Practice guide to chronologies (Care Inspectorate)

Chronologies are of central importance to Adult Support and Protection. In this guide, the following nine key characteristics of a chronology are explored.

Chronologies should:

1. be a useful tool in assessment and practice
2. not be an assessment, but be part of assessment
3. not be an end in itself, but rather a working tool to promote engagement with people who use services
4. be accurate and rely on good, up-to-date case recording
5. be detailed enough but not be a substitute for recording in the file
6. be flexible, so that detail collected may be increased if risk increases
7. be regularly reviewed and analysed
8. be constructed differently according to different applications (for example, current work and examining historical events)
9. recognise that single-agency and multi-agency chronologies set different demands and expectations.