6.6.3 Life Story Work for Children Looked After

SCOPE OF THIS CHAPTER

This chapter explains the importance of life story work for children in care, and provides guidance for social workers on what to include in such work. All children in care should know and understand their journey.

This chapter was added to the procedures manual in October 2021.

1. What is Life Story Work?

Life story work is more than creating a photograph album with identifying sentences giving dates, places and names. It is an account of a child's life in words, pictures and documents, and provides an opportunity for the child to explore and understand their early history and life before their time in care.

Life story work can take many forms:

  • Keep as full a chronological record as possible of a child's life;
  • Integrate the past into the future so that childhood makes sense;
  • Provide a basis on which continuing life story work can be added to as they grow older;
  • Be something the child can return to when he/she needs to deal with old feelings and clarify and/or accept the past;
  • Increase a child's sense of identity and self-worth;
  • Provide a structure for talking to children about painful issues.

Life story work should commence when a decision is made to become looked after. It is an enduring project, which should be built upon regularly. It is not a one off event.

2. Who should Undertake Life Story Work?

The process should be initiated, driven and coordinated by the child's social worker and carried out in coordination with the child, the carer(s), parents, relatives, friends etc.

Time and care should be given to:

  • Planning carefully how to undertake the work;
  • Reading the information about the child carefully and thoroughly;
  • Collating the information in chronological order;
  • Noting reasons for decisions;
  • Noting gaps in the records and attempting to fill them;
  • Counselling children, parents, friends, relatives and carers etc. as necessary.

3. What Goes Into Life Story Work and what Materials are Needed?

Children and young people will have opinions on what they want to do in relation to their life story work. Create a plan together and include parents and carers as appropriate.

Presentation is very important in terms of validating the importance of the life story and motivating the child to want to read and understand their journey. They may also want to show others.

Life Story books are specific and guidance on the book can be found at Life Story Books Guidance in the Adoption section

When thinking about life story work for children in care, remember if can take many forms and use different materials. Be creative and inventive!

Why not include:

  • A memory box;
  • Photobooks;
  • Keep special toys or key pieces of clothing which have meaning;
  • Special event tickets/posters;
  • Use words and pictures;
  • Give copies of direct work to the child for them to keep;
  • Paintings and pictures;
  • Family tree;
  • Birth certificate, if possible;
  • Any items from the hospital (e.g. identity tag);
  • Dates of first smile, sounds, words, tooth, steps etc;
  • Photos of workers and their roles;
  • Anecdotes;
  • Favourite foods, likes and dislikes.

4. Carers

Whether child are with foster families or in residential, carers should be encouraged to record the story of the child's stay with them as fully as possible, including:

  • Descriptions of what the child was like when they arrived, what they liked and disliked;
  • Details of development (e.g. learning to ride a bike);
  • Their own special memories of the child;
  • Birthdays, Christmases and other family celebrations/outings/holidays etc. - photos, favourite places etc;
  • Details and photos of the foster family (including extended family), home, pets etc. who they got on with and who they didn't;
  • If appropriate, times when they had arguments, sulks etc;
  • Special rituals the child liked;
  • Souvenirs of school - photos, certificates, reports, photos of and stories from teachers;
  • Contact visits;
  • Illnesses;
  • Photos of birth family with foster family;
  • Crafts/pictures completed in the foster home/school/playgroup;
  • Anecdotes.
Where appropriate, this memorabilia should be stored safely in a suitable box – a 'memory box'. Such memories are valuable and need to be cherished for the child.

5. Using the Life Story work

Children need truthful and honest explanations that they can understand - that means using language they know.

It is important that:

  • Questions are answered as honestly as possible;
  • Adults admit when they don't know the answer and offer to try and find out (rather than making something up);
  • Children are helped to accept that not everything can be explained or understood;
  • Information is given sensitively and honestly - protection and evasion leads to confusion and fear;
  • Adults help children to realise which feelings are healthy and acceptable by discussing their own feelings frankly. If feelings are ignored, children get the message that to express them is wrong - bottling them up can lead to negative behaviour like aggression or withdrawal.

6. Resources

Community Care Inform Direct Work Hub - Direct work with children