GUIDES
Life Story Work Booklet
This Life Story Work booklet, developed by Anne Peake with input from Oxfordshire foster carers and adoptive parents, is a guide to help carers and social workers support children in documenting and understanding their personal histories. It includes practical tools and activity suggestions for creating a life story book, covering topics like the child’s early experiences, family background, and memories of significant events. The booklet emphasises the importance of giving children a sense of identity and continuity, helping them process complex emotions. It is a valuable resource for foster carers, residential social workers, adoptive parents, and kinship carers.
Life Story Pack
The resource provides a comprehensive toolkit for parents, carers, and professionals guiding children through their life stories, particularly when addressing complex and sensitive topics such as mental illness, alcoholism, bereavement, and family separation. The pack includes structured conversation guides, therapeutic book lists, access to additional resources, and example session plans to support children in understanding and processing challenging life events. It also introduces creative activities like the Starter Sentence Game to facilitate communication and foster a safe, open environment for sharing experiences and emotions.
Life Journey Work Guide for Social Workers and Other Professionals
This a resource for planning, implementing, and quality-assuring lifestory work with children. It includes essential checklists, such as the Planning Meeting Checklist and Life Journey Work Quality Assurance Checklist, to ensure thorough information gathering and alignment with the child’s developmental needs. The guide also outlines approaches like the Edith Nichols New Life Work Model, the Secure Base Model, and the Joy Rees Model, each designed to support children in understanding their histories and fostering a sense of belonging within their adoptive or foster families.
Life Journey Work Guide for Social Workers and Other Professionals
This a resource for planning, implementing, and quality-assuring life story work with children. It includes essential checklists, such as the Planning Meeting Checklist and Life Journey Work Quality Assurance Checklist, to ensure thorough information gathering and alignment with the child’s developmental needs. The guide also outlines approaches like the Edith Nichols New Life Work Model, the Secure Base Model, and the Joy Rees Model, each designed to support children in understanding their histories and fostering a sense of belonging within their adoptive or foster families.
TEMPLATES
My Life Story Book by NSW Family and Community Services
This My Life Story Book is designed to support children in care by helping them document personal history, memories, and connections to family, culture, and community. With prompts to explore milestones, favourite things, and family background, the book also includes sections on Aboriginal culture and identity, offering culturally sensitive content like information on totems and family heritage. Children can add photos, drawings, and stories, creating a valuable resource for identity and emotional well-being. Ideal for use by carers, social workers, and Aboriginal children in care, this book fosters a sense of belonging and continuity.
My Personal Life History Book
This workbook, created by Gilbert W. Kliman, serves as a guided activity resource for foster children, their families, case workers, teachers, and therapists. It includes sections on a child’s personal history, family background, and significant life events, encouraging children to document memories, express emotions, and explore their identity. The workbook aims to provide psychological support by offering children a structured way to understand their experiences in foster care. With prompts for drawings, family photos, and self-reflection, it supports emotional healing and a sense of continuity, making it a valuable tool for therapeutic and educational settings.
All About Me Memory Book
This Memory Book offers children in foster care a space to capture and celebrate their personal history and identity. With prompts for favourite foods, activities, school memories, family photos, and life milestones, it encourages children to document their journey in a way that feels meaningful to them. The book also includes sections on holiday wishes, special celebrations, and questions about family, fostering a sense of belonging and continuity. Ideal for use with foster carers and social workers, this memory book supports children in creating a keepsake that honours their individuality and life experiences.
EXAMPLES OF COMPLETED LIFE STORY BOOKS
Here are two examples of what completed life story books might look like:
