Paperwork and more Paperwork

The biggest complaint I get from persons working with children and families is the amount of paperwork. As a therapist, I was paid for the time I was with clients and not for when I was working on paperwork.

Options for reducing paperwork?

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2 Responses to “Paperwork and more Paperwork”

  1. Beverly Says:

    Every one knows the real reason behind all the paperwork is to discourage anyone from obtaining anything of value from the government or there would already be an application on file.

  2. Amy Says:

    I would agree that paperwork is overwhelming for anyone who works in Human Services. However, I also know that lots of people want to see the results/outcomes of the provided service as a way to justify the service; thus workers need to document the beginning state, process done, and end result in great detail.

    There’s also the fear that clients may come back to the agency/department and say “worker, Sally” mistreated me – lawsuits against therapists, social workers, caseworkers, etc. are no longer unheard of. I think part of the paperwork nightmare is a partially a way to support or dismiss staff in those instances.

    I personally would love to have a more streamlined way to do paperwork and report documentation, statistics, etc. I think the most long-term cost-effective way is electronic records. There’s a lot higher start up cost (programming, computers, secure servers), but electronic records if done PROPERLY could provide secure records without the hassle of multiple paper copies clogging files; use less paper, toner/ink; and allow for easier sharing of aggregate info/data among stakeholders.

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