PDF guide for social workers and community support workers

2 min read·29 October 2026

Social workers report to local authorities, courts, and care institutions. Their documents combine personal information, observations, and action points that must be processed securely, in a structured way, and in compliance with privacy regulations.

Compile a client file

A client file contains the intake report, historical notes, referral letters from care providers, and goals from the support plan. Merge all separate documents into one PDF using the merge tool. Keep the file chronological — stamp each document with the date it was added.

Reports for authorities and courts

Social workers submit periodic reports to local authorities (debt counselling, support) or to the family court. These reports must not be modified after submission. Use the flatten tool to lock all annotations, followed by protect to set an opening password.

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Redact privacy-sensitive data

When sharing files between agencies (e.g. during transfer), irrelevant personal data must be removed. Use the redact tool to permanently remove national ID numbers, third-party addresses, or medical details in the version going externally.

Signature and consent

Consent forms (e.g. for data sharing or interventions) must be signed by the client. Make the form fillable via formFill and have the client sign digitally via the sign tool. This way consents are documented and retained in the file.

Make scanned forms searchable

Many government forms are delivered as scans. Use the OCR tool to recognise text in the scan so the form is digitally searchable for future reference in the file.