3.3 Description and analysis

Two of the most important elements of social work writing are description and analysis. Both are equally significant, but it is very important to recognise the difference between them and when each is required.

In simple terms, when writing a description, the social worker is providing factual information. This could be information that has been directly observed by the social worker or has been provided to them directly by someone else. Here are some examples:

Description:

• Rhiannon is 4 years old
• Anup informed me that she has lived alone at the same address for 18 months
• Mr McFadden has 1 visit a day from the home care service
• Dr Khan informed me by email that Tyrone has not had his MMR vaccination or been seen by anyone at the practice since he was 6 months old.
• Blake’s parents met with me on the 17th July 2024 and stated that they no longer wanted their contact with Blake to be supervised.

Defining description and analysis can be difficult, a brief definition of each is included here.

Description in social work writing is reporting the details of what has happened. Descriptions provide details of a situation, a person, a context, an emotional state, a physical need.

Analysis is evaluating and selecting the most important aspects of information and communicating these in a way that can be understood by different kinds of readers.

Here are some examples of analytical writing – or writing that demonstrates analysis – to illustrate how it differs from descriptive writing.

Analysis:

• Based on reports from the educational psychologist, Rhiannon’s teacher and my observations, her language seems to be significantly delayed. This may have a medical cause, but her mother’s depression and social isolation may also be factors.
• Mr McFadden’s weight loss and confusion indicate that he would benefit from a second home care visit to make sure that he is eating at least one full meal a day.
• The information provided by Dr Khan suggests that Tyrone’s physical health needs may not be met. Without the normal checks it is not known whether he is meeting his developmental targets and he is at risk due to the missed vaccinations.
• My professional judgement is that Blake would be at risk if his contact with his parents was unsupervised. This is based on observations of the contact provided by the family support worker who reported that they have missed or been late on 4 occasions out of 7 and that they do not interact with Blake or respond to him, even when he attempts to engage them in play.

The final example of analysis contains a ‘professional judgement’. In other words, the social worker is expressing a view or judgement based on their professional analysis of a situation.

Professional judgement is central to effective social work writing. Key aspects of professional judgement in writing are the use of both description and analysis. The descriptive details that you include constitute the evidence for any analysis you offer, which will ultimately lead to specific outcomes: for example, the provision of a particular service, support package, a particular placement for a child or adult. Whilst writing relevant description may seem to be a relatively straightforward task, in practice it is more complicated and can take some time to learn to do well.

The difference between description and analysis is not always obvious when you are reading or writing a document. However, it is important to develop the ability to look at documents critically, even when you are the writer, and identify whether description or analysis is being used. The following activity provides some more practice in recognising description.