Social Work Documentation, 2nd Edition

A Guide to Strengthening Your Case Recording

Nancy L. Sidell

ISBN: 978-0-87101-486-3. 2015. Item #4863. 236 pages.

The second edition of Social Work Documentation: A Guide to Strengthening Your Case Recording is an update to Nancy L. Sidell's 2011 book on the importance of developing effective social work documentation skills. The new edition aims to help practitioners build writing skills in a variety of settings. New materials include updates on current practice issues such as electronic case recording and trauma-informed documentation. The book addresses the need for learning to keep effective documentation with new exercises and provides tips for assessing and documenting client cultural differences of relevance. Sidell encourages individuals to reflect on personal strengths and challenges related to documentation skills. Social Work Documentation is a how-to guide for social work students and practitioners interested in good record keeping and improving their documentation skills.

Dr. Sidell provides a comprehensive rationale as to why documentation is important to social work professionals, the agencies providing assistance, and the clients that are recipients of the services. Expertly detailed and increased in the second edition are case examples from a variety of practice settings. The highlights of ethical, technological, and supervisory scenarios are essential and timely. Written from a strengths perspective, the book is filled with a treasure trove of information and belongs on the desk of every social worker from undergraduate student to seasoned professional.

—Pamela A. Richmond, PhD

Associate professor of social work

Colorado State University–Pueblo