Supporting better conversations and smarter working at the National Fostering Group

Social workers play a vital role in the lives of foster carers, children and young people.

Through regular visits, meaningful conversations, and ongoing support, they build trust and provide stability during uncertain times. At National Fostering Group, this work sits at the heart of everything their teams do.

Alongside this, documentation remains an essential part of delivering safe, high-quality care. NFG recognised the importance of ensuring that key information from conversations is captured accurately, while also enabling colleagues to stay fully present during visits.

To support this, they explored how technology could help teams work smarter and enhance both the quality of interactions and record-keeping.

The challenge

Balancing presence with accurate record-keeping

During home visits and conversations, social workers are focused on building relationships and understanding the needs of carers and young people. Capturing detailed notes at the same time can be challenging, particularly when the priority is to be fully engaged in the moment.

Often, notes are written up afterwards, meaning colleagues need to recall key details from memory. While this is a well-established way of working, NFG saw an opportunity to better support teams in capturing information clearly and consistently, without taking away from the conversation itself.

Supporting high-quality documentation

Accurate records are essential, not just for compliance, but to ensure the right support is provided to children and carers. NFG wanted to make it easier for colleagues to capture the right level of detail in a way that felt manageable and sustainable within their day-to-day roles.

The approach

NFG ran a 4-week pilot with 70 supervising social workers to explore how Notes could support this way of working.

Using Notes, colleagues securely recorded visits and assessments. The platform then generated a full transcript and structured summary, aligned to their team’s requirements.

This meant social workers could focus on the conversation in the moment, then review and refine their notes afterwards, ensuring accuracy while maintaining a personal, professional touch.

 The impact

More time for meaningful conversations

By reducing the time spent writing up notes, colleagues were able to reinvest that time where it matters most, supporting foster carers and children.

“I could complete more visits and spend more time interacting with carers and children.”

Improved quality and accuracy of records

With conversations captured in real time, colleagues no longer needed to rely solely on brief notes or memory,when completing notes. This supported more detailed, consistent, and accurate records.

And importantly, it allowed social workers to stay focused on the people in front of them:

“I can be wholly present for my carers instead of worrying about spelling and structure.”

A more sustainable way of working

By embracing technology, teams were able to reduce pressure around documentation and feel more supported in their roles.

“I no longer experience anxiety over completing long pieces of written work.”

This was particularly valuable for colleagues with different working styles and needs, helping to create a more inclusive and supportive environment.

“I have two disabilities (learning and physical) and Notes has relieved so much pressure from carrying out day-to-day tasks — it’s been phenomenal.”

Looking ahead

At NFG, this is part of a wider commitment to embracing innovation that supports colleagues to work smarter, not harder. By using tools like Notes, teams can focus on what matters most, building relationships, supporting foster families, and ensuring every child receives the care they need.

Start your Notes pilot today to see how reducing documentation pressure can give your teams more time with foster families.