GBV Case Management Documentation — Survivor-Centred Recording

GBV case management — in refugee settings, conflict zones, urban programmes, community-based services — runs on a small set of documents: an intake and assessment, an action plan, follow-up notes, and a closure. The inter-agency guidelines that most humanitarian GBV programmes work to are explicit that documentation is part of the intervention, not administration around it, and that it is governed by the same principles as the care: the survivor’s safety, confidentiality, respect and self-determination come first.

The principles that shape every record

Informed consent for documentation. The survivor is told what will be recorded, who can see it, how it is stored, and that they can decline. Consent for the record is separate from consent for referral, and both are recorded.
Coded identity. Case files carry a code, not a name. The key linking codes to identities is held separately, with restricted access. In any tool or channel outside the organisation’s secure system, only the code is ever used.
The survivor’s account, not an investigation. The record captures what the survivor chooses to share, in their words, for the purpose of care. The caseworker does not probe for detail the survivor did not offer, and the record does not attempt to establish what happened evidentially.
Minimum necessary. Enough to provide safe, continuous care. Not more.
Survivor access. The survivor can see what is written about them.

What belongs in the file

Intake and assessment — case code; date; consent recorded; the survivor’s account as they chose to give it; immediate safety and medical needs; the survivor’s own priorities; risk to the survivor and any children.
Action plan — agreed by the survivor: referrals (health, legal, shelter, psychosocial) with consent for each; safety plan; who does what; next contact.
Follow-up notes — date and method; what has happened since; the survivor’s current situation and priorities; changes to safety or risk; actions.
Closure — reason (goals met, survivor’s choice, lost contact, transfer); outstanding needs; how the survivor can return.

What must never be written

The survivor’s name, address, phone number or any identifier in the case file itself, or in any message, email or third-party tool.
The perpetrator’s name unless the survivor has explicitly consented and it is necessary for safety planning.
Judgements about the survivor’s credibility, choices or behaviour.
Detail of the violence beyond what the survivor offered and what care requires.
Anything the survivor asked not to be recorded.

Follow-up note example

GBV CASE MANAGEMENT — FOLLOW-UP NOTE EXAMPLEDRAFT

CASE CODE: GBV-KK-0417 DATE / METHOD: 2 September 2026, in person, women’s centre CASEWORKER: Caseworker 07 CONTACT: Follow-up 3 CONSENT: Reconfirmed verbally for continued case management and for this note. SINCE LAST CONTACT: Survivor reports she has moved to her sister’s household as planned (safety plan step 2). She attended the health clinic appointment on 26 August; she chose not to share the outcome and was not asked. She has not contacted the legal aid service and said she is “not ready to decide about that.” CURRENT SITUATION AND PRIORITIES: Survivor describes sleeping better and feeling “safer, but not safe.” Her priority this week is enrolling her two children at the school near her sister’s home. She asked about cash assistance for transport. SAFETY AND RISK: No contact from the person responsible since the move, per survivor. She has changed her phone number. Risk assessed with her as reduced but present; safety plan steps 3 and 4 remain. ACTIONS: 1. Caseworker to make school enrolment referral with survivor’s consent (given) — by 4 September. 2. Caseworker to check cash assistance eligibility — by 4 September. 3. Legal aid not pursued; survivor to raise it when she wishes. 4. Next contact 9 September, in person; survivor prefers not to be phoned.

Try CaseworkAI free

CaseworkAI drafts case notes and referral letters from rough notes in about a minute. Use case codes only — never names — and the notes are deleted once the document is sent.

Generate your first document →

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

Common failures

Identifiers in the file, or in the WhatsApp message to the referral partner.
Consent assumed rather than recorded, or recorded once and never revisited.
Recording detail of the violence the survivor did not volunteer.
Actions the caseworker decided rather than the survivor agreed.
Files shared for donor reporting without full de-identification.

Free GBV follow-up note template

GBV CASE MANAGEMENT FOLLOW-UP NOTE TEMPLATE

Case code: [code only]
Date / method: [date; in person / phone / other]
Caseworker: [ID]
Contact number: [n]

CONSENT
[Reconfirmed for case management and for this record]

SINCE LAST CONTACT
[What has happened; survivor’s words where they matter]

CURRENT SITUATION AND PRIORITIES
[As the survivor describes them]

SAFETY AND RISK
[Assessed with the survivor; safety plan status]

ACTIONS
[Agreed with the survivor; consent for each referral; next contact and preferred method]

Related guides

Frequently asked questions

Can I use an AI tool for GBV case notes?

Only with a case code and never a name, and only where your organisation’s data protection policy permits it. CaseworkAI retains nothing after the document is sent, but the decision is your organisation’s.

What if the survivor withdraws consent for the record?

Record the withdrawal and the date, and follow your organisation’s procedure for the existing file. Care can usually continue with a minimal record.

Should I record the perpetrator’s identity?

Only with the survivor’s explicit consent and only where it is necessary for the survivor’s safety plan. Otherwise, no.

GBV case management documentation — recording that keeps survivors safe