Smile

Every now and then, when stuck trying to find a new angle on things, I have a habit of coming across something on the interweb that truly takes my breath away. It's happened again in the form of a blog Probation Officer Toolkit - 'Smiling Sonia's Tips and Shortcuts to ease your working life'.

Now I have to say straight off that I thought this was a spoof because I recall doing something very similar way back in the 90's when computers first made an appearance in the office in the form of a glorified word processor. I remember we had a stab at a house magazine, complete with spot the ball competition, readers letters and 'handy hints and tips'. There was only ever one edition though and the joke wore thin and we soon got bored. It had amused us for a short period of time, but as we now know, the bloody computer was to have the last laugh.

Anyway, back to Smiling Sonia. She strikes me as someone who has way too little to do. Indeed her biography proudly confirms that she only managed five years as a PO before moving onwards and upwards, eventually to Head Office and to investigating SFO's. But it would seem that her career to date has given her quite an insight into the trials and tribulations faced by PO's and PSO's, so much so that she has been moved to publish helpful guidance on a range of issues such as burnout and that ever thorny problem, records:-
       

Record Keeping Skills – 7 Steps for Easy to Read Records for Probation Officers

As a Probation Officer are you confident about your record keeping skills? If you went off sick tomorrow would your colleague know the current situation?

Think about the following scenario.

This has been one of those days when you have seen one service user after the other. You have no time in between to write up the sessions. You are in a rush so write down brief notes to give a gist of what has happened. You tell yourself that you will add more details tomorrow when you have more time. Of course when tomorrow comes you’re straight into a new crisis.

When you do get round to it how much will you remember?

How Do You Rate Your Record Keeping Skills?

Do you proof read all your case records? Would someone else understand what you wrote? Do you check for spelling mistakes and grammatical errors? If you hand write a record could someone decipher your hand writing? Most people assume that Probation Officers have a good understanding of the English language. This is not always the case.

What about your colleague’s record keeping skills?

Smiling Sonia’s 7 Steps for Easy to Read Record Keeping for Probation Officers

1. Proof read. Read your words out loud because this will help you detect typos and grammatical mistakes. It will also help you to check the flow. This is not full proof. When you proofread your own work you automatically read words you think should be there when they are not. You become word blind. It is better to ask someone else to proof read your work.

2. Avoid abbreviations. Don’t be tempted to shorten words because it is quicker for you to write. It will not be quicker for the reader to read if they don’t know the full term being abbreviated. You won’t always follow this rule when the abbreviated term is more familiar than the original phrase. OASys pronounced OASIS is more often used instead of saying Offender Assessment System.

3. Use acronyms carefully. Remember to put the acronym in brackets after the term the first time you use it. Use the acronym in the remainder of the text.  Some acronyms are so familiar that they do not need explaining. National Offender Management System (NOMS), Ministry of Justice (MOJ), and Her Majesty’s Prison (HMP).

4. Use the spell checker. Use the computer spell checker but don’t rely on it 100% as a method of proof reading. Keep a traditional dictionary handy.

5. Use paragraphs with headings. You want the reader to be able to locate information quickly by skimming the headings to find particular information. If the reader is interested in only one bit of information they do not have to read the whole text. Separate different ideas/issues by breaking up the text. This makes it easier to keep the information organised. 

6. Write short sentences and short paragraphs. Make it easy for anyone to read your case record. Sentences that are too long tend to lose their thread. The average sentence length should be 15 to 17 words. Limit one idea to a sentence. Limit your paragraphs to 3 to 5 sentences.

7. Use plain language. Do not assume that your records will be read only by colleagues within your organisation. Use of plan language means anyone will understand your message. Don’t use “utilise” instead of “use” it means the same thing.

I feel the urgent need for a lie down and can't help wondering if Sonia would still be smiling if she had to use N-Delius?