Document! Document! Document!

Foster parents are some of the busiest folks I know. They must assume the role of parent, confidant, friend, policeman, investigator, cook, chauffeur, teacher, and mentor. There is no wonder that there is little time left in the day for one more important duty- documentation. It seems to be ignored by most foster parents and only an emergency or unfortunate event seems to remind us of its value.

There are many reasons to embrace the idea of documentation. First, being organized and efficient makes fostering easier. If you already have become slave to your calendars, dayrunners, and schedules, you are now half way there. We write down these dates and duties so as not to forget them. This is the primary reason for documentation. Busy people cannot trust their memories to always get all details right, so we write them down shortly after the important event or beforehand as a reminder. Documentation is nothing more than a written record of events.

A second reason to document everything of importance is to settle disputes, answer questions intelligently, and be able to transfer information to those who need it. When your social workers want to know the facts as they occurred, you have them. When a therapist asks you to recap the event when your foster child went off the deep end, you are able to do so. When your foster son argues that he did not have the car that night in question, you can show him the proof. Documentation is like having a witness to those situations.

The third reason for documentation is to protect yourself in the event of allegations. Reporting the incident by detail can wipe an untrue story from the slate. When a mischievous child reports you and alleges you abused them, those logs of driving times, appointments, phone calls, and incident reports are going to be invaluable in proving your innocence.

What items should be documented? Everything! I know that's a tall order, but foster parents are very vulnerable to allegations and misunderstandings. Keeping appointment and phone call records are a good start. If dates must be reconstructed, these items help both in establishing where you were at the time as well as serving as a way to jog your memory. These should include exact times, (dates and hours), purpose of call or meeting, where it was held if meeting and who attended. If phone call, who was called and what significant things were said or decided in either case. Add to this a vehicle log for transporting kids. Include time left, and time arrived at destination, mileage when left and when arrived. It takes a few extra precious minutes, but can prove it was virtually impossible for events as alleged to happen in the total time of the trip. You probably are required to fill out an accident or incident report. One is usually damage to property, the other some physical harm to a person. Keep copies of anything handed in for future reference. I learned the value of documentation when I did a stint as a worker in a home with mentally handicapped and disabled adults. The state required us to write up a short description of the highlights of the resident's day during your shift. Foster parents should also keep some sort of notebook in the same way.

You will find in time, these small chunks of writing will not even be a problem to you. It goes faster and easier with practice and as it becomes habit. It will only take one terrible allegation experience to convince you of its worth. Please don't wait until you are accused and must defend yourself to start to document. Get the habit now.

Thanks for all you do as a foster parent. We truly need you.

Credits: Jo Ann Wentzel