What to Include in a Support Handover: A Practical Checklist for Families and Workers

A support handover only works if the next person can read it in under a minute and know exactly what to do differently. That means sticking to facts from the shift, not opinions, and leaving diagnoses and personal history out of it entirely. Here is what a practical handover actually needs, in order.

1. The basics: who, when, where

• The date and time of the shift being handed over
• The worker's first name, so the next person knows who to ask if they have a question
• Which supports were delivered, in plain terms (for example, morning routine, community access, meal prep)

2. What actually happened during the shift

• What was planned versus what actually happened, if they differ
• Anything the person enjoyed or found difficult, described in behaviour not judgement (for example, seemed tired after the walk rather than was not coping)
• Any incident or near miss, written factually and reported through the proper channel, not just mentioned in passing

3. What has changed since last time

• Any change in mood, energy, appetite or routine that the next worker should expect
• Any support that was skipped or modified, and why, so it is not assumed to have happened
• Anything new the family or coordinator has asked to be tried or avoided

4. What is coming up

• Appointments, visitors or plans already confirmed for the next shift
• Anything that needs following up before the next shift starts, such as a phone call or a form
• Any task that was left unfinished on purpose, so the next worker does not redo it or skip it

5. Who to contact and when

• Who to call first if something needs a decision, and their preferred contact method
• Whether an issue is urgent enough to call now, or can wait for the next shift note
• Who is not the right contact for a given issue, if that has caused confusion before

6. What to leave out

• Diagnoses, medication names or clinical history, unless directly instructed by a health professional and recorded through the proper clinical channel
• Personal opinions about the person's character or family
• Anything that is not needed for the next shift to run safely and smoothly

A handover is a working note between support workers, not a clinical record. If a worker notices something that looks medical, the right move is to flag it to the family or coordinator and let a health professional make the call, not to write a diagnosis into the shift notes.

A worked example

Consider a small family-run arrangement with two workers, Priya on mornings and Marcus on afternoons, supporting a young man who lives at home. Priya's handover might read: Tom had a settled morning, ate full breakfast, went on his usual walk but seemed more tired than usual afterwards. Skipped his stretching exercises because he mentioned his knee was sore. Have not told his physio yet, family said they would call this afternoon. Nothing else changed. If pain continues tomorrow, family wants to know before the next session. That is four sentences, no diagnosis, no guesswork, and Marcus knows exactly what to check on and who is handling the physio call.

The takeaway

A handover works when it answers four questions fast: what happened, what changed, what is next, and who to call. Everything else is either a clinical matter for a health professional or detail the next worker does not need. Keeping handovers short and specific protects the person's privacy and makes the next shift easier to run well.