Free genogram template

Social Work Genogram Template (Free, Editable)

Document complex family structures for case assessments, child welfare, and intervention planning.

Updated October 2026 · PDF, PowerPoint, PNG and SVG · no sign-up

Quick answer

A social work genogram template maps the people around a child or client across at least three generations, including biological, adoptive, foster and kinship relationships, household membership and service involvement. Social workers use it for family assessments, placement decisions and case planning. GenogramAI offers it as a free printable PDF and as an editable online example.

Open in GenogramAI (free) Download blank PDF

Download the social work genogram template

Free files, no sign-up or email. Print the blank, edit the PowerPoint, or reuse the example image with a credit to genogramai.com.

When to use a social work genogram template

Use this template for a general family assessment: an intake in adult services, a family support referral, a hospital discharge plan, or a field-placement assessment for a BSW or MSW course. The case header keeps the chart tied to a file, and the household-boundary notation answers the first question most assessments ask: who actually lives with whom. Draw a dashed enclosure around each household and write the address or "since" year beside it.

Social work genograms are often read by people who did not draw them (supervisors, panels, courts), so keep the key on the page and write dates on every partnership and placement line. Record strengths beside risks: a grandparent who does the school run is as relevant as a parent's conviction.

When the assessment is specifically about a child's safety, placement or permanence, the Child Welfare Genogram Template is a closer fit; when outside agencies and supports matter as much as the family, use the Genogram and Eco-Map Template.

The blank template and a filled-in example

Left: the blank printable. Right: the same template filled in for a fictional family in GenogramAI.

Blank social work genogram template: A three-generation structure (grandparent couples, parents with sibling slots, three children with the index person in a double outline), a Client / Case # / Worker / Date header, a key with partner lines (marriage, cohabitation, separation, divorce) and the household boundary (dashed enclosure), and lines for assessment notes. — Blank: A three-generation structure (grandparent couples, parents with sibling slots, three children with the index person in a double outline), a Client / Case # / Worker / Date header, a key with partner lines (marriage, cohabitation, separation, divorce) and the household boundary (dashed enclosure), and lines for assessment notes.

Social Work Genogram Template filled in: Foster Care Family System drawn in GenogramAI with a genogram key — Filled in: The example is a fictional foster family: experienced foster carers with two biological children and three foster children, including the index child Jaylen Thomas (b. 2011), with the foster children's birth families, substance use and trauma shaded, and the close bonds formed in the foster home. Read the full example

Open this example in GenogramAI to start from the finished layout: it copies into your account (the Free plan holds 2 genograms) and every person, line and condition stays editable.

How to fill in a social work genogram template

1
Identify the presenting family unit
Place the child or client at the centre with a double outline. Map all household members and their legal relationships (biological, foster, adoptive, kinship).
2
Extend to key family members
Add extended family, especially relatives involved in care decisions or contact. Draw a dashed enclosure around each household and note service involvement (courts, schools, health) in the notes.
3
Document risk and protective factors
Annotate substance use, domestic abuse, mental health, employment and housing stability. Record strengths alongside risks.

Symbols this template uses

Drawn the way GenogramAI draws them. Every other symbol is in the genogram symbols guide and the genogram key.

Symbol	What it means
Square / circle	Male / female; a double outline marks the client or child the assessment is about.
X through the symbol	Deceased; write the year and cause of death beside it.
Solid partner line	Marriage; dashed = cohabitation, one slash = separation, two slashes = divorce.
Dashed enclosure	Household boundary: everyone inside lives at the same address.
Adopted child line	In GenogramAI a solid line paired with a dashed line from the adoptive parents.
Foster child line	A dotted line from the foster carers to the child.
Cutoff: line broken by two bars	Contact deliberately broken, for example an estranged parent.

Common mistakes to avoid

Drawing only the household and leaving out non-resident parents and grandparents who still have contact or legal standing.
Using one line style for every child, so biological, adopted, foster and step relationships look the same.
Omitting dates on separations and placements, which makes the chart impossible to read against the case chronology.
Recording risks without any protective factors.

Who uses this template?

Licensed clinical social workers (LCSWs), child and adult services social workers, case managers, and BSW/MSW students.

Common uses

Family assessments and intervention planning
Foster care and kinship placement documentation
Adult protective services case mapping
Community-based family support program assessments
MSW practicum and field placement assignments

What the template covers

Case header for client, case number, worker and date
Household boundary notation for multi-household families
Partner line key (marriage, cohabitation, separation, divorce)
Assessment notes area
Adoption, foster and kinship lines available in the online version

What is free?

Free and paid, plainly

All five files on this page (blank PDF, PowerPoint, SVG, example PDF and PNG) are free to download and use, with no sign-up. In GenogramAI, the Free plan includes 2 genograms, 5 AI credits a month, all 64 relationship types, medical shading and PNG export, with no card. PDF, SVG and GEDCOM export, file import and photo import are on paid plans; Professional is $12/month.

Frequently asked questions

What is a genogram in social work?

In social work, a genogram is a visual assessment tool that maps family structure, relationships and patterns across at least three generations. Social workers use it to document biological, foster, adoptive and kinship relationships and to identify risk factors, protective factors and intervention points.

How is a social work genogram different from a therapy genogram?

Social work genograms emphasize structure, households, legal arrangements (custody, guardianship, placement) and service involvement. Therapy genograms put more weight on emotional relationship quality and multigenerational patterns. Social work charts also record concrete factors such as housing, employment, substance use and offending.

Do social workers need to know how to draw a genogram?

Yes. Genogram construction is taught in BSW and MSW practice courses and used in intake assessments, case planning, family meetings and court reports. GenogramAI speeds up the drawing; finished genograms export as PNG on the free plan, or as PDF on paid plans, for case files.

What genogram symbols are used for adoption and foster care?

Biological children hang from a solid line. In GenogramAI an adopted child's line is a solid line paired with a dashed one, and a foster child's line is dotted; a step relationship uses a dash-dot line. Whatever convention you use, keep the symbol key on the chart, because agencies differ.

How do I show who lives together on a genogram?

Draw a dashed enclosure around everyone who shares a household and label it with the address or the year they moved in. A child who moves between two homes can sit at the edge of one enclosure with a note, or appear inside both on separate charts dated for each arrangement.