What should school counselling records include?

Write it the same day; keep only what’s needed and store it safely; record decisions, who you told and why; describe what you saw and heard instead of diagnosing; and put safety first by following your school’s protocol and reporting straight away if a child may be at risk. Counseld sums this up as WORDS.

Should a school counsellor investigate before reporting suspected abuse?

No. If a child may be at risk, follow your school’s protocol and report it straight away, without investigating yourself, then write it up. In India, Sections 19 and 21 of the POCSO Act set out the duty to report and the penalty for not reporting.

Should school counselling notes include a diagnosis?

No. Describe what you observed and quote the student, for example “cried twice, said ‘I can’t sleep’”, rather than writing a label such as “is depressed”.

Counseld › Resources › Documentation toolkit › Five rules: WORDS

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Five rules of good records: remember WORDS

Updated 2026-10-30 · By Meera Manikandan, Counselling Psychologist, Counseld

In shortRemember WORDS for every school counselling record: Write it the same day; keep Only what’s needed, and keep it safe; Record decisions and why; Describe, don’t diagnose; and Safety comes first: if a child may be at risk, follow your school’s protocol and report it straight away, without investigating yourself.

Evidence check Five rules drawn from school counselling ethics and child-protection law, in India and abroad, turned into an acronym you can carry into every note: WORDS.

WWrite it the same day

OOnly what’s needed

RRecord decisions

DDescribe, don’t diagnose

SSafety comes first

Write it the same day

Fresh notes are accurate notes. After a disclosure, let the student finish, then write.

Notes written after the sessionNotes from memory a week later

Source: KCSIE

Only what’s needed, kept safe

Collect the minimum, use student codes, lock paper away. Keep private notes apart.

Code AM-07 in a locked fileFull names on a shared sheet

Sources: ASCA Ethical Standards · DPDP Act 2023

Record decisions, and why

Note what you decided, who you told and the reason. “Monitor” is a decision too.

Monitor 2 weeks: teacher says it’s newDiscussed.

Source: KCSIE

Describe, don’t diagnose

Write what you saw and heard. Quote the student. Skip labels.

Cried twice, said “I can’t sleep”Is depressed

Sources: ASCA Ethical Standards · KCSIE

Safety comes first

If a child may be at risk, follow your school’s protocol and report it straight away. Don’t investigate yourself.

Report today, record afterCheck the story first

Sources: UN Convention on the Rights of the Child, Article 19 · ASCA Ethical Standards

All sources are on the references page. To put the rules into practice, start with the student intake form.

Counseld Documentation Toolkit · Not a substitute for supervision, school policy or legal advice.

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