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Discharge summaries

A discharge summary is the DCS-required document that closes out a referral. It captures the services provided, the family's involvement, their response to ending services, any unresolved issues, the aftercare plan, and a final outcome for each goal the family was working on.

Approving the discharge summary is what actually closes the case in FCR — for what that means for the referral itself (and how to reopen one), see Discharging a case.

Who can do this

The authoring staff member writes the summary; the author's supervisor or a Practice Manager approves it.

Step 1 — Start the summary​

Open the referral and choose Create discharge summary (there's one per referral). Set the discharge date and reason, then work through the narrative sections: services provided, the family's involvement, response to termination, unresolved issues, and the aftercare plan.

Step 2 — Record each goal's outcome​

If the family has an active treatment plan, the summary lists its goals. For each one, record the final outcome:

  • Met
  • Partially met
  • Not met

…along with a short outcome note. You'll need an outcome for every active goal before you can submit.

Step 3 — Submit and approve​

Submit the summary for review. When a supervisor or Practice Manager approves it, FCR closes the case automatically:

  • the referral's status changes to discharged,
  • the active treatment plan is closed out, and
  • the staff members assigned to the case are taken off it.
Approving the summary closes the case

Approval isn't just a sign-off — it ends the case. Staff members will see it leave their caseloads. If a case is closed in error, a Practice Manager or admin can reopen it (see Discharging a case).

Frequently asked questions​

Do I have to fill in an outcome for every goal? Yes — if there's an active treatment plan, every active goal needs a final outcome before you can submit.

What happens to the case when the summary is approved? The referral is discharged, the treatment plan is closed, and assigned staff members come off the case. It still stays fully readable for the record.

We discharged a family too early — can we undo it? Yes. A Practice Manager or admin can reopen the case. See Discharging a case.

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