The CHARMS recording system
Daily recordings, kept simple. The secure system our foster carers use for the day-to-day notes about their foster child.
What CHARMS is
Embrace uses CHARMS, a secure online case recording system built for fostering, for the daily recordings about your foster child. It keeps communication and records up to date in a safe way, and your supervising social worker sees updates as you make them.
What you'd record
Everyday things, in everyday language. For example:
- A bump or a graze, and how it happened
- How the school day went
- An incident your social worker should know about
- Appointments, contact sessions and milestones
Built to stay out of your way
The whole point of CHARMS is to keep a foster carer's recording minimal so you can get on with family life. Short notes, made as you go, instead of long write-ups at the end of a week. Your supervising social worker will show you the ropes and support you in using the system; nobody is expected to figure it out alone.
Because your social worker sees what you record, the system also means less repeating yourself. The everyday picture of how things are going builds up naturally, which feeds into reviews and helps everyone supporting your child stay on the same page.
Questions about recording?
If you're an Embrace carer and need help with CHARMS, your supervising social worker is the first port of call. Thinking about fostering and curious how it all works day to day? Get in touch.