Records · Chronology

Keep the record they cannot.

A social work file rarely contains every conversation. Yours can. Fill in one line the moment something happens — a phone call, a letter, a meeting — and by the time it matters you will have what nobody else has: a dated record in your own hand.

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Chronology

Last reviewed .

DateWhoTypeWhat was said or agreedFollow-up
Fill it in the same day

Memory fades within a week. A single line, written the same day, is worth ten paragraphs written three months later.

Neutral, factual, brief

Times, names, direct quotes, page numbers. Feelings belong in a diary, not here — a chronology is more powerful when it is dry.

Keep a copy off-device

This one lives in your browser. Print it, or download a .csv, and store a paper copy somewhere safe — the way solicitors do. A downloaded .csv can be imported back on any device.

Where the data lives. Everything on this page is saved only in this browser on this device. No server, no account, no analytics on the content. If you clear your browser data, or use a different browser, it will not be there.

If a child is in immediate danger, call 999. For non-emergency concerns, call the NSPCC on 0808 800 5000 or the Samaritans on 116 123.

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