Cases close for good reasons and for bad ones: goals met, the family moved, the person disengaged, the service ran out of capacity. Whatever the reason, the closure summary is where it is recorded honestly. If the case is re-referred in eighteen months, the duty worker will read this document first and decide how urgently to act on the strength of it. Written well, it takes fifteen minutes and saves hours.
What a closure summary must contain
- Why the case opened — the original referral reason and date, in two or three lines.
- What was done — the plan, the main interventions, the services involved. Not the whole history; the shape of it.
- What changed — outcomes against the original goals, stated specifically. What improved, what did not.
- Why it is closing — goals met, planned step-down, transfer, disengagement, moved away, other. Be exact; “no further role” hides the reason.
- Outstanding risks and unmet needs — the section most often left blank, and the one the next worker needs most.
- Who else is involved — services still open to the person, with contacts.
- The person’s view — whether they agree with closure, and their own words if given.
- What would trigger re-referral — the specific circumstances that should reopen the case.
Closure summary example
Try CaseworkAI free
CaseworkAI drafts the case notes and home visit summaries that a closure summary is built from. Structured records make closure a fifteen-minute job rather than a day of reading back through the file.
Generate your first document →Free for individual social workers, forever · ICO registered · GDPR compliant
Common mistakes
- Closing on silence. If the person disengaged, say so, say what was tried, and say what the risk of closure is. “Case closed — no contact” leaves the next worker guessing.
- Only the positives. Outstanding needs are the most important section for whoever reads this next.
- No triggers. Without re-referral triggers, the duty worker who picks up a new referral has no baseline for urgency.
- Written weeks after the last contact. Close the case when it closes; the summary loses accuracy with every week.
Free closure summary template
CASE CLOSURE SUMMARY TEMPLATE
Reference: [reference code only]
Opened: [date] Closed: [date]
Worker: [name, role, organisation]
REASON FOR OPENING
[Referral source, reason, date]
WORK UNDERTAKEN
[Plan, main interventions, services]
OUTCOMES
[Against original goals; specific]
REASON FOR CLOSURE
[Exact reason]
OUTSTANDING RISKS / UNMET NEEDS
[Honest and specific]
OTHER SERVICES INVOLVED
[With contacts]
PERSON’S / FAMILY’S VIEW
[Agreement; own words]
RE-REFERRAL TRIGGERS
[Specific circumstances]
Related guides
Frequently asked questions
How long should a closure summary be?
One page. It is a summary; the detail is in the file.
What if the person disagrees with closure?
Record their disagreement and their reasons in their own words, and record why the service is closing regardless. Their view is part of the record.
Is a transfer summary the same thing?
Nearly. A transfer summary is a closure summary written for a named receiving worker, and should add what the new worker needs to do first.