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Social Work Genogram Template
A social work genogram template for child welfare assessments, intake documentation, and family intervention planning. Open in EasyGenogram to customize and export.
Social Work Genogram Template
What This Template Shows
A multi-household family structure across three generations, built for child welfare documentation.
The template includes institution markers showing formal system involvement such as courts, child services, schools, alongside biological, cohabitation, and foster child relationship lines.
Household boundaries group the people living together in each unit.
Emotional relationship lines covering close, conflict, and distant connections sit across the structural layer, showing both who is involved and how those relationships function.
This is a child welfare template. EasyGenogram has other social work genogram examples covering elderly care, healthcare, and intake assessments, see Genogram for Social Work Assessment for completed examples.
The symbol legend is displayed below the diagram. For a full reference, see Genogram Symbols Explained.
When to Use This Template
- Child welfare intake: documents family structure, household composition, and system involvement at the point of referral or first contact.
- CPS assessment: maps biological, foster, kinship, and adoptive relationships alongside active service involvement for case planning and court documentation.
- Foster care and placement documentation: tracks placement history, biological parent contact, and legal arrangements across households.
- MSW and BSW coursework: standard format for social work practice courses and field placement assignments.
- Family intervention planning: establishes the structural and relational baseline before identifying intervention points.
How to Use This Template
1. Download as-is
Click the PDF or PNG button under the embed to download immediately. Print and fill in by hand, or open in a PDF reader and annotate digitally.
2. Customize before downloading
Click "Use this genogram" to open the template in EasyGenogram.
Replace the generic structure with your case's specific family composition; adjust household boundaries, relationship types, institution markers, and emotional lines as needed.
Export as PDF or PNG for case files, supervision, or court documentation, or share via link with a colleague.
If you need the diagram in Microsoft Word, Google Docs, or for a Canva design, export as PNG and insert it into your document.
Social Work Genogram Template
Explore this genogram and adapt it to your needs.
FAQ
What is a genogram in social work?
A genogram is a visual assessment tool that maps family structure, relationships, and patterns across at least three generations. In social work, it documents household composition, biological and legal relationships (biological, foster, adoptive, kinship), and system involvement (courts, child services, healthcare) alongside risk and protective factors.
How is a social work genogram different from a family therapy genogram?
Social work genograms emphasize structural relationships, legal arrangements (custody, guardianship, placement), and service system involvement. Therapy genograms focus more on emotional relationship quality and multigenerational patterns. Social work genograms also document concrete factors like housing, employment, and involvement with formal services.
What genogram symbols are used for foster care and adoption?
A solid vertical line indicates a biological child. A dashed line indicates adoption. A dotted line to a child indicates a foster placement. Kinship placements use the same dotted line with a clarifying note, since the relative relationship already exists in the diagram. Always include the symbol key when foster, adoptive, and biological relationships appear together, as the distinctions are legally and clinically significant.
Is this social work genogram template free?
Yes, open and customize it in EasyGenogram at no cost. Export requires a subscription for most users; students with a valid school email can export free.
Can I use this template for a social work assignment or field placement?
Yes. The template uses standard McGoldrick-Gerson notation and includes the symbols required for social work practice documentation. Open it in EasyGenogram, adjust the structure for your case or assignment, and export as PDF for submission.
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