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136 <h1>
136 Life Story Books Guidance
136 </h1>
143 <div class="well">
144 <p class="bold">
144 SCOPE OF THIS CHAPTER
144 </p>
145 <p>
145 Good preparation for adoption and good life story work contribute towards a successful
adoptive placements. The Life Story Book provides an accessible and child-friendly
explanation for the child of how they have come to be where they are today.
145 </p>
146 This chapter explains the importance of the Life Story Book for adoptive children, and
provides guidance on for social workers on what to include in the life story book. All
children with a plan for adoption must have a Life Story Book.
147 </div>
156 <div class="section">
156 <h2 id="what_life_story">
156 1. What is a Life Story Book?
156 </h2>
157 <p>
157 All children with a plan for adoption must 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 provides an
opportunity for the child to explore and understand their early history and life before
their adoption.
157 </p>
158 <p>
158 A Life Story Book should:
158 </p>
159 <ul>
160 <li>
160 Keep as full a chronological record as possible of a child's life;
160 </li>
161 <li>
161 Integrate the past into the future so that childhood makes sense;
161 </li>
162 <li>
162 Provide a basis on which a continuing Life Story can be added to;
162 </li>
163 <li>
163 Be something the child can return to when they need to deal with old feelings and clarify
and/or accept the past;
163 </li>
164 <li>
164 Increase a child's sense of self and self-worth;
164 </li>
165 <li>
165 Provide a structure for talking to children about painful issues.
165 </li>
166 </ul>
167 </div>
168 <div class="section1">
168 </div>
174 <div class="section">
175 <h2 id="who_should">
175 2. Who Should Write the Life Story Book?
175 </h2>
176 <p>
176 The process should be initiated, driven and coordinated by the child's social worker and
carried out in coordination with the other people who know the child, including carer(s),
parents and other relatives.
176 </p>
177 Time and care should be given to:
178 <ul>
179 <li>
179 Planning carefully how undertake the work;
179 </li>
180 <li>
180 Reading the information about the child carefully and thoroughly;
180 </li>
181 <li>
181 Collating the information in chronological order;
181 </li>
182 <li>
182 Noting reasons for decisions;
182 </li>
183 <li>
183 Noting gaps in the records and attempting to fill them;
183 </li>
184 <li>
184 Counselling children, parents, friends, relatives and carers etc. as necessary.
184 </li>
185 </ul>
186 </div>
187 <div class="section1">
187 </div>
193 <div class="section">
193 <h2 id="what_materials">
193 3. What Materials are Needed?
193 </h2>
194 <p>
194 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.
194 </p>
195 <ul>
196 <li>
196 Use a loose leaf folder;
196 </li>
197 <li>
197 Always work on clean paper;
197 </li>
198 <li>
198 Drawings and photos should be mounted;
198 </li>
199 <li>
199 Use neat headings;
199 </li>
200 <li>
200 If the child is unable/reluctant to write themselves, let them dictate what they want to
say;
200 </li>
201 <li>
201 Use good quality copies/photocopies of treasured photos, documents etc. and not the
original;
201 </li>
202 <li>
202 Get a balance of words and pictures;
202 </li>
203 <li>
203 A responsible adult should keep hold of the book until it is finished;
203 </li>
204 <li>
204 Keep a copy of it.
204 </li>
205 </ul>
206 </div>
207 <div class="section1">
207 </div>
213 <div class="section">
213 <h2 id="what_goes_life">
213 4. What Goes Into the Life Story Book?
213 </h2>
214 <ul>
215 <li>
215 Family tree - back three generations if possible;
215 </li>
216 <li>
216 Photos of maternity hospital (and, for younger children, a clock showing the time);
216 </li>
217 <li>
217 Weight, length, head circumference at birth;
217 </li>
218 <li>
218 Birth certificate, if possible;
218 </li>
219 <li>
219 Any items from the hospital (e.g. identity tag);
219 </li>
220 <li>
220 Dates of first smile, sounds, words, tooth, steps etc;
220 </li>
221 <li>
221 Photos of parents;
221 </li>
222 <li>
222 Photos and maps of places where the child lived;
222 </li>
223 <li>
223 Photos of relatives;
223 </li>
224 <li>
224 Photos of friends;
224 </li>
225 <li>
225 A truthful life history which is age appropriate. More detailed and potentially
distressing information about the reasons why a child was adopted should be included in
the Later Life Letter which is given to them when they are older and better able to cope
and understand such information;
225 </li>
226 <li>
226 Parents' stories;
226 </li>
227 <li>
227 Details of siblings;
227 </li>
228 <li>
228 The child's views and memories;
228 </li>
229 <li>
229 Photos of workers and their roles;
229 </li>
230 <li>
230 Story of the court process;
230 </li>
231 <li>
231 Photos of carers;
231 </li>
232 <li>
232 Story of family finding;
232 </li>
233 <li>
233 Details of ceremonies (e.g. baptism);
233 </li>
234 <li>
234 Anecdotes;
234 </li>
235 <li>
235 Favourite foods, likes and dislikes.
235 </li>
236 </ul>
237 </div>
238 <div class="section1">
238 </div>
244 <div class="section">
244 <h2 id="foster_residen">
244 5. Foster Carers
244 </h2>
245 <p>
245 Foster families should be encouraged to record the story of the child's stay with them as
fully as possible, including:
245 </p>
246 <ul>
247 <li>
247 Descriptions of what the child was like when they arrived, what they liked and disliked;
247 </li>
248 <li>
248 Details of development (e.g. learning to ride a bike);
248 </li>
249 <li>
249 Their own special memories of the child;
249 </li>
250 <li>
250 Birthdays, Christmases and other family celebrations/outings/holidays etc. - photos,
favourite places etc;
250 </li>
251 <li>
251 Details and photos of the foster family (including extended family), home, pets etc., who
they got on with and who they didn't;
251 </li>
252 <li>
252 If appropriate, times when they had arguments, sulks etc;
252 </li>
253 <li>
253 Special rituals the child liked;
253 </li>
254 <li>
254 Souvenirs of school - photos, certificates, reports, photos of and stories from teachers;
254 </li>
255 <li>
255 Contact visits;
255 </li>
256 <li>
256 Illnesses;
256 </li>
257 <li>
257 Photos of birth family with foster family;
257 </li>
258 <li>
258 Crafts/pictures completed in the foster home/school/playgroup;
258 </li>
259 <li>
259 Anecdotes;
259 </li>
260 </ul>
261 <p>
261 Where appropriate, this memorabilia should be stored safely in a suitable box – a
"memory box".
261 </p>
262 </div>
263 <div class="section1">
263 </div>
269 <div class="section">
269 <h2 id="using_life">
269 6. Using the Life Story Book
269 </h2>
270 <p>
270 Children need truthful and honest explanations that they can understand - that means using
language they know.
270 </p>
271 <p>
271 It is important that:
271 </p>
272 <ul>
273 <li>
273 Questions are answered as honestly as possible;
273 </li>
274 <li>
274 Adults admit when they don't know the answer and offer to try and find out (rather than
making something up);
274 </li>
275 <li>
275 Children are helped to accept that not everything can be explained or understood;
275 </li>
276 <li>
276 Information is given sensitively and honestly - protection and evasion leads to confusion
and fear;
276 </li>
277 <li>
277 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;
277 </li>
278 <li>
278 Adults never pretend abusive/bad relationships didn't exist.
278 </li>
279 </ul>
280 </div>
281 <div class="section1">
281 </div>
287 <div class="section">
287 <h2 id="child_adopt">
287 7. Children who are Adopted
287 </h2>
288 <p>
288 Where there is an adoption plan for a Child in Care, life story work should be part of the
preparation of the child for the adoptive placement.
288 </p>
289 <p>
289 The life story book and “memory box” should be co-ordinated by one person,
preferably the child's social worker, and given to the child and prospective adopter in
stages. The first stage is at the second statutory review of the child's placement with the
prospective adopter. The completed Life Story Book should be handed to the adoptive parents,
together with Later Life Letters, within 10 working days of the adoption ceremony, i.e. the
ceremony to celebrate the making of the adoption order.
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