BIRP is the format that makes the intervention visible. In SOAP and DAP the worker’s actions can disappear into the Plan; in BIRP they are the second section and the client’s response is the third. That structure is why it is favoured in behavioural support, psychiatric rehabilitation and any service that has to show a funder what was done, not only what was seen.

The four sections

BIRP note example — behaviour support

BIRP NOTE — EXAMPLE OUTPUTDRAFT
CLIENT REFERENCE: BS-2026-033 DATE/TIME: 2 September 2026, 09:30–11:00 SETTING: Supported accommodation, client’s flat WORKER: D. Okafor, Behaviour Support Practitioner, Lagos Inclusive Living BEHAVIOUR: On arrival the client was pacing the living room and said he had “had it” with his flatmate over noise the previous night. Speech rapid; hands clenched intermittently. He declined to sit for the first ten minutes. No verbal or physical aggression toward the worker. INTERVENTION: Worker acknowledged the frustration without evaluating it, then offered the choice of talking standing up or going for a walk (a strategy in the client’s behaviour support plan). Client chose the walk. During the walk the worker used the “name it, rate it” technique from the plan: client named the feeling as anger and rated it 8/10, then 5/10 after fifteen minutes. Worker then coached a rehearsal of the scripted request to the flatmate about noise after 10pm. RESPONSE: Client’s pacing stopped within five minutes of leaving the flat. He rehearsed the request twice and said the second attempt “sounded like me.” On return he sat and drank water. Rated anger at 3/10 at the end of the session. Said he would try the request that evening. PLAN: 1. Client to use the scripted request with the flatmate tonight. 2. Worker to phone tomorrow morning to check outcome. 3. Raise with the support coordinator whether a house meeting on quiet hours would help. 4. Next visit 5 September, 09:30.

When to use BIRP

BIRP is the right choice when the record needs to evidence what the worker did — behaviour support plans, funded interventions, rehabilitation programmes, and any setting where a reviewer will ask “what was tried and did it work?” It is a weaker fit for assessment contacts, home visits with multiple family members, or safeguarding, where the priority is separating observation from report and the intervention may be minimal. Many practitioners use BIRP for planned sessions and SOAP for everything else.

Try CaseworkAI free

Type your rough notes — receive a professional draft document by email in 60 seconds. No account. No sign up. Notes deleted after delivery.

Generate your first document →

Free for individual social workers, forever  ·  ICO registered  ·  GDPR compliant

Free BIRP note template

BIRP NOTE TEMPLATE

Client reference: [reference code only]
Date/time: [date, start–end]
Setting: [where]
Worker: [name, role, organisation]

B — BEHAVIOUR
[Presentation, statements, behaviour — observed vs reported]

I — INTERVENTION
[What the worker did, specifically]

R — RESPONSE
[How the client responded, immediately and since last contact]

P — PLAN
[Numbered actions; next contact]

Related guides

Frequently asked questions

Is BIRP the same as SOAP?

No. SOAP organises the note around what the worker learned (subjective, objective) and concluded. BIRP organises it around what the worker did (intervention) and what happened (response).

Who uses BIRP notes?

Mental health workers, behaviour support practitioners, psychiatric rehabilitation staff and some counselling services — typically anywhere a funder or reviewer wants the intervention made explicit.

Can CaseworkAI draft BIRP notes?

CaseworkAI drafts SOAP-format case notes. The Intervention and Response content can be written into the notes you submit and will appear in the draft; relabelling the sections on review takes a moment.