The chronology is the most analytical document a social worker produces. Every other record describes a moment; the chronology shows the shape of time. A series of incidents that are each low concern — a missed appointment, a bruise explained, a school absence — can become high concern only when they are seen in sequence. That is what a chronology is for, and it is why guidance in England treats an up-to-date chronology as a requirement for every open case and expects it to be presented at conferences and panels.
What counts as a significant event
A significant event is one that affects the person’s safety, welfare, circumstances or home environment — positively or negatively. The test is impact, not drama. Guidance from local safeguarding partnerships lists, among others:
- Births, deaths, serious illnesses, hospital admissions
- Changes in household composition: separations, new partners, relatives moving in or out
- Changes of address, evictions, periods of homelessness
- Referrals, assessments and their outcomes; case openings and closures
- Home visits where concerns were identified, and visits that were cut short or refused
- School moves, exclusions, significant periods of absence
- Police involvement, injuries, disclosures
- Positive changes: engagement with a service, return to school, a parent completing a programme
Routine contacts with no change are not significant events. A chronology that lists every phone call loses the pattern in the noise.
How much detail
This is where guidance has historically pulled in two directions. After the death of Victoria Climbié, Lord Laming’s 2003 inquiry recommended chronologies be comprehensive; a decade later, guidance from Sir James Munby on chronologies for family proceedings asked for a succinct summary. The current position from Research in Practice reconciles them: a working chronology on the file can be fuller, but a chronology prepared as evidence should be concise, with significant events covering only the previous two years and anything earlier grouped into a single summary entry in date order.
Each entry needs three things: the date, a brief factual description of the event, and the source of the information. One or two lines. The analysis goes in the assessment, not the chronology.
Chronology example (extract)
Read down the right-hand column and the pattern is visible: a decline, an intervention, an improvement, and a new variable at the end. That is the whole purpose of the document.
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Single-agency and multi-agency chronologies
A single-agency chronology holds one service’s significant events and should accompany any referral to another agency. A multi-agency chronology is compiled for a specific intervention — a conference, a serious case review — from the single-agency chronologies of everyone involved, and includes only what is relevant, necessary and proportionate. Sharing a chronology widely can itself increase risk to a family member; distribution is a decision, not a default.
Keeping it current
A chronology started at case opening and updated at each significant event takes minutes to maintain. One reconstructed from months of case notes before a conference takes days and is less accurate. Local guidance typically expects updates at least every three months and at every review meeting, and treats the absence of a current chronology at a decision-making meeting as an escalation issue.
Free chronology template
CHRONOLOGY TEMPLATE
Family / person reference: [reference code only]
Child(ren): [initials, DOB]
Chronology started: [date] Last updated: [date] Updated by: [name]
DATE | EVENT (brief, factual) | SOURCE | REF (assessment / record, if any)
[date] | [one or two lines] | [who told you] | [document]
[Events prior to two years ago: grouped into one summary entry at the top, in date order]
Related guides
Frequently asked questions
How far back should a chronology go?
For proceedings, significant events for the previous two years with earlier history summarised in one entry. A working chronology on file can go back to the birth of the parents where relevant.
Should the family see the chronology?
Involving the family checks accuracy and captures their perspective on events; guidance encourages it. Sharing decisions should consider risk to any family member.
Is a chronology the same as case notes?
No. Case notes record contacts in full. A chronology extracts only the significant events, one or two lines each, so the pattern can be seen.