and
F O S T E R I N G FA M I L I E S T O D AY
cut. It most likely happened to you as a child,
and will happen to the children living in
your home. Simply make sure you document
such events in full. If he should miss a day of
school due to being sick, record this and how
you treated it as well. Keep records of any
doctor’s notes, too.
For many children in care, their emotional
status and needs are ever changing, and at
times, ever demanding. As a foster parent,
it is important to document any changes
in behavior the child in your home might
exhibit, along with when he began behaving
in this way, as well as how long the behavior
lasted. Detail how you addressed this change
in behavior, and how he reacted to any rules
and consequences you put into place as a
result of misbehavior. If he should lie, steal,
argue, yell or throw the so-called temper
tantrum, record these incidents and how
you responded to them as well. Along with
that, record how the child responded to any
consequences or disciplinary methods you
used. Keep a notebook specifically for his
school work, including grades and report
cards, any behavioral problems or discipline,
and any conversations with teachers, school
counselors, administrators and other school
employees. As this is also a record of his
accomplishments and success, you may
also include those accomplishments made
in the classroom and at school. If a teacher
wrote a positive note about him, include that.
Positive homework grades, reports, projects
and activities can also be included in your
documentation. Indeed, include the original
reports, papers, grades and documents, if
possible.
Visitations are an important factor in both
the life of your foster child as well as his
biological family members. For your child,
visitations may occur once or several times
a week, every other week, once a month, or
even more irregularly than that. Whatever
schedule of visitation he might have, it is
important that you record these important
events. Keep an account of every time he has
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a visitation, including the date, times and
feature
locations of each visit. Record who was there
to supervise and monitor the visitation. If
he has significant emotional or behavioral
changes before and/or after these visits, as
is often the case and is also quite normal,
B Y JOHN DeGARMO, ED.D.
do your best to describe these in full. Any
contact you have with the birth parents and
biological family members should also be
documented. You should also document each
conversation you have with his caseworker.
If he should display any serious conflicts
or unusual behavior toward his biological
family or caseworker, or even toward himself,
document this in detail, as well as report
it to the caseworker immediately. If you
suspect any kind of abuse while visiting his
family, take before and after pictures of him
as another form of evidence. Indeed, if he
should ever abuse himself in any way, at any
time, and in any fashion, not only must you
document this, but you also need to call your
child’s caseworker immediately.
With proper documentation and records,
you will not only better protect yourself as a
foster parent, but also the child. Furthermore,
documentation helps to provide important
information to case workers, courts and all
advocates for children in foster care. ❁
ABOUT THE AUTHOR: John DeGarmo,
Ed.D., is an international expert on foster
care. He has been a foster parent for 15 years,
and he and his wife have had more than 50
children come through their home. He is
a consultant to foster care agencies, child
welfare organizations, Royal Family Kids
Camps and legal firms, as well as a speaker
and trainer on many topics about the foster
care system. He is the author of several foster
care books, including “The Foster Parenting
Manual: A Practical Guide to Creating a
Loving, Safe, and Stable Home” and writes
for several publications. He can be contacted
at drjohndegarmo@gmail.com, through his
Facebook page, Dr. John DeGarmo, or at The
Foster Care Institute.
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