What is a chronology? 

A chronology is a record of significant events both positive and negative, in the order they occur, which reveal patterns of behaviour and their impact on a child or young person’s life. Entries should be detailed enough to provide emerging patterns of risk, concerns and protective factors. Information should be succinct and organised in a way to make sense to the reader.  Chronologies may also highlight gaps in information that require further clarification, exploration and assessment moving forward.

"Chronologies should contain sufficient detail, but should not contain details of every contact with the child or young person. It is important to note that what might be a key event in one child’s life, will not even be relevant to another child. In this respect, agencies are asked to use their professional judgement in completing a chronology."

Chronologies should be: 

• established and maintained where appropriate for children and young people - not just for child protection purposes;

• created by professionals of key agencies involved with a child or young person (Education, Social Work, NHS, Police, 3rd Sector);

• started at the beginning of your agency’s involvement;

• factual, evidence-based, relevant, up-to-date and succinct;

• analysed for patterns to make sense of the past and the present; 

• edited over time to summarise patterns of events and their outcomes; 

• used to inform assessments, as a working tool with families and others and; 

• amalgamated with other agencies' single agency chronologies and edited and updated by the lead professional to become a multi-agency chronology at point of need   e.g. child protection case conference.

There are two types of chronology.

1.       A single agency chronology is collated from the information held within one single agency and provides a brief description and summarised account of events in date order. It should be used to assist in the understanding of the impact life events and to inform decision making.

2.       A multi-agency chronology is required when the risk to a child or young person needs to be considered from a multi-agency perspective and will include information extracted from single agency chronologies that is relevant and proportionate. Examples of these include, but are not exclusive to, Child Protection Case Conferences or Children's Hearings. It is the role of the Lead Professional to amalgamate single agency chronologies into a multi-agency chronology.

Chronologies should be shared with a child or young person (age appropriate) and their parent/carer unless there are justifiable legal reasons for withholding this information.  This is not only for check of accuracy (e.g. date of birth, dates of events/incidents) but is part of the relationship of working together.