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Prompts for Children’s Services and Education

Zabrina Gould-Wilson
Updated

Prompts can help tailor your summary to your specific role in Children’s Services or Education Social Work. To get the best results, we recommend keeping prompts specific and concise.

Below is a comprehensive list of prompts you may find useful:

Editing 

  • Change the tone of the case note to be supportive. Ensure it is not judgmental.
  • Rewrite the 'Planned Assistance' section. Use language appropriate for a 10-year-old.
  • Condense the summary paragraph. Include only key actions and outcomes.
  • Expand the rationale for the child's placement change. Focus this expansion on the 'Assessment' section.
  • Check the entire document for professional jargon. Replace all jargon with plain English.
  • Change all instances of the child's name to a pseudonym. State that this is for training purposes.
  • Format the 'Family History' section. Present the information as a clear bulleted list.
  • Update the report. Reflect the new legislative guidance on data sharing.
  • Shorten the 'Financial Concerns' section. Present the main issues in three bullet points.
  • Change ‘Next steps’ to address the parent. Ensure the tone is respectful and non-confrontational.
  • Transform the full assessment into an executive summary. The summary must have five concise points for a manager.
  • Change the perspective of the 'Child's Voice' section. Convert it from third person to first person.
  • Review the report for unnecessary detail. Make the entire report more succinct.

Communication 

  • Draft an email to the school. Request their input for the child's Annual Review meeting.
  • Write a letter to the parent. Summarize the next steps after our meeting. Keep the tone supportive and the content brief.
  • Generate a formal letter for a manager. Detail the key actions needed from the latest summary. The letter must be clear.
  • Create a message for the multi-agency group. Schedule the Team Around the Child (TAC) meeting.
  • Produce an update for the GP. Detail the child's current health and social care status. The update must be concise.
  • Compose a text message to the young person. Confirm the time and place of our next visit.
  • Develop a script for an initial phone call. Explain our role to the newly referred family.
  • Write a statement in the style of a press release. The topic is the successful new project launch in the department.
  • Generate minutes for the last supervision meeting. Focus only on actions and deadlines.
  • Draft a formal response to the complaint. Maintain a professional and empathetic tone.
  • Create an invitation for a workshop. Target foster carers and the topic is managing challenging behavior.
  • Summarize the latest child protection legislation changes. This summary is for a team briefing email.
  • Write a handover note for an out-of-hours social worker. The note should cover the high-priority case and be brief.
  • Generate a fact sheet for parents. Explain the EHCP process. The sheet must be one page.
  • Compose an email to a colleague requesting a document. Provide clear context and the required deadline.

Questions 

  • Generate the timeline of all significant events. The events must involve the family and span the last 12 months.
  • Compare the outcomes of this case with three similar cases. Pull the similar cases from the 'Complex Needs' folder.
  • Identify any gaps or inconsistencies. Search the information provided across all linked documents.
  • Summarize the progression or regression of the child's educational attainment. Base this on data since the last review.
  • Identify the three most critical risk factors. Search the content of the last two case notes.
  • Search the 'Fostering Assessments' folder. Find all instances of the phrase 'therapeutic parenting'.
  • List all professionals who have been involved in this child's case. Start the list from the initial referral.
  • Provide the professional recommendation for the next step. Base the recommendation on the available evidence in the child's care plan.
  • List all available resources. The resources must be for a young person who is transitioning out of care.
  • Identify the reason for the child's school absence. The period is between March and May of last year.
  • Find the contact details for the guardian ad litem. The details are mentioned in the court report.
  • Generate a list of questions to ask the parent during the next home visit. The purpose is to clarify their financial situation.
  • Review the EHCP draft. Suggest where further information on therapy input is needed.
  • Confirm if the family consented to information sharing. State where that consent is recorded.
  • State the organisation's policy. The policy must cover unsupervised contact between a child and a non-custodial parent.

Best Practice for Writing Prompts

  • Be clear about what you want included

  • Avoid long or complex instructions

  • Focus on one request at a time where possible

Example:
Instead of:
“Make this shorter and clearer and remove repetition and structure it better”

Try:
“Summarise into concise bullet points under the headings: Background, Current Concerns, Actions.”

The more precise your instruction, the better the output.

If a Prompt Doesn’t Work as Expected

If a prompt doesn’t give you the result you were hoping for:

  1. Click “Edits” under the summary title

  2. The right-hand panel will open

  3. Click the red arrow next to the prompt you would like to delete

  4. Reword your prompt so it is clearer and more specific

  5. Try again

 Need Support?

If you have questions or would like guidance on writing prompts:

We’re always happy to help.

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