Child placement case records have historically grown large and unwieldy because of the amount of documentation required programmatically. Poor organization of the case record can mean that critical information is overlooked and can undermine the value of information to the social worker and supervisor. There are ways to minimize the size of the child placement case record. The county department of social services should develop a consistent organizational format to be used in all foster care cases. A consistent, organized format allows for the social worker to locate necessary information readily, for new social workers to become familiar with their assigned cases more quickly, and for supervisors to be able to review cases more easily. Multiple copies of forms, reports, court documents, and correspondence should be removed and destroyed. Maintaining only one original copy of a document in the case record cuts down on the volume and allows for more ready access to needed information.
