HearthDaily logs that work as evidence: what good looks like
A daily log has two readers: the colleague on the next shift, and (eventually) an inspector, a social worker, or the child themselves as an adult reading their own file. Write for all three and the evidence takes care of itself.
By Mason Hughes, 7 years in children's residential care · Updated
The test a good entry passes
Could someone who wasn’t there understand what happened, what it was like for the child, what staff did, and what happens next? That’s the whole standard. Everything else (tone, length, structure) serves that.
Worked examples
“J had a bad day. Kicked off at teatime. Calmed down later. Watched TV.”
No trigger, no staff response, no view from J, and “kicked off” is judgement dressed as fact. Six months later this entry can’t support anything: not a pattern, not a strategy, not J’s own understanding of their story.
“J came in from school quieter than usual and said maths had ‘gone wrong again’. At tea (5:20pm) he shouted at L over the last garlic bread and pushed his plate off the table. I (Sam) sat with him in the kitchen; he said he’d been moved down a set and was embarrassed. We agreed he’ll tell staff straight after school next time it’s a hard day. He apologised to L without prompting at 6:10pm and they watched TV together. Keywork session booked for Thursday to talk about maths support. School contact to be made by SL tomorrow.”
Notice what that one entry now evidences: the child’s voice (QS2), a relationship that repaired itself (QS6), education being noticed and acted on (QS3), and a staff team that responds with curiosity rather than sanctions. Nobody sat down to “write evidence”. They just recorded well.
Seven habits of records that stand up
- Fact first, judgement never. “Shouted and left the room” not “was aggressive”. If you must interpret, say whose interpretation it is.
- The child’s words, in quotes. Their voice is the single most valuable thing in the file.
- Times, names, same-day. An entry written the next afternoon is worth half as much, and looks it.
- What staff did, not just what the child did. Your de-escalation is invisible unless you write it down.
- Close the loop. If the entry opens something (a worry, a promise, a referral), a later entry should shut it.
- Write as if the child will read it, because they can, and one day many do. Respectful records are also better evidence.
- Never overwrite. Corrections are additions, not deletions. A record that can be silently edited is worth nothing at inspection.
Balance the picture
Files that are wall-to-wall incidents tell an inspector your recording only switches on when something goes wrong. The ordinary good days (the first time a child cooked, a friend home for tea, a run of full school weeks) are the “experiences and progress” judgement, literally. If your log template makes good news as easy to record as incidents, the balance takes care of itself.
Make readiness a side-effect of recording.
Hearth links every daily log, incident and key-work note to a Quality Standard, so your evidence assembles itself as your team works. Built only for children’s homes in England.
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Hearth is an independent software provider and is not affiliated with, endorsed by, or connected to Ofsted. This guide is general information about the regulatory framework, not regulatory or legal advice. Always check the current Children’s Homes (England) Regulations 2015, the Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations and the SCCIF on GOV.UK for the authoritative detail.