Case Records Reflective Practice

In the human service field, case records are constructed upon people who are coping with life’s difficulties, challenges and opportunities (Harms, 2007). Case records are written legal documents, and are used to monitor human phenomena. They provide a history of events that occurred during the period of study, any alterations that took place, and the effectiveness of specific actions (Swanborn, 2010). A crucial aspect of case records is reflective practice, for it enhances the construction and effectiveness of case records. Harms stated three key functions that reflective practice has in relation to case records. These key functions consist of the client’s outcomes, your self-outcomes, and the program outcomes. To grasp the role that reflective practice has upon case records, an understanding
Therefore, with an insight of the concept reflective practice, its application in keeping case records is deemed to be effective.

This leads on to the important question of what reflective practice is so that its application in case records can be recognised. Reflective practice is essentially a continuous learning process, requiring an individual to reflect on their actions critically (Schön, 2008). Its importance was raised when Donald Schön challenged the scientific method approach to professional education. Schön proposed that a scientific method approach is where problems have definitions and clarity and those outcomes are predictable. Schön carried on stating that because of uncertainty, a scientific approach in professional life is rarely this simple. Instead, skills were developed through a continuous learning