Every child leaves moments behind. The way we record them matters.
I am building IndiCare Intelligence because I know what it feels like to have your childhood written about by adults. I also know, as a Registered Manager, how difficult it can be to find the right words after a demanding shift, an incident or a moment that carries real meaning.
The aim is simple: help adults think more clearly, write with greater care and keep the child visible within the record.
The moment may have passed, but the responsibility has not.
Adults are expected to remember what happened, separate fact from interpretation, preserve the child’s voice and make the next actions clear — often while the home is still busy and the emotional impact of the moment is still present.
A calmer place to think before the words become part of the record.
ORB is a specialist assistant for adults working in residential children’s homes. It helps adults pause, reflect, organise what they know and prepare clearer drafts for human review.
Technology should support the relationships in the home, not compete with them.
The best practice begins in the conversations adults already have: asking what the child may have been communicating, whether the response was proportionate, what helped, what did not and what needs to change next time.
ORB is being shaped around those real pressures. It is not there to run the home, replace the manager or make professional decisions. It is there to help adults slow the thinking down when the shift has made that difficult.
“I do not feel it is my right to build IndiCare Intelligence. I feel it is my responsibility.”
Tom Kelly — Founder, Registered Manager and care-experienced adultI understand both sides of the record.
As someone who grew up in care, I know that records are not simply paperwork. They become part of how a child’s life is understood and, one day, may become part of how they understand their own story.
As a Registered Manager, I also know the responsibility carried by the adult writing them. Therapeutic recording does not mean softening what happened or avoiding accountability. It means being factual, curious, respectful and careful not to reduce a child to their most difficult moment.
They should help the next adult understand, help managers learn and help preserve the child’s experience with dignity.
The child should never disappear behind the record.
The purpose is not more technology. It is clearer thinking, stronger reflection and better records — so adults can remain focused on the relationships and care that matter most.
ORB supports professional practice and human decision-making. It does not replace safeguarding procedures, statutory responsibilities, provider policies, management oversight, emergency action or professional judgement.