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282 <h2>
282 Life Story Books Guidance
282 </h2>
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287 <div id="scope_box">
287 <h3>
287 AMENDMENT
287 </h3>
288 <p>
288 This chapter was reviewed by Bexley in April 2017 and amended to reflect local procedure.
288 </p>
289 </div>
290 <div id="sections">
292 <h3 id="sections_list">
292 Contents
292 </h3>
293 <ol>
294 <li>
294 <a href="#what_life_story">
294 What is a Life Story Book?
294 </a>
294 </li>
295 <li>
295 <a href="#who_should">
295 Who Should Write the Life Story Book?
295 </a>
295 </li>
296 <li>
296 <a href="#what_materials">
296 What Materials are Needed?
296 </a>
296 </li>
297 <li>
297 <a href="#what_goes_life">
297 What Goes Into the Life Story Book?
297 </a>
297 </li>
298 <li>
298 <a href="#foster_residen">
298 Foster Carers / Residential Staff
298 </a>
298 </li>
299 <li>
299 <a href="#using_life">
299 Using the Life Story Book
299 </a>
299 </li>
300 <li>
300 <a href="#child_adopt">
300 Children who are Adopted
300 </a>
300 </li>
301 </ol>
302 <h3 id="what_life_story">
302 1. What is a Life Story Book?
302 </h3>
303 <p>
303 All children with a plan for adoption
303 <span class="bold">
303 must
303 </span>
303 (in line with regulations) have a Life Story Book, it is also best practice for all children where
the plan is for permanence through Special Guardianship or long term care to have a life story
book. Making a Life Story Book 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 an opportunity to explore emotions through play, conversation and counselling.
303 </p>
304 <p>
304 A Life Story Book should:
304 </p>
305 <ul>
306 <li>
306 Keep as full a chronological record as possible of a child's life;
306 </li>
307 <li>
307 Integrate the past into the future so that childhood makes sense;
307 </li>
308 <li>
308 Provide a basis on which a continuing Life Story can be added to;
308 </li>
309 <li>
309 Be something the child can return to when he/she needs to deal with old feelings and clarify
and/or accept the past;
309 </li>
310 <li>
310 Increase a child's sense of self and self-worth;
310 </li>
311 <li>
311 Provide a structure for talking to children about painful issues.
311 </li>
312 </ul>
313 <h3 id="who_should">
313 2. Who Should Write the Life Story Book?
313 </h3>
314 <p>
314 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. If the care
plan is Adoption the family finding social worker is responsible for collating the life story book
working alongside the social worker and other appropriate people as mentioned above.
314 </p>
315 <p>
315 Time and care should be given to:
315 </p>
316 <ul>
317 <li>
317 Planning carefully how to undertake the work;
317 </li>
318 <li>
318 Reading the information about the child carefully and thoroughly;
318 </li>
319 <li>
319 Collating the information in chronological order;
319 </li>
320 <li>
320 Noting reasons for decisions;
320 </li>
321 <li>
321 Noting gaps in the records and attempting to fill them;
321 </li>
322 <li>
322 Counselling children, parents, friends, relatives and carers etc. as necessary.
322 </li>
323 </ul>
324 <h3 id="what_materials">
324 3. What Materials are Needed?
324 </h3>
325 <p>
325 Presentation is very important in terms of validating the importance of the life story and
motivating the child to want to read it and show it to others.
325 </p>
326 <ul>
327 <li>
327 Use a loose leaf folder;
327 </li>
328 <li>
328 Always work on clean paper;
328 </li>
329 <li>
329 Drawings and photos should be mounted;
329 </li>
330 <li>
330 Use neat headings;
330 </li>
331 <li>
331 If the child is unable/reluctant to write themselves, let them dictate what they want to say;
331 </li>
332 <li>
332 Use good quality copies/photocopies of treasured photos, documents etc. and not the original;
332 </li>
333 <li>
333 Get a balance of words and pictures;
333 </li>
334 <li>
334 A responsible adult should keep hold of the book until it is finished;
334 </li>
335 <li>
335 Keep a copy of it.
335 </li>
336 </ul>
337 <h3 id="what_goes_life">
337 4. What Goes Into the Life Story Book?
337 </h3>
338 <ul>
339 <li>
339 Family tree - back three generations if possible;
339 </li>
340 <li>
340 Photos of maternity hospital (and, for younger children, a clock showing the time);
340 </li>
341 <li>
341 Weight, length, head circumference at birth;
341 </li>
342 <li>
342 Birth certificate, if possible;
342 </li>
343 <li>
343 Any items from the hospital (e.g. identity tag);
343 </li>
344 <li>
344 Dates of first smile, sounds, words, tooth, steps etc;
344 </li>
345 <li>
345 Photos of parents;
345 </li>
346 <li>
346 Photos and maps of places where the child lived;
346 </li>
347 <li>
347 Photos of relatives;
347 </li>
348 <li>
348 Photos of friends;
348 </li>
349 <li>
349 A truthful life history - including abuse, neglect etc. - that is age appropriate to the child.
More detail can be added later as the child needs to know;
349 </li>
350 <li>
350 Parents' stories;
350 </li>
351 <li>
351 Details of siblings;
351 </li>
352 <li>
352 The child's views and memories;
352 </li>
353 <li>
353 Photos of workers and their roles;
353 </li>
354 <li>
354 Story of the court process;
354 </li>
355 <li>
355 Photos of carers;
355 </li>
356 <li>
356 Story of family finding;
356 </li>
357 <li>
357 Details of ceremonies (e.g. baptism);
357 </li>
358 <li>
358 Anecdotes;
358 </li>
359 <li>
359 Favourite foods, likes and dislikes.
359 </li>
360 </ul>
361 <p>
361 The life story format should begin with the present situation: Adoptive family then follow through
the child's history birth family, foster care, adoption and end if age appropriate with wishes for
the future, for example,
361 <span class="italic">
361 James is very caring and loves animals he would like to become a vet when he is older.
361 </span>
361 </p>
362 <h3 id="foster_residen">
362 5. Foster Carers / Residential Staff
362 </h3>
363 <p>
363 Foster families and residential staff should be encouraged to record the story of the child's stay
with them as fully as possible, including:
363 </p>
364 <ul>
365 <li>
365 Descriptions of what the child was like when they arrived, what they liked and disliked;
365 </li>
366 <li>
366 Details of development (e.g. learning to ride a bike);
366 </li>
367 <li>
367 Their own special memories of the child;
367 </li>
368 <li>
368 Birthdays, Christmases and other family celebrations/outings/holidays etc. - photos, favourite
places etc;
368 </li>
369 <li>
369 Details and photos of the foster family (including extended family), home, pets etc., who they
got on with and who they didn't;
369 </li>
370 <li>
370 If appropriate, times when they had arguments, sulks etc;
370 </li>
371 <li>
371 Special rituals the child liked;
371 </li>
372 <li>
372 Souvenirs of school - photos, certificates, reports, photos of and stories from teachers;
372 </li>
373 <li>
373 Contact visits;
373 </li>
374 <li>
374 Illnesses;
374 </li>
375 <li>
375 Photos of birth family with foster family;
375 </li>
376 <li>
376 Crafts/pictures completed in the foster home/school/playgroup;
376 </li>
377 <li>
377 Anecdotes.
377 </li>
378 </ul>
379 <h3 id="using_life">
379 6. Using the Life Story Book
379 </h3>
380 <p>
380 Children need truthful and honest explanations that they can understand - that means using
language they know.
380 </p>
381 <p>
381 It is important that:
381 </p>
382 <ul>
383 <li>
383 Questions are answered as honestly as possible;
383 </li>
384 <li>
384 Adults admit when they don't know the answer and offer to try and find out (rather than making
something up);
384 </li>
385 <li>
385 Children are helped to accept that not everything can be explained or understood;
385 </li>
386 <li>
386 Information is given sensitively and honestly - protection and evasion leads to confusion and
fear;
386 </li>
387 <li>
387 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;
387 </li>
388 <li>
388 Adults never pretend abusive/bad relationships didn't exist.
388 </li>
389 </ul>
390 <h3 id="child_adopt">
390 7. Children who are Adopted
390 </h3>
391 <p>
391 Where there is an adoption plan for a Looked After Child, life story work should be part of the
preparation of the child for the adoptive placement. Further details are set out in the
391 <a href="p_place_adop.html#prep_adop">
391 Placement for Adoption Procedure, Preparation of Child for Adoption
391 </a>
391 .
391 </p>
392 <p>
392 The Life Story Book should be handed to the adoptive parents, together with Later Life Letters, no
later than 10 working days of the adoption ceremony, i.e. the ceremony to celebrate the making of
the adoption order.
392 </p>
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