8.3 Chronology Guidance

A chronology is a succinct summary and overview of the significant dates and events in a child’s life.

The key purpose of a chronology of significant events can give an early Indication of an emerging pattern of concern.

The chronology should be used as an analytical tool to help practitioners understand the impact, both immediate and cumulative, of events and changes on the child or young person’s developmental progress.

It contributes to an emerging picture based on fact and interaction of a case, i.e. current information is understood in the context of previous information, and helps inform professional judgement through a consideration of the patterns and relationship of the events and changes in the chronology.

The relevance / significance of an event can change over time. A historical event which appeared insignificant or irrelevant may become highly relevant and significant in the light of further information of more recent origin.

The chronology should enable the practitioner to see at a glance significant incidents in a child’s life in summary format.

Children and young people are most effectively safeguarded if professionals work together and share information. Single factors in themselves are often perceived to be relatively harmless. However, if they multiply and compound one another, the consequences can be serious, and on occasions, devastating.

Professional judgement is required to decide on the relevance for a particular child / family of an event.

Information recorded in a chronology should be relevant and succinct so as not to be lost in a mass of insignificant and irrelevant events.

Chronologies are not only a means of organising and merging information. They enable practitioners to gain a more accurate picture of the whole case and highlight gaps and missing details that require further assessment and identification.

A chronology for a child, young person may start with events that occurred prior to his or her birth if of significance.

Chronologies should accurately reflect family circumstances, recording both positive and negative factors.

It provides a mechanism through which information can be systematically shared and merged, and enables agencies to identify the history of a family, providing invaluable information about a child’s life experience.

It can reveal risks, concerns, patterns and themes, strengths and weaknesses within a family, and can identify previous periods of professional involvement / support and the effectiveness / failure of previous intervention. It informs the overall assessment regarding the care-givers ability and motivation to change.

The chronology is only one means of collating information and will need supplementing by reports that draw out messages from the chronology, ensure facts are agreed and the overall pattern seen.

There are a number of key events or incidents which should be recorded. Depending upon the nature of the risks and harm, these may vary from case to case. Examples include:

• Contacts or referrals about the child / family

• Strategy discussions / meetings and Child Protection Conferences

• Non-accidental injury/ suspicious injuries/ significant injury/ visible injuries, even if justified by history but child is subject to a Child Protection Plan/ Different accounts of history of injury

• Neglect events e.g. child inappropriately dressed for time of year

• Attendance at A&E/Out of Hours/Minor Injury Units/Walk In Centres/NHS Direct and Hospital Admissions

• Change of GP/excessive use of health services

• Delay in seeking medical treatment/time of day in seeking medical treatment

• DNA/CAN - non-attendance or frequent cancellation of appointments

• Loss of weight/excessive weight gain (against centile chart)

• Births, deaths, serious illness of both adults and children

• House moves/deterioration in home conditions

• Changes in family composition, including new partners, separations, non-family members moving into family home, excessive visitors/frequent presence of unknown adults

• Criminal proceedings and outcomes/ civil proceedings involving family/ court proceedings/changes in legal status of child

• Change in school, school attendance, school exclusions

• Self referrals and any referrals to other health professionals/ agencies / teams and support offered to family/assessments undertaken

• Reported incidents of domestic violence, substance misuse of carers, child absconders / missing from home. E.g. for the police this might be crime reference (XX/1234/14) or incident log (URN 111 07/01/14) and so on

• Attempted suicide or overdose of child, young person or family member

• Events showing capacity of family to work in partnership and engage with professionals

• Any event in the child’s life deemed to have a significant effect on them, such as separation from main carer leading to poor attachment