Life Story Work
Life Story Work was developed by the Trust's Learning Academy, which brings together all learning and development opportunities for social workers, both before and after qualification.
Why life story work matters
Life story work is a vital part of helping children and young people understand their identity, experiences and journey through care.
Life story work sits at the heart of good social work practice. Every child and young person has the right to understand their story and the decisions that have shaped their life. When done well, life story work helps children make sense of their past, understand their present and build confidence in their future.
Life story work is not a single intervention or task. It is a continuous, shared responsibility across the workforce and begins as soon as we become involved in a child’s life. By embedding life story work across practice, we ensure that children’s experiences, memories and relationships are captured in a way that supports identity, belonging and emotional healing over time.
Our approach is grounded in honest and sensitive storytelling, led by trusted relationships and centred around the voice and experience of the child. It supports children to process loss and separation, build self-understanding and develop a stronger sense of self.
Our model and approach
Our model provides a structured, compassionate approach that supports emotional wellbeing, strengthens identity and improves long-term outcomes. It is designed to be responsive to each child’s individual needs.
In practice, this means life story work begins from the earliest point of involvement and continues at key moments throughout a child’s journey. It is led by the practitioner best placed to support the child and shaped by relationships built on trust and understanding.
The work is creative, interactive and tailored to each child’s age, identity and development. Always guided by curiosity, empathy and acceptance, it keeps their voice and lived experience right at the heart of everything.
We promote a culture of ‘life story-minded practice’, where capturing meaningful details becomes part of everyday recording, reflection and interaction. This whole-system approach helps ensure important memories and experiences are not lost and can later form the foundation of life story books and later life letters.
Evidence-informed practice: The Joy Rees model
Our approach is informed by the work of Joy Rees, an experienced social worker and consultant whose model is widely recognised across permanence and adoption practice.
Drawing on child development, attachment and trauma-informed theory, this approach begins by establishing safety and stability in the present before gently exploring past experiences.
It supports children to make sense of what has happened and move forward with a stronger sense of identity and hope for the future.
A whole-system responsibility
Life story work is not owned by one team or role. It is a collective responsibility shared by everyone who supports a child or young person at any point in their journey.
Social workers, team managers and the wider team around the child all contribute to building a fuller understanding of the child’s experiences.
The more complex a child’s history, the more important it becomes that this work is supported collaboratively across services, with each professional adding their perspective to help shape a meaningful and coherent story.
Life story-minded recording
A key part of our model is ‘life story-minded recording’, an approach that encourages professionals to think about the child’s story whenever they record information. This means capturing not only significant events and decisions, but also the experiences and emotions that sit behind them.
Over time, these details create a richer, more personal narrative that supports direct life story work, life story books and later life letters. Without this conscious approach, important moments and memories can easily be lost.
The impact
Embedding life story work across practice helps to:
- strengthen identity and sense of belonging for children
- support emotional healing and understanding
- improve the quality of life story books and later life letters
- ensure future practitioners have a fuller picture of the child’s journey
- create more reflective, relationship-based practice across services
If this is an area you’re looking to strengthen, expand or introduce within your local authority, the Birmingham Children’s Trust team would be glad to share their learning and support that development.
How can we help?
If you feel a conversation would be helpful, please contact us, in confidence, via the email address below.
We welcome the opportunity to explore how we can support you.
- bctsupport@birminghamchildrenstrust.co.uk