✨ reports tell the child’s story - not the parent’s

When parents and practitioners read reports through a child-focused lens, they become less about blame and more about guidance. Reports can highlight what is working well, and where more support might help a child thrive.

Years ago, our Service Manager Jakki supervised visits between a father and his baby daughter. Bonding at that age was difficult, and he felt out of his depth but he was willing to learn. 

After his first visit, he asked for resources. At the next, he came prepared with nursery rhymes and songs. When he got that first smile, that first connection, he whispered, “ooo I think Jakki was right.”

A report captures moments like these — not as judgment, but as a record of growth. They show where connection begins, and how a child’s sense of safety takes root.

A visit report is never written to score a parent’s performance. It’s a record of how the child experienced that time together. 

Did they feel safe? Did they engage? Were they able to relax and play? 

The parent’s behaviour matters only in how it shaped those moments for the child. When read this way, a report becomes less about judgment and more about understanding a child’s world.

Children often speak more through play, posture, or tone than through words. 

A report notes the way a child clings, how quickly they settle, the games they choose, or the expressions that light up their face. These are the clues that reveal comfort, curiosity, or hesitation. 

Reading these details helps us hear the child’s emotional voice - even when it isn’t spoken out loud.

One visit report is just a snapshot. 

But placed alongside others, the picture becomes clearer. A child who is anxious at first may slowly begin to relax. A child who struggles with transitions may grow more confident over weeks. 

Looking for patterns rather than isolated lines shows us whether the child is moving towards safety and connection, or whether extra support is needed. 

Reports, read in sequence, tell the child’s story as it unfolds.