CareFirst Processes
User Guide to common functions
CONTENTS
CareFirst Legend
Glossary
Security
Logging in/out
Navigating the Team/Worker Desktop
Messages
My Caseload
Main Menu
Find Person / Search Screen
CareSecure
Adding a new record
Navigating the Client Desktop
Activities
Person’s Details
Warnings / Risk to Children
Favourites
CareFirst Chronology
Client Network / Relationships
Observations
Life Events
CareAssess Function (Forms/Assessments/Plans)
Reassigning work
Duplicating CareAssess forms
Duplicating Observations
Printing
Seeking further help
Guide to symbols
Commonly used acronyms
Must know information.
Accessing the system
Finding your way around
Internal messaging system
Workload management
Finding all functions
Lookup function
Anonymised records
Adding a person
Know your screens
Task reminders
Dob, Gender, etc
Significant information
Setting easy access records
Viewing / filtering all CareFirst recordings – to aid compiling word chron
Connected parties
Viewing / filtering / adding obs (case notes)
Adding viewing significant Life Events
Accessing / adding CareAssess forms
Changing responsible workers
Duplicating work
Duplicating work
Easy Print and Outputs (versions to share)
Contact list.
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CAREFIRST LEGEND
Below are some of the symbols used in the CareFirst environment:
Symbol
Name
Purpose/Use (including historical use)
Events
Historically used to inform the reader that something had happened on the case.
No longer used in Children’s Services.
No
This symbol represents when a CP Conference (Initial or Review) has been or is to be
held. This is added by the Central Child Protection Administrators.
Yes
CP Conferences
Currently
Used in CS
Crumbtrail* – Main Menu > Child Protection > CP Conferences
CP Registrations
This symbol represents when a child/young person has been made subject of a Child
Protection Plan (or historically placed on the CP Register). This information is added to
the system by the Central Child Protection Administrators following a CP Conference.
Yes
Crumbtrail – Main Menu>Child Protection>Maintain CP Plan
Where ‘official’ enquires of the Child Protection could be logged.
CP Enquiries
Life Events
No
This symbol represents a significant happening a child/young person’s life. This
feature also has an anniversary feature which displays a reminder on the child/young
person’s front screen around the time the event took place.
Crumbtrail – Main Menu > Biography > Life Events
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Yes
Classifications
This symbol represents a ‘Classification’ which is a key identifying factor individual to
that specific child/young person. Classifications are mainly used for collation of specific
data.
Yes
Crumbtrail – Main Menu – Biography > Classifications
The recordings of the day-to-day workings of the case.
Observations
Yes
Crumbtrail – Main Menu > Care Cycle > Observations
Shortcut on My Client screen
Care Plans
Historical recording within CareFirst, where care plans were recorded. (Care Plans
now recorded via Assessments)
No
Allocation
Symbolises an allocation to either person or team, either as the Primary Worker/ Team
or co-working. Allocations are added via the ‘network’
Yes
This symbolises a Meeting and is accessed via the ‘meetings screen’.
Meetings
Meeting Screens should only be completed for Child Protection Conferences and LAC
Reviews, and are added by Central Business Support. Other meetings/reviews can be
recorded by the use of activities (see below)
Yes
Crumbtrail - Main Menu>Care Cycle>Meetings
Details the dates, carers, and address of Looked After Children.
CLA (Child Looked
After) Main
Placements
CLA (Child Looked
After) Legal Status
Yes
Crumbtrail – Main Menu > CLA Episode > Maintain CLA Episode
Distinguishes the Legal Status (Sec 20 / Care Order etc) which applies to the
child/young person.
Crumbtrail – Main Menu > CLA Episode > Maintain CLA Episode
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Yes
Activities
Indicating that something’ e.g. a visit, arranging Health Assessment, completing or
authorisation of a form, need to be done, can be used as a reminder, and once
completed implied the task is done.
Yes
Crumbtrail – Main Menu > Care Cycle > Activities
Qualifications
This symbol represent the recorded Educational Qualifications a child/young person
has achieved. (Mainly used for LAC)
Yes
Crumbtrail – Main Menu > Biography > Qualifications
Where Assessments/Forms and Plans are added and can be viewed.
Assessments
Yes
Main Menu – shortcut
Crumbtrail – Main Menu > CareAssess > Assessments
Initial Contacts
Action Plans
Initial Contacts are created when someone contacts Children’s Services (MASH/EDT)
on a closed case and represent the first part of the Contact and Referral Form. This
provides a brief explanation as to why contact was made and may then become a
referral.
Crumbtrail – Main Menu > Care Cycle > Initial Contacts
Action Plans were historically used to record Care Plans, which are now recorded via
Assessments.
Yes
Yes/No
Use now – an admin task to create the ‘On CP Plan Warning’
Not a function used in Norfolk Children’s Services CareFirst recording.
Comments
No
Not a function used in Norfolk Children’s Services CareFirst recording.
Significant Records
No
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The roles of people on CareFirst are abbreviated to a single letter, these are as follows:
C
Client / Service User
E
Employee
F
Foster / Adoptive Carer
G
GP
M
Missing Person
O
Other Professional
P
OIP (Other Interested Party)
Q
Carer
S
Risk to Children (only added centrally /
obs provide context)
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Glossary / Acronyms
Activity
AMPH
ATM
C39d
CA
CAFCASS
CAMHS
CAR
CareAssess
CIN / S17
CIN Plan
CLA
Classification
CP / S47
CP Plan
CSC
CWD
DP
DP1
EDT
EH
CF Function: prompt to do something
Approved Mental Health Practitioner
Assistant Team Manager
Police Report
Core Assessment
Children and Family Court Advisory Service
Child and Adolescent Mental Health Service
Computer Access Request
CF description of assessment/form/plan
Child In Need
Child In Need Plan
Child Looked After
CF Record: Unique identifying factor
Child Protection
Child Protection Plan
Customer Service Centre
Children With Disabilities
Direct Payment
Data Protection Consent Form
Emergency Duty Team
Early Help
EHCP
FSW
GA
IA
ICPC
LAC
LD
MAPPA
MARAC
MH
NFF
OIP
OLA
OOH
PD
SEN
SW
UASC
UKBA
YOI
YOT
Education and Health Care Plan
Family Support Worker
Guidance Advisor
Initial Assessment
Initial Child Protection Conference
Looked After Child
Learning Difficulties
Multi Agency Public Protection Arrangement
Multi Agency Risk Assessment Conference
Mental Health
Norfolk Family Focus
Other Interested Party
Other Local Authority
Out of Hours
Physical Disabilities
Special Education Needs
Social Worker
Unaccompanied Asylum Seeking Children
United Kingdom Border Agency
Young Offender Institution
Youth Offending Team
Further keywords are explained here: http://trixresources.proceduresonline.com/nat_key/index.htm
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Security
All employees, and other staff working on behalf of Social Care, have a duty and responsibility for ensuring the confidentiality
of information, and protecting corporate and departmental information and IT assets.
You must be aware of, and comply with corporate and departmental security policy and supporting procedures. The Information
Security Policy for Employees is available on the NCC Intranet at:
http://www.proceduresonline.com/norfolk_cs/chapters/p_confid_pol.html
You must have signed the associated A(PER)101 Confidentiality and Code of Conduct Form confirming that you have read and
understood both the Confidentiality Policy and Code of Conduct and The Use and Misuse of Personal Information by Staff.
You must be aware of, and comply with, policies and supporting procedures for holding confidential or personal information on
portable computers, or portable storage devices, with which they are issued.
You must be aware of, and comply with, policies and supporting procedures for using portable computers, including health and safety
requirements.
You must be aware of, and comply with, policies and supporting procedures for sending personal information to another party.
You must be aware of, and comply with, password policies, particularly the need to have a “strong” password, and not to divulge it to
another person.
All incidents of actual or potential loss to information systems, computer equipment, or of personal information, are to be reported and
investigated using departmental incident reporting procedures.
Compliance is to be recorded as part of your supervision, and annual appraisal. Employees should re-visit the A(PER)101 Form at
their annual appraisal. Non-compliance will be recorded as part of supervision, and addressed using disciplinary procedures where
necessary.
Logging in/out
Log-in data / passwords are case sensitive; Username in CAPITALS and Password in LOWER CASE;
Be wary of using the ‘Return’ button, as it will save or submit your data and may not allow you to update or move on to the screen you
want – Use the ‘TAB’ key or click in the boxes to move around;
Hot links / hyperlinks to other parts of the system – hover over buttons to see what they do;
System security must be adhered to; remember to read the Terms and Conditions when you log onto CareFirst (see below);
You are agreeing to
these terms every time
you tick this box and
proceed
Do not disclose your password to anybody, not even your Manager or the Help Desk;
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When you are logged on, information recorded will be by you, so do not allow anyone else to use your log-in, as it leaves you open to
abuse, even if unintentionally done. It is permitted to have Business Support Staff input information on your behalf, however this must be
authorised by the responsible worker, and be clearly detailed that the information was entered on somebody’s behalf.
You have personal responsibility for data (ownership and compliance) – we are holding personal information about people and we need
to protect the information as much as possible. We are bound by such legislation as the ‘Data Protection Act 1998’, the ‘Freedom of
Information Act 1998’, and the ‘Computer Misuse Act 1990’;
Your use of CareFirst does create an Audit Trail, and regular random checks are made to ensure correct / appropriate use of the system.
Do not leave your PC/Laptop unprotected. Laptops should be kept in a locked drawer or cupboard overnight, and should all be
encrypted with a user password;
You should not leave your computer logged on if you are going to be away from your desk for any length of time, (log out or lock up);
Pen drives can be used but have to be encrypted and any sensitive or confidential information should be password protected, (see page
2 for further details and link to other information websites about security);
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DO NOT use the Red X (in the right hand corner of the screen) to close the system down, always use the red Log Out button as indicated
below;
You cannot use the Back Arrows on your Windows Toolbar to move backwards, instead use the ‘CrumbTrail created on the CareFirst
Blue Bar’
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Navigating the team/worker desktop
Desktop - Takes you to
the Worker Desktop
(the screen shown here)
Identifying Information
– Your Team and
Worker ID Number
Main Menu – See next
page for functions
Find Assessments –
short cut to the Care
Assess function (where
all social work
forms/reports are found)
User – your Logon ID
Number
Logout – always log out
using this button, (not the
red cross in the right hand
top corner);
To change your password –
Click on your User name (eg:
TUTOR01 as shown). Your user
details will be shown...
Click on the button marked,
“Change Password”. You will be
asked to enter your old
password, and then enter a new
password and then to confirm
the new password. Click ‘Save’
and your password will be
changed.
Favourites – can create
a list of people’s records
you need to frequently
access (they remain until
you delete them)
Observations Menu –
Short cut to the
Observations screen
My Client Icon – takes you to the Client Desktop of the client you have open;
‘H’ Button – Recent Subjects (history) allows you to access client records of
previously accessed clients, (only remembers last 50 entries).
-
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Navigating the worker/team desktop (continued)
Information Bar contains:Team – you work for (Managers have
access to team desktops and their
worker ones);
Manager – name of logged in worker;
Shortcuts to both Worker or Team
Allocation list.
Client – name of active client file
My/Team Desktop - allows you to view
your desktop (for managers their Team
desktop too)
Caseload List tab - (also accessed from
button in Activities bar; This allows
workers to view the cases allocated to
them, but also previous/closed
allocations. It will also show what
assignments you have currently open
and activities due on each case.
Messages tab - also accessed from
Messages button in New Messages bar;
Teams tab – for workers with multiple
logons;
Small Red Cross to close Worker
Desktop screen
The Title Bar
Displays the ‘Crumbtrail’: (Desktop : Team etc. shows
where you have been in CareFirst. Click on them to go
back to the appropriate screens)
Session time – times out after 65 mins of inactivity
(ABC icon =Spell check – does not function in all
sections (can be activated or not); Can also use I-Spell
on the web-browser bar;
Printer Icon = Prints screen shots/WYSIWYG;
Icon = Version status (only needed if asked for
information when speaking to help desk)
Question Mark = Help function
Activities Bar contains:Caseload button, gives details of your allocated cases,
open assessments and activities (assigned to your
worker number);
Activities due within 5 days only are shown here, but
they appear on the Client Desktop from the point of
entry until completed;
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Messages bar –
New received messages appear here,
(two types, System Messages and
Colleague Messages);
Note: Once read, messages will
disappear from this list, but can be
found in the Messages Inbox
Write Message button takes you to
the composing screen, Messages
button takes you to Inbox
Messages
CareFirst includes its own messaging system, which automatically sends messages to Users if someone else has amended a record of a
client they have allocated to them, or makes changes to any CareAssess Form they have assigned to them.
Messages may also be from a worker from the EDT (Emergency Duty Team) who may have had some dealings with a case out of hours,
or may be from a colleague who is joint working the case and they are alerting the reader that some information has been added to the
record.
Please remember that when you send a message, this is saved against the client’s electronic file, therefore avoid including any
inappropriate language or personal salutations, eg: invites to lunch!
Messages can be sent to colleagues via the Messages function, (or via the ‘Observations’ screen by clicking on the ‘Alert Other’s to
Observation’ option);
Be aware, for those who have access, if you read a message from a Team Desktop, you must act upon it as it will disappear from view
and may not be actioned;
New messages will appear on a Worker Desktop, but will disappear once read; they can be found again in the Messages mailbox area;
Messages will also appear on the Client Desktop, and will remain there until archived/completed;
It is important to read, complete, archive messages, otherwise they ‘block’ a worker / client desktop making it harder to see/access other
information at a glance.
Messages can be accessed from the Client Desktop (as shown below), by clicking on the ‘Messages’ button, or if you wish to send a
message by clicking on the ‘Write Message’ button (the screen on the following page will open);
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From, About and Subject
details will all be ‘pulled through’
from the client records;
‘To’ field will need to be
populated with name of person
you wish to send the message
to;
Priority is a mandatory field,
choose the appropriate answer;
Message – type your message
in the ‘Message’ box and click
on the ‘Send Message’ yellow
button;
When clicking on the ‘Messages’ tab, the following screen will open;
You will have tabs showing
‘Inbox’, ‘Completed’,
‘Archived’, ‘Sent’ and ‘News’
in the live version; When
you have read your
messages you should either
Complete or Archive them;
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My Caseload (the place to manage your workload if applicable)
My Caseload tab displays all items of work assigned to you. By default your Caseload will display by Type arranged in folders, which only
appear if they have contents; eg allocations, activities, meetings/CP conferences, care plans, observations and assessments.
The show advanced feature enables further filtering of the information.
By using this page, you can view any allocations you have, monitor your current workload and ensure that you are completing any pieces of
work that have been assigned to you to complete.
For any CareAssess Form to be counted as ‘completed / current’ they need to be ended and authorised (where applicable) therefore
preventing any further editing to take place. You should not have historic open pieces or work assigned to you. If you are aware of very
old and incomplete work which has previously been assigned to you, discuss how to deal with this with your manager
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Navigating the main menu
Main Menu:
Care Assess – to access all major forms/reports, eg: Initial/Core
Assessments, S47 Enquiry/Strategy Meeting Form, Conference
Reports, LAC/CP Review Reports, Core Group Minutes, EPF form
etc.
Biography lists the following categories:Find People
Household Entry
Relationships
Contacts (and non contacts)
Classifications
Qualifications
Life Events
Warnings Entry
Warnings Management
Care Cycle lists the following categories:Initial Contact
Activities
Meetings
Statement of Needs
Care Plan
Service Agreements
Client Equipment
Badges and Permits
Observations
Query Needs/Services
Children Looked After:
Maintain CLA Episodes – allows Looked After Children sessions to
be recorded
CLA Care Leaver Details
Child Protection lists the following categories:Logged CP Enquiry
Letters and Outputs
Children’s Outputs – to print full reports/documents;
Finance
Residential Financial Assessment
Resources/Reports/System Administration/Web Links – Not
needed/used at this stage;
Find person / search capacity
When searching, we are usually assuming that the Service User (SU) has already been entered at the point of referral (by Care Connect
Team/MASH), however you may need to create a brand new record (guidance later) ; Always use a ‘Wildcard’ when searching for client
records (see next page for further information on Wildcards);
Corporately you should undertake 5 searches using different criteria, before adding a new record, in order to avoid duplication. If you do
duplicate a record you will need to call the CareFirst Help Desk and ask them to copy any data from the duplicated record to the original,
and then delete the duplicate.
Your 5-point search should consist of:CF ID – quickest and easiest way – unique – returns only one record;
Name – Surname and First name – cannot search just first name; if using a ‘wildcard’ you must enter at least 2 letters in the Surname field
before a Wildcard will be accepted;
Address – full address or postcode – postcode usually returns the most accurate information;
Reference No – for example, NHS, National Insurance or telephone number;
Birth date
Other searches you can try:Role – eg: GP, foster carer, Other Interested Party (OIP);
Between ___ and ___ ;
Gender – NB: this may not have been entered at point of creating the record, so do not rely on this as an accurate result – it is advised to
leave this option set to ‘all’;
To search for a person, click on one of the options shown below:-
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Click on ‘Find
Person’ on the
information bar, to
search for people (or
if in the Client Desktop
you can click on
‘Change’, which will
show next to the client
name)
or In the ‘Main
Menu’, you can use
the ‘Biography’
option, then select
‘Find Person’ (which
When the ‘Main
menu’ is closed
you can click on
‘Favourites’ on the
side tool bar
(highlight the name of
the person’s file you
wish to open, and click
on ‘Use Selected’
will take you to the
search/find screen)
Click on ‘H’ (history)
button, then click on
name of person you
wish to access (this
will take you directly to
the Client Desktop of the
selected person)
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Searching – using the wildcard and other search filters
Some information in CareFirst is ‘protected by CareSecure’, and so has restricted access, this includes:1) Sensitive Records: Any subject who has been adopted, or is placed for adoption, (only Adoption workers have access to these
CareFirst records). If you try to access such a record you will receive a ‘Warning’ message;
2) Employee Records: Employee information is hidden in normal searches; if you wish to find an employee, you need to select the
‘employee’ option in the ‘Role’ field; If the staff member works for more than one team, all team names will be displayed; (see
screen shot below);
3) Restricted Access: If a person is subject of some kind of investigation, it is likely the record may be restricted, (for example a
Serious Case Review, or investigation into the conduct of a Foster Carer).
If you have a valid reason to access these records you will need to request this via your manager who can request via emailing
caresecure@norfolk.gov.uk
Wildcards: To ensure that you get the most accurate search of a name/address you can use a ‘Wildcard’ to help you; the
‘Wildcard’ is a percentage sign (%);
Input the Family
name (surname)
and first name
details in boxes
above. If you are
searching for
selected
information like
GP’s, Foster
Carers, you need
to choose that
option in the ‘Role’
box
In this example, CareFirst will
search for all names beginning
with ‘ZE’, and any combination
of letters following. The more
prescriptive you are, the less
results you are likely to get.
Start small and add more
criteria if needed for more
accurate searches.

To use a ‘Wildcard’, you must have at least two letters showing in the ‘Family Name field’ before you can enter a ‘Wildcard’; in
the ‘First names field’ you can enter a ‘Wildcard’ without entering any letters first, or by entering one letter and then a
‘Wildcard’, (see the example above)

It is advised to always use ‘Wildcards’, and in particular to place a ‘Wildcard’ at the end of each surname and first name when
searching, to ensure that any hyphenated names are included in the results, eg: Sarah-Jane.

When searching for addresses, the easiest and most accurate way of finding an address is by entering the postcode.
Remember the ‘less is more’ principal’ – the less information you put in, the more accurate the results are likely to be!
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Search capacity (OUT OF AREA ADDRESSES)
Exclude Duplicates – un-ticked shows
current and duplicate records;
Show History – ticked includes all
person records, closed and current;
Exclude Invalid Names – ticked means
names marked as invalid will be
excluded, eg: names entered in error
To close this
additional menu,
click on ‘Hide
Advanced’ button;
To enter an address to search, you need to click on the ‘Show Advanced’ button, which will reveal the drop down screen shown
above;
You can choose to list entries that are invalid, duplicates, closed and current records; see above for further details;
Addresses are found using the Postcode Area Finder (PAF), but this Gazetteer only covers local addresses; To search for people
who live outside of the area, you must add other information to your search such as family name, first name or initial, age range etc,
as well as entering ‘xxx’ in the postcode field. Do not search for people at ‘xxx’ postcodes only as it causes CareFirst to run very
slowly, given the large list of options it is likely to retrieve; to add an address out of the area, you should email the Helpdesk
(carefirsthelpdesk@norfolk.gov.uk) who will add the information for you.
When conducting new searches, use the ‘Clear’ button to ensure all previous search criteria is removed;
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Adding a New Record (when required)
Once you have completed a 5 point search (detailed previously) and you have established the person is not already in the system
you may add them. (This function is most commonly used with the MASH Team or when updating Client’s networks).
IT IS VITAL TO UNDERTAKE NUMEROUS CHECKS TO PREVENT ADDING A DUPLICATE RECORD.
Click on the Add button (bottom LHS) and the first screen it will take you to is the Find Locations (Address Search) Screen:
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Search the address remembering the ‘less is more rule’ e.g. using brief details and wildcards where applicable, and select the ‘use
selected button’ when the address has been found.
If the address cannot be found, e.g. new housing estate or out of county, contact the Help Desk (carefirsthelpdesk@norfolk.gov.uk) to
request they add this.
Once the address has been found, save the record, which will take you to the next screen:
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REMEMBER IF WE ARE TO HOLD INFORMATION ON PEOPLE THIS HAS TO BE CORRECT, it is possible to update / amend this
once the record has been added (via Person’s Details on their Client Record).
The Role Type: is detailed on page 3
Role Start Date: can be the date you are adding the record (double click)
Title / First Name / Family Name – Although you have searched these names you now have to add them. (Check details of spelling as
people can use unique spellings for names.)
Gender and Birth Date: Ensure you record this if you know it.
Address Start Date: Can be the date you are adding the record (double click)
Classification questions: Please record as much information as what you are aware of.
Once this section has been completed click the Save button and this will result in a new record being created and a new CareFirst
number being allocated to that record.
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Navigating the client desktop
Person Details button opens up
screen on following page – allows
you to change all personal details.
The Title Bar on the Client
Desktop is a darker blue
than on the Worker Desktop.
The main difference (from
the Worker Desktop), is that
the client details, allocated
team and worker appear on
this screen.
Key Classifications are significant
pieces of information relating that
particular record including:

This are shows messages about this
client from other colleagues/system.
Open assignments for this client, eg:
Assessments, Care Plans, and Activities
etc.
Information Sharing Consent
(DP1)
Missing Person information
Critical Contact information



This information needs to be kept up
to date and should always be kept
up to date and acknowledged.
Activities
An Activity can either be a reminder to undertake a task, eg: a CIN Review, or a request to ask a colleague to undertake a task, eg:
an internal referral to Occupational Therapy, or requests for authorisation of reports (eg: CP Conference report), They can be used as
rolling reminders e.g. 4 weekly visit cycle, and do not have to be completed in this case.
Activities can be viewed on the Client’s Desktop under the ‘Open Assignments’ section, from the Main Menu, via the Chronology
function, and also on the Worker Desktop if the Activity is due within 5 days;
Activities can be
or to Teams;
assigned to individual workers
Class describes the nature of the
Activity – most commonly used will be
‘Interview/Visit’, EDT, and Review.
Details of Activity – brief
description of what the
activity is, eg: ‘Statutory
visit due by end October
2011).
Type describes the type of Activity,
related to the ‘Class’ – will vary
depending on the option selected in the
‘Class’ field.
Assigned to – person responsible for the Activity, eg:
Social Worker who will do the Visit.
NB: Only
Completed
Activities will
count when
Statistical
reports are
generated.
E.g PEP
review
Requested date – generated by the system, (will always
be current day).
Required date – when the task needs to be completed
by. (nb: if left blank, the task will never appear on your Worker
Desktop in ‘Activities due in 5 days’)
Status – sets at ‘Newly Generated’ when setting up
Activity. Set as ‘Completed’ when job done.
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Person details
Address/Telephone Change and/or add
addresses and telephone
numbers here. NB: (You
cannot end one
address/phone no. and start
another on the same date).
NB: When a ‘family’ move
amend address details via
the main menu – bio –
household entry option to
ensure all family members
records are updated.
You can only have one ‘Main’ Telephone number and
address, but can add additional ones as ‘other’. If no
‘Main telephone’ is identified then the telephone number
will not show on the Client’s main screen (Client
Desktop);
File Details – Indicates the whereabouts of any paper
records which are also relevant to the Client.
Any file movement needs to be recorded to ensure there
whereabouts are always known.
Reference numbers: - Record
details such as, Passport, NHS
Number, NI Number, Library
Card, Laptop numbers etc.
Other Names: - record Aliases in this
category, short names or nicknames,
and records any previous names if the
record has been changed.
Classifications: -Unique Identifying
Information to the individual (data collation)
Captures things such as SEN, Marital Status,
Disability, PEP’s, Health Assessments etc..
N.B: ALWAYS CHECK AND UPDATE PERSONAL DETAILS (or inform responsible worker) IF YOU BECOME AWARE THEY ARE
WRONG AS IT IS VITAL IF WE ARE TO HOLD INFORMATION ON INDIVIDUALS THIS INFORMATION IS CORRECT AND ACCURATE
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Warnings / risk to children
Adding Warnings – Select ‘Main
Menu’ and then ‘Biography’. Choose
‘Warnings Entry’. Click on the ‘Add’
button and this screen will open.
Identified by / Team Resp – name
of worker entering the information.
Double click to input your Worker
ID Number; Team Resp field will
automatically be populated once
you put in your ID.
Type – Choose from;
Danger of Violent/Threatening
Behaviour
Dangerous Pet
Missing Person
On Sex Offenders Register
Subject to MAPPA (Multi-Agency
Public Protection Arrangements)
Authorised by – this section is
completed by your Manager, who
must authorise the Warning before
is shows as active.
Subject informed – people should be
informed of information held
electronically on them, however there
may be times when this is not
appropriate, ie: if it would cause risk of
harm to somebody.
Notes – Add any detail you think is
helpful to others, eg: what the
MAPPA category is, or that workers
are not to visit alone etc.
Start date – date information entered.
End date/End reason – completed
when Warning is no longer needed.
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Adding Warnings (continued)
Warnings are recorded when there is a threat of harm or danger;
All Warnings must be authorised by an identified Manager;
If the Warning has not be authorised, the person detail icon remains yellow; when it is authorised it changes to red;
Adding a Child Protection Plan automatically generates a warning; CP warnings show on the Client’s Desktop, all other Warnings have to
be searched for in the ‘Warnings’ section of Biography field.
You must remember to remove Warnings that are no longer appropriate/required;
Clicking on the red person icon will take you to the Warnings entry screen.
Risk to children recording
People who have been convicted of an offence against a minor are categorised as: People who pose a risk to children (formerly known as
Schedule 1 Offenders) – please seen procedures for more details.
This is evidenced on CareFirst by them having a ‘Risk To Children’ role type and any subsequent information about the offence they
committed is recorded in observations.
The Risk to Children alert is displayed in the following ways:
On an individual’s ‘Client Desktop’:
And displayed clearly next to their name when looking at the client network:
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How to use favourites

It is possible to save regularly used client files in an area known as ‘Favourites’, which allows easier and quicker access to them in
future;

You can save as many Favourites as you wish, and they will remain on the list until such time as you choose to delete them, (NB:
deleting client names from your favourite list does not delete them from CareFirst);

To add a person to your Favourite list, click on the ‘Find Person’ or ‘Change’ option on the blue bar, or select ‘Find Person’ from the
Biography Menu; the following search screen will appear;
Type in the name of the
client you want to add to
your Favourites list, and
then click on the ‘Search’
button;
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When you click on ‘Search’, the screen below will appear;
Highlight/select the client
name you wish to add,
(as shown below), then
click on the ‘Add
Favourite’ button;
Click on this icon,
to see your list of
Favourites and
access the one you
want.
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CareFirst Chronology
Purpose/Use:
The Chronology Tool within CareFirst allows you to filter and review ALL* information on a child’s record (including basic historic information
transferred from ISSIS/Norcris (previous Social Care databases), where relevant). This enables you to establish a clear and holistic picture of
what has happened within the case. This is the easiest and best place to gain a complete overview (not just observations and assessments)
and prevents you from getting ‘lost’ in CareFirst.
You can also create and save a ‘Chronology Record’ which retains the selected information and can be printed out, if required.
There is a current requirement for a Case Chronology to be maintained on a separate Word Template and stored on the paper file (see
separate guidance). However information to be added to this form can easily be gathered from the CareFirst Chronology.
The Chronology ‘function’ can be accessed from two different places on CareFirst once you have access a client’s record.
1)
2)
from the tabs on the right hand top of the Client Desktop
halfway down the screen on the right hand side where the Open Assignments section is.
The default setting for the Chronology is 4 weeks with Show All Types and Show History ticked (see below)
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Advanced Options -
(enabling you to filter dates and select specific detailed information)
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How to use
If you are looking for a specific piece of significant information e.g. If / when Child Protection Conferences have taken place and Category of
Registrations you select just those within All Records.
If you want to see what activity has been taking place over a specific period of time. Use the Date fields, and Show All Types. This will display
all information that has been added within this period.
You can then select any record you wish to gather further information from and click on details (bottom right hand) to access the record and
more information.
To return to the main chronology screen, use the ‘crumb-trail’ to select the section you wish to return to.
You can add or remove categories to enable you to build a picture of events, and if required you can quickly move over to the ‘network’ –
separate tab next to chronology tab to cross reference who is involved with the child/young person.
To move through an assessment either use continue, select specific sections of the assessment or use print preview which will display the
whole assessment (input view*) in a separate window
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*input view opposed to ‘output’ which is the version which is produced to share with those involved with assessments/plans.
Chronology Record.
There may be time where you wish to save the selected information you have filtered to re-refer to. Additionally if you have a saved
chronology record you are able to print it out to include details of what was written in the observations and outcomes of assessments.
You select the types of records you wish to filter via the advanced screen then click on the Chronology record.
You can then add a name to the selected record, notes if you wish, and even filter out more information in the record screen if required. Then
click save and the record will be stored within CareFirst so you can access it again and print it out.
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Printing a Chronology record.
Once you have saved a Chronology record it is then saved within CareFirst and you can view it again whenever you need to, or you can opt to
print it out.
This will take you to the ‘print screen’
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You have the following options within the printing screen:
1. Show Details
2. Font Size
3. Order by Dates
Non-Detailed (default setting)
Summary Notes (includes comments)
Full Details
Normal Font (default setting)
Large Font
Ascending (default setting)
Descending
Displays basic info e.g. subject type of Obs
but no more
Displays information recorded in Obs
Same as Summary Notes.
Self-explanatory
Oldest record first
New record first
You then have the option to create a word or PDF document that you can print out. (PDF is the preferable format for printing CF forms)
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The client network/relationships
The Network shows all of the client’s support networks/relationships, including family, friends, professionals, and team/worker allocations.
It is essential that a Client's network is routinely checked as this may provide information about individual who pose a risk to a child (see page
;) and it is kept up to date
This is the most likely place where you would need to ‘add’ a new record if the person connected to your client does not exist.
Network – Click on this
button to add relationships
and contacts, (Personal,
Professional and Allocation).
Show History - Shows
current/past
relationships to client.
Relationships are reciprocal;
all the individuals in these
relationships will have a record
in CareFirst (in their own right);
Contacts are of a
specific type, eg: Spare
Key Holder, person with
Parental Responsibility,
Emergency Contact etc.
They can be added as
individuals who are
known to CareFirst, or
as Free Text contacts
(without a CareFirst ID);
IMPORTANT - Non Contact is where to record essential
information about any restrictions that have been put in
place either by a Judge, Social Care or at the request of
the Client around restrictions around contact. Relates to
safeguarding issues.
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Observations
Observations are used for day to day case recording:
IMPORTANT:
Observations need to be used with caution and be well thought out, they are to provide information about the day to day running of the case,
provide evidence of decision making and be relevant to the situation. Any changes of address / contact details / significant events should be
recorded in the correct area of the system.
The focus of recording should be in Assessments, Plans and Reviews which provide an arena for more structure and analytical recording.
Recordings made within CareFirst forms can be cross referenced within Observations.
Observations Select Main Menu,
then Care Cycle and
Observations to
reach the
Observations Screen
or use the shortcut:
Click on ‘Add’, to
input a new
Observation.
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The ‘Find Observation’ screen has a filter system, which has a default setting to display only the Observations recorded this
month, (as shown below);
Select which option
is most
appropriate, eg:
‘this month’, ‘all
records’ etc. to find
the records you
need.
Clicking on the
‘Show Advanced’
button, will open up
a drop down menu,
(as below);
Observations
Advanced
Features:
Allows you to
search for
specific
observations,
eg: in a certain
date period, or
all
communications
with a specific
person (eg:
Source Name);
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Observations (continued)

When entering Source ID and Relationship entries, always remember the relationship should be that of the Source to the Client, eg: if
the Source ID was Barney Rubble (a child’s father), then the Relationship would be ‘relative’;

Any Observation relating to a discussion with, or checking by a Manager, should have a subject of ‘Management Overview’ or
‘Supervision Actions’ as appropriate;

If a colleague, (eg: a Business Support Officer) enters observations on behalf of a Social Worker, they should enter the SW’s ID number
in the ‘Responsible’ box and write at the bottom of the Observation, ‘Entered by Penelope Pitstop (Admin Worker) on behalf of Fred
Flintstone (SW)’, and save (but not ‘Complete’) the Observation. The SW should then check the information recorded and complete
the Observation themselves; this ensures a clear audit trail, and records the correct responsibility of a task;
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Observations input
Sequence – is only used if a
second Observation box is required
to continue from an original entry,
(because more space needed);
Notified – is the date of the action,
(eg: call, visit, letter etc.) nb: you
can use the ‘-‘ function to put in
earlier dates, ie: ‘-7’ will put in date
from 7 days ago.
Subject: Most commonly used
entries likely to be; ‘Contact/Case
Record’, ‘Child seen’, ‘Documents
sent’, ‘EDT Alert’, ‘Meeting
conclusions’, ‘Supervision Actions’.
Source Type: Usually this will be
‘Person ID’, but Free Text can be
used, for example to enter the
name of a Locum GP. In this
instance, it would not be worth
having them added to C/F if only
around for a couple of weeks. You
should NOT use Free Text as a
quick option!
Observation input (continued)
Source ID: is the C/F
number of the person you
had the communication
with, eg: parent, other
professional, client
themselves etc.
You can use this grey box
to bring up the search
screen, to search C/F
database, or click on the ‘H’
(history) button if it is a
client whose record you
have accessed before.
Relationship: eg: relative,
professional, etc. Please
Note: this should always be
the relationship of the
Source to the Client;
Responsible: enter the
name of the person who
made the call or visit. nb: if
you ‘double click’ in this box
it will enter your Worker
ID/details for you.
Text: You should always start your observation text with
identifying information, eg:Your name, Role - Short name of
team, what you did, who you met/spoke to, when and why, as
well as the time of the action. (See above text for example)
Angie May SW CWD– Home visit by, Fred
Flintstone at 11.00am, to see Chablis, to
undertake wishes and feelings session as
part of assessment. See I.A for further
detail
Completed? – Always complete your Observations as soon as possible
after finishing them; Once Completed, they are ‘set in stone’ and cannot
be changed. nb: you can only duplicate completed observations.
Output to Docs/Significant in Chronology – not needed.
Alert others to Observation – see details on next page;
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Observations (Alerting Colleagues)
If Observations are left uncompleted, anybody can amend/change the content of that recording; obviously it will not always be possible to
‘Complete’ your work immediately every time, but you should make every effort to ‘Complete’ all Observations as quickly as possible (to
protect the sensitive data we manage);
All observations that are 30 days old (or more) will automatically be completed by CareFirst… this means you will no longer be able to make
any changes to that observation.
It is possible to alert a colleague to an Observation you have written on one of their allocated cases, as follows:-
‘Alert others to Observation’
button when ticked, drops down
this additional entry area. If you
enter the ID number for the
colleague you wish to notify, then
click on the yellow button
marked, ‘Add Message
Recipient’, and their name will
appear in the section underneath
marked, Existing Answers.
When you save and complete the
Observation, an automatic
notification will be sent to all
those people named here, to say
they have a new observation.
NB when searching colleagues
always use the Role Typle:
Employee
Adding life events
Life Events are used to record significant things that have happened in a child’s life and has had an impact on the child, eg: births, deaths,
new partners moving in/out etc;
Life Events are displayed as reminders on the subjects record 2 weeks before and after life event anniversary date;
Life Events are found in
the ‘Main Menu’,
‘Biography’ and then ‘Life
Events’, which brings up
this screen.
To input a new life
event, click on ‘Add’
button. The screen
on the following
page is opened;
Life Events Filter – this
section of the screen
allows you to search for
specific life events, in a
certain date period, or all
recorded events.
This record shows there
is a change of school
recorded for this child.
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Adding life events (continued)
Event type – choices given are:
Bereavement
Births
Education
Family Changes
Marital Changes
Medical Events
Offending
Training / Employment
Event Category – will vary depending on the
option above that is chosen;
Event date / Event notified ; enter
appropriate dates; the reminder will show 2
weeks prior to the event anniversary;
Text – enter here the details of the event, ie:
death of a grandparent, and brief
circumstances around this;
Impact – enter here information relating to
effect of the event on the child; things that
might need addressing, eg: visiting a grave
etc.
When a life event has been successfully
added, it will set a reminder each year of the
specific event
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The Care Assess Function
For further guidance please see: Generic Assessments and Forms
Care Assess can be found in the ‘Main Menu’ of CareFirst; select Care Assess and then ‘Assessments’, to create or read any Care Assess
documents. Alternatively you can click on the clipboard icon, which will take you straight to the Care Assess screen (see diagram below);
Click here to take
you to the Care
Assess
‘Assessments’
screen, or use the
icon above that,
‘Main Menu’ –
both will open the
screen shown in
this example.
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
The Care Assess function in CareFirst is used to access all reports, for example, Child Protection Conference Reports, Initial Assessments,
Core Assessments, Care Plans, Emergency Duty Team Alerts, Strategy Discussion reports etc.

To open a report, click on the one you wish to access, so that it is highlighted, then click on the ‘Details’ button; the selected assessment will
open and you can continue working on the document.

If the assessment has been created by another user and is ‘assigned to them to complete the work’ the following screen will appear;
If you need to just read the assessment
only, then you can leave this box blank,
and just click on the ‘Save’ button.
If you need to make amendments to the
assessment, you need to enter a reason
in the box, and then click the ‘Save’ button
to open the assessment.

To open the assessment as ‘read only’, leave the ‘Reason for Access’ box empty and just click on the ‘Save’ button – the assessment will
open but will only show existing text/answers;
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
If you need to make amendments to the assessment, you should enter a reason in the box, and then click the ‘Save’ button to open the
assessment. This will allow you access to the previously locked document. You can make amendments and then save it. NB: The
document will remain in the name of the originating writer, and will always bring up the above screen, until such time the document is reassigned. If changes are made by colleagues, however, the audit trail will show who made the changes to the original document with the
reason that was entered in the above shown box;

If assessments remain in the name of colleagues who have left the department, or moved teams, then a manager would need to over-ride the
function and can force an ‘unlock’ to allow permanent re-assignment if necessary, which will avoid the need for the above process;

To exit from an assessment, click on the ‘Cancel’ button. When prompted to confirm the cancel request, click ‘OK’ and the document will
close
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Reassigning work

CareAssess Forms and Activities can be re-assigned to other colleagues, eg: when workers leave or change within a team;
To Reassign an piece
of work, click on the
entry to be reassigned,
so that it is highlighted
(with a tick in the box),
then click on the yellow
‘Details’ button; the
following screen will
appear;
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Click on the Reassign
button, and the next screen
appears;
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Enter the Worker
Number of the
person to reassign
to, or Search for
their name using
the Search facility
(small grey box);
Click on ‘save’; the
Activity will be
reassigned and the
new worker will
receive a message
notifying them the
work is now in their
name.
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Duplication of Observations and CareAssess Forms
1.
2.
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3.
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You can duplicate any form/assessment at any time (prior or following completion/authorisation) and edit each individual form/assessment once
it has been duplicated.
N.B. Each form/assessment has to be completed / authorised (where applicable) individually and even if no editing is required it is important to
remember to complete each one and send for authorisation (where applicable).
Diagram 1) from the ‘Find Assessment’ screen, select the assessment you wish to duplicate and click ‘Duplicate’
The Duplicated to Details is used once the assessment has been duplicated and enables quick access to the duplicated form for easy editing /
completion.
Diagram 2) the start date is the date that the assessment / form is from e.g. if you are duplicating a Core Assessment ensure that the start date
of the duplicated form is the same as the start date as the one you are copying from. If you are duplicating an assessment/form onto the same
child’s record such as a LAC form (which is to be updated to reflect another period of care) this would be the date you want the form to start
from.
The list is those who are recorded in the child/young persons ‘personal network’ and you can select multiple records to duplicate to. If you wish
to duplicate onto the same child’s record, or to someone outside of the child’s network, you need to use the ‘Find Person’ button and search for
the individual using the Find Person screen. Once you have selected all the names you wish to duplicate click on the Create Duplicate
Assessment button.
Diagram 3) To edit or complete assessments you have just duplicated whilst remaining in the ‘index child’s’ record select the assessment you
have just duplicated and click ‘Duplicated to Details’ (see diagram 1). This will list all those whom the record has been duplicated to. By clicking
on Details – this takes you to the assessment within another record and enables you to edit and complete.
N.B – Be aware and use the crumb trail to show you where you are in the system and work your way backwards.
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Observations: select the observation you wish to be duplicated by selecting from the list and clicking details and click on Duplicate
Observation button
Select those you wish to duplicate the observation to. If you want to duplicated completed observations (locked from editing) select the Create
Completed Observations box.
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To enable you to access the records of those you have duplicated to and edit click on the Duplicate To Details
By selecting a person and clicking on details. This will enable you access and edit the observation within the duplicated child’s record.
NB: Please note the ‘crumbtrail’ as this allows you to move backwards within CareFirst and repeat the same process for any subsequent
record.
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PRINTING
There are several ways to print in CareFirst:
Using the Printer Icon on the Title Bar: This produces a new window and will pull together the information that is within CareFirst in one
simple document, good for quick reading of CareAssess Forms and reading blocks of observations.
Click on the ‘printer icon’ to perform a
WYSIWYG (what you see is what you get)
print;
When you click on this icon, a second window will open, on the original screen as shown below.
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The text showing in that second window is
what will print out as WYSIWYG.
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PRINTING (continued
Outputting / Printing
Forms that are meant to be shared with service users, families or other agencies will have an ‘output’ which tidies up and presents the
recorded information in a clear and comprehensive way. Any unanswered questions will not appear in this Output.
Any historic versions of the forms/outputs are accessible in the Archive.
.
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Click on the Main Menu (above)
Click on the search button
Cross reference the name of the form/assessment you wish to ‘output’ by looking in the Find Assessment Screen:
Type in the search box, and a list of all possible records matching the search criteria will be displayed.
N.B to look at any completed Assessments you need to ensure the Show History button is checked.
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This is the next screen that will appear. If you wish to print off
signature sheets, then you should put a tick in this box.
You can also choose to print in larger size text by making
your selection from the ‘Font Size’ field. Click on Submit to
continue, and a message will appear that says ‘Executing
report please wait’.
Type in the name of the Assessment/Form you wish to ‘output’.
N.B. The current version of the form is the first one on the list, and then older versions appear. If there is no assessment on record, nothing
will appear within the boxes on the left hand side.
You can now produce the report and print it via Adobe PDF or word (PDF gives better finish and cannot be edited – completed forms should
never be edited).
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The report will paginate and when completed will look as the example below. You must wait until all the pages are paginated, otherwise only
the first page will be printed.
In order for the whole document to print, you must wait until the pages are paginated,
as shown here (1 of 6). While paginating this usually reads 1 of 1+.
You can move through the pages by clicking on the options shown on this bar, (eg:
First page, Previous etc.), or by scrolling down with your mouse, or pressing the ‘Page
Down’ button on your keyboard.
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SOURCES OF SUPPORT / INFORMATION
CareFirst WebPages:
Link - CareFirst Information
Help Desk
Monday to Thursday : 8.30am to 5.30pm and Friday: 8.30am to 5pm
E-mail: carefirsthelpdesk@norfolk.gov.uk
CareFirst Practices and Processes enquiries and request for further training.
E-Mail: cscarefirstprocessenquiries@norfolk.gov.uk
Trainers
Keren Hall
Tel: 01603 306686 or Mobile: 07717 226487
E-Mail: keren.hall@norfolk.gov.uk
Jo Walker
Tel: 01603 638191 or Mobile:07500 573512
E-Mail: jo.walker@norfolk.gov.uk
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