Report Writing and Courtroom Skills for Children's Social Workers

Course Outline

This two‑day intensive programme strengthens children’s social workers’ confidence and capability in producing watertight, court‑compliant reports and delivering clear, truthful and confident evidence under cross‑examination.

Drawing on the expertise of experienced family law barristers, the course blends practical report‑writing skills with courtroom performance training, aligned with PLO requirements and best practice standards.

Key Learning Outcomes

The training ensures delegates can:

Produce front‑loaded, high‑quality reports with clear chronologies that assist judicial decision‑making.
Defend their written records and recollection under cross‑examination.
Give confident, coherent oral evidence and understand the techniques lawyers use in court.

Day 1 – Defendable records, reports and court complaint documentation

Throughout the day, with the assistance of case studies and guidance templates, delegates consider who might read what they have written, what should be recorded in relevant records, what should not be recorded in them and the importance of focusing on not just what was said, but also on what is not said, as well as the overall presentation of children and their adults.

Towards the end of the day, we will consider what “good” looks like in terms of core documents (The Welfare Checklist, Chronologies, SWETs).

Delegates will learn how to produce well-structured, court compliant statements and reports which will promote the child’s best interests and assist the court in its decision making. We will consider note taking and record keeping, section 7 and 37 reports, social work evidence templates, PAMS assessments and care plans.

Describe what a timely care record is
Describe what an accurate care record is
Explain why timely care records should be kept
Explain how timely care records should be kept
Practice contemporaneous record keeping
Evaluate a social work assessment report that truly reflects a child’s needs and associated risks
Evaluate a social work statement that truly reflects a child’s needs and associated risks, with reference to the SWET
Enhance a conclusion or recommendation by linking it to factual evidence in the case via persuasive analysis

Day 2 – Mastering Court Skills and Giving Evidence

The day is divided into two halves. The morning session is designed to demystify the process of giving evidence. Delegates will consider the techniques used by lawyers to discredit social workers, and will learn how to respond appropriately to the decision maker when these techniques are employed — in order to remain in control so they can more readily assist the court.

In the afternoon, we set up a mock courtroom in which delegates get to apply the techniques they have learnt in the morning and experience cross-examination. Delegates receive feedback on their performance, reinforcing good practice and providing a personalised critique.

Recognise how the adversarial system works
Properly prepare to give oral evidence
Make appropriate use of supporting evidence, documents and records while under cross-examination
Distinguish between opinion and factual evidence in the role of the court appointed ‘expert witness’
Providing evidence from the perspective of a professional social worker
Give confident and clear testimony to the court despite the rigours of cross-examination