Pastoral Care Case File Process
A simple structure for maintaining the records that support continuity, accountability, privacy, and follow-through.
A pastoral-care case file gives the church one organized place to keep the documents that belong to a person's care process. The goal is not to create a complicated case-management system. The goal is to make sure the right records are saved together, protected, and available to the people who are authorized to continue the care.
Your church determines the actual storage system. AFFINITY™ provides the structure; your church determines the approved platform, folder or record location, access roles, retention period, and other administrative details that fit its policies and context.
Open the Case File
Create a separate pastoral-care case file when documentation is necessary for an individual receiving ongoing care.
Save the Intake & Assessment
Place the completed Pastoral Care Intake & Assessment Form in the case file as the starting record.
Save the Eligibility Decision
Keep the completed eligibility determination and care-response record showing the pathway or response selected.
Save Referral & Resource Records
When applicable, keep the Pastoral Care Referral Form, relevant resource information, and documentation of the connection or referral.
Save C5 Documentation When Used
If the Counseling Integration Framework™ is used, retain the appropriate documentation that belongs in the person's care record.
Save Follow-Up & Continuity Records
Keep relevant follow-up, continuation-of-care, handoff, or next-step documentation so the next authorized person can understand what happened and what remains to be done.
The case file should tell the care story.
Someone authorized to continue the person's care should be able to locate the key records without searching through unrelated church files.
- Use one approved case-file location for the person's pastoral-care records.
- Keep the records together according to the church's established filing structure.
- Use consistent file names or labels so team members can identify what each record is.
- Save new records as the care process continues rather than keeping them in separate personal locations.
- Do not place pastoral-care records in general membership records when the church can keep them separate.
Access should follow the care role.
Pastoral-care information should be limited to people who have an authorized role in the care process. Access should be based on legitimate care need, assigned responsibility, safety considerations, and authorized decision-making—not simply a person's position in the church.
Use the church's Privacy & Confidentiality Policy Manual for the standards governing access, consent, communication, storage, retention, and disposal of pastoral-care records.
Decide these six things with your leadership team.
- Where will pastoral-care case files be stored?
- Who is authorized to access them?
- Who is responsible for adding records?
- How will files and documents be labeled or named?
- How long will records be retained under the church's approved process?
- How will records be securely closed, retained, or disposed of when no longer required?
AFFINITY™ provides the case-file structure. Your church is responsible for establishing the specific administrative process, platform, access permissions, retention schedule, and other recordkeeping decisions appropriate to its organization and applicable requirements.