Sophia Warner
Life Stories
I have a passion for stories and believe they hold crucial elements that can help children in care comprehend particular events and complicated feelings they may be experiencing. As a former care leaver who has lived through the system, I have observed there is the potential to enhance life stories for children; they can be more purposeful and more tailored to the individual's needs.
Life story work is so important, and I can't accentuate this enough. But there are gaps in the process that need to be filled.
Common issues within life story work are that books which are created may be of poor quality, information may be incorrect and will ignore and gloss over any explanation as to why children have been taken away from their birth families.
To help develop life story work, I have adopted a more creative approach. I create personalised storybooks for foster children that they can get involved in. It's a fun and creative experience that which is led by the child. The storybook is all about them and their fostering journey, holding a personal narrative that explains their situation in an age-appropriate way. The children help design their characters and storyline, making every aspect of their story unique.
