Practitioners' Perspectives on Engaging Adolescents in Collaborative Documentation in Municipal Child and Family Support Services

ABSTRACT Adolescents' right to access their client records is closely tied to their right to participate. Few studies have examined collaborative documentation between practitioners and adolescents, but research suggests they are interested in reading what is recorded about them. This study explores how practitioners in a Norwegian municipal child and family support service experience collaboration with adolescents in writing case notes. Six qualitative in‐depth interviews were conducted and analysed through systematic text condensation using the theoretical frame of Laura Lundy's (2007) model for conceptualizing participation under Article 12 of the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child. The findings revealed two main themes: case notes as a tool for increasing adolescent involvement and the challenge of involving adolescents in the process of documentation. Case notes were found to support adolescents' participation, both through collaborative documentation and as a tool for practitioner reflection in preparing for future encounters. However, most notes were written solely by practitioners, reflecting challenges with collaborative approaches during sessions, uncertainty about parental access, decisions on what content to include and time constraints. The findings highlight the need for practitioner training in collaborative documentation and further research on adolescents' perspectives on involvement in creating case notes.