Life Story

Product Information

The child's birth parents, family, foster carers and other people who know the child should be encouraged to be involved in putting together contents. They may also be able to provide memorabilia significant to the child such as the child's hospital birth wristband; soft toys, letters and celebration cards; first drawings and paintings and photographs of birth parents, siblings, family members and other people who are important to the child. Where appropriate, this memorabilia should be stored safely in a suitable box - a 'memory box'. The following suggestions are based on the Joy Rees Approach and are integral to how we want to approach this important work) Life stories are not just about the past – you can also include information about the person with dementia at the present time and their future wishes Guidance on life story work for social workers by Kent County Council (includes an example of a completed life story book)

What is reminiscence work or therapy? It is recalling past events with the help of old photographs, newspaper clippings, videos of old films or familiar items. It can be done on an individual or group basis and by using family or generic pictures or objects from a certain age. For more information, see the Reminiscence feature in the Keeping active and occupied section. Sporting memories Social workers, adoptive parents and foster carers, residential staff, teachers and nursery nurses wanting to use life story work as a way of helping children. What you will find in this book Details of foster carers are helpful and, if there was more than one placement, an explanation for each move, emphasising that this was not because the child was ‘bad’ or ‘naughty’. The traditional Life Story Book generally finishes with a little information about the adoptive parents, the adoption hearing and the ‘forever family’. The implication being that the child fully understands these concepts.Details of the child’s birth family should be included keeping the information honest but simple - ‘All children have a birth mother and a birth father’ - use their names and give their ages, descriptions, ethnic origin, religion, health, interests, employment etc. Details of siblings and any other significant family members are also helpful. video recordings: a good way to record visual information such as home videos and messages from the person with dementia to their family, friends and carers, and vice versa Life Story Work: A resource for foster carers, residential social workers, adoptive parents, and kinship carers, to support this work Take breaks and complete the story at their pace – it might take days, weeks or months. You can always add more later Learning about people’s life stories can take many different forms. Creating a life story book with sections on childhood, teenage years, working life and family life can be enjoyable for the person with dementia and also for their family. Many imaginative life story programmes exist: some use collages, others use pictures, photographs or objects to evoke positive recall of days gone by. Sometimes these special items are placed in a memory box.

Video recordings: are a good way to record visual information, such as family films and messages from the person with dementia to their family, friends and carers. They can also be added to, or amended as life changes. A Life Story Book is a ‘tool’ to be used by you, the adoptive parents, to help your child to gain a sense of identity and personal history. Over time these can change and develop and the Life Story Book may need to evolve to reflect this.

Life Story Network

The child's Life Story Book helps them to explore and understand their early history and life before their adoption. It is important therefore for it to be written in a simple and age appropriate style and that the language and terms used are agreed with the prospective adopter before the book is handed over. For example, some prospective adopters use the term 'tummy mummy' as a way of explaining to the child who their birth mother is, whereas other prospective adopters use different terms. The explanation of why the child was adopted should not include explicit or distressing details. This information needs to be given to the chills at a time when they are emotionally able to cope and understand the information. Consideration should be given on whether the surname of the birth parents, family and others should be included in the Life Story Book. Reflecting on our lives can be emotional so sensitivity is needed. Don’t be afraid of this but think carefully about what information the person would want to be shared. The Life Story Book needs to be written and presented in a way that is appealing to the child. It should invite the child into their story and should contain a mixture of scanned photographs, illustrations and colourful clipart; So why wait? Begin the journey of a lifetime with StoryKeeper. Record your life story and create a legacy that will be cherished for generations to come. With our support, every day can be a step towards completing your very own “ Story a day book.”