Lifebooks are a tool used to help young people who have experiences out of home care, understand their past and how it connects to their present and future.
A Lifebook can be made by anyone, the young person themself, their birth, foster or adoptive parent, or a social worker.
Many young people who have experienced out of home care do not have family or childhood photos, information about their birth family, past placements, or a story that makes sense to piece together their fragmented memories of the past.
Research shows that understanding your past is key to achieving a clear sense of identity, security and even placement stability.
Thus a Lifebook created while a child is young is healing and therapeutic, because a child can start processing their story while they are growing, and can provide them answers to questions they have, and may have in the future.
Creating a Lifebook to understand you own journey as one has experienced out of home placement, can help make sense of a complex and emotionally fraught childhood.
A Lifebook tracks the journey through placement, including reasons for entrance, placements, information and photos of the child’s birth, foster and adoptive families. It also includes medical and educational history, and information about the child at various ages.
Many youth, even those who live in states that require Lifebooks do not have them. “Although life books may be a requirement… our child welfare agencies don’t really have a practice of maintaining them. I don’t have a life book, nor do any of the foster youth I know and grew up with have life books.” Joymara Coleman, MSW, ASW and Former Foster Youth
*Lifebooks are required for all adoptions in the UK and Ohio. In MN, a Lifebook is not required, but is HIGHLY recommended for every youth in out of home placement, that is updated as young people age.
What benefits are there to completing a Lifebook?
- Allows early and child focused conversation from an early age.
- Help understand how the young person fits in their birth and current family.
- Provides context past and future.
- Gives access to photos at every stage of life.
- The story is POWERFUL and changes lives.
Possible Topics to Include.
- All about me (at various ages)
- All about my birth family
- Letters from special people
- Letter to child/self at various ages
- A chronological age progression
- Memories from the birth family & past placements
- Photographs
- Placement history
- Schools attended
- Samples of school work/artwork etc.
- Medical information
Links to FREE Blank Lifebooks
Iowa Foster and Adoptive Parents Association (IFAP)A Lifebook Pages: IFAPA has created over seventy free lifebook pages for foster and adoptive families and social workers to use. IFAPA created these lifebook pages to allow a child to pick the pages that fit his or her style. Each page can be downloaded and printed separately which allows a child the ability to hand-select a preferred page. View printable pages
Michigan Adoption Resource Exchange: These Lifebook pages are a tool that can be useful in any stage of foster care or adoption. The pages can be individually downloaded and printed, allowing the child to hand- select pages they are interested in. It is important to note that not all pages need to be used, only the pages appropriate to the child. Once the pages are printed, it is recommended they be placed in a three-ring binder. Print Lifebook Pages
Story of Me: Created in partnership with Ampersand Families, Shutterfly based drag and drop lifebook, with pages that have text options as well. View customizable book
New South Wales: The government of New South Wales (NSW), on the east coast of Australia has the following two publicly available lifebooks for foster parents to complete with the children in their care:
- My Life Story book: My Life Story Book has been developed to assist children and young people in out-of-home care develop a sense of self, in relation to their life experiences. It is a chronological account of the child or young person’s history, and should be started when the child enters out-of-home care and maintained throughout their time in care. Download My Life Story book – PDF File
- Aboriginal life story: The Aboriginal version of My Life Story Book supports Aboriginal children in out-of-home care in understanding more about their cultural identity and in developing a sense of connectedness to family, kinship groups and the community. Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children and young people placed in care have similar needs to non-Aboriginal children. However, there are differences that are specific to Aboriginal children and young people. Download My Life Story book – Aboriginal version PDF, 11884.97 KB
The Children’s Psychological Health Center, San Francisco, CA put together the Personal Life History book contains a template which is intended to be used as part of therapeutic life story work. As a 30 session brief psychotherapy tool, the Personal Life History Book is designed to help children reduce their transfer rates to new homes. The child’s distress is channeled into a personal record book of positive memories as well as traumatic ones. This enhances the sense of personal continuity and conscious access to mental rather than behavioral representations of past relationships. Any or all members of the child’s network may be included: birth parents, foster parents, caseworker, and extended family members. In addition to children in formal foster care, the Personal Life History Book is useful for: children of incarcerated parents, in the process of family reunification following foster care placement, in guardianship homes, and in homes with relatives. Workbook for children / Accompanying manual
Oregon Post Adoption Resource Center, All About Me Books honor Oregon’s children in care. They are a way to reiterate to every child who enters the foster care system that their story, perspective, culture and identity matter. Anchoring children in “the now” helps them to better process their past while embracing their future. ODHS Child Welfare has taken the bold and exciting step of adding All About Me books into procedure for all children experiencing care! Choose from 50+ themed All About Me Templates available in ORPARC’s library, including animals, sports, art, Legos, Superheroes, Disney and more. Or, order a blank template to create your own! Download Now
Blank Lifebooks to Purchase
Lutheran Social Services of Illinois, My Awesome Life. Craft Meaningful Life Stories, Help Foster Children Make Sense of Their Lives, includes versions for Lifebooks for Children in Foster Care, Lifebooks for Children Returning from Foster Care and Lifebooks for Children Adopted from Foster Care. Purchase now
The Adoptee Collective brings us, My Story Book: My Life Story by Me and for Me: Baby books and case files can’t tell a life story. My Story Book is our innovative workbook and cornerstone resource. My Story Book helps you capture & preserve your own story, in your own words, for your own sake. My Story Book is available on Amazon, in both a Kid’s Edition for ages 5-14, with essentially the same content in an Adult Edition for ages 14 and up. KIDS Edition | ADULT Edition
Beth O’Malley, My Foster Care Journey: Affordable and easy-to-use, these lifebooks are the perfect tool for foster care agencies, adoption agencies, CASA volunteers, and state agencies. Designed by an adult adoptee, this 27-page, coil bound lifebook allows you to work quickly as you capture vital information. The pages are written to complement any permanent goal (i.e. guardianship, return home, adoption). Appropriate for ages 1-8. Affordable, Kid Friendly, and Easy to Complete. Purchase now
Beth O’Malley, For When I’m Famous: A Teen Foster Adoption Lifebook (spiral): Reviewed by teens in care AND written with the ever busy social worker in mind, For When I’m Famous even includes places for 14 moves (group homes, kinship, running away, psych hospitals). Case managers, social workers, therapists, foster parents, CASA workers as well as the teen/tween will enjoy this fill-in-the-blank-format. For When I’m Famous works for ages 10-17, tackles tough issues, and is designed for the young person who is sick of talking. Perfect for group homes and foster care. Purchase now
Therapy Redeemed, This is Why I was Adopted: Navigating Loss on a Journey Toward Hope: This interactive memoir walks you through my adoption journey and gives space for you to reflect on your own. You’ll receive prompts for self reflection, touchstones regarding adoption and clinical mental health education, along with vivid recollections of my personal journey through Korea and throughout my life. It’s ok if you don’t like talking about adoption. Maybe it feels difficult or strange or uncomfortable? You don’t have to talk about it. You can think about it. Write about it. Organize your feelings about it. So that whether you choose to keep it to yourself or tell it to the world, it no longer stands in the background of your life as a mysterious unknown, but a newly understood feature that inspires and propels you toward good things, toward hope, toward belonging, toward true joy. Purchase the eBook Here
Lifebook Guides for Workers + Parents
Making History: A Social Worker’s Guide to Life Books: An excellent guide for social workers on how to create a life story book. Click here to view
Social Work Handbook: Life story for work children and young people in care: Guidance on life story work for social workers by Kent County Council (includes an example of a completed life story book). Click here to view/download
Life Story Work: A resource for foster carers, residential social workers, adoptive parents, and kinship carers, to support this work: A guide for carers/foster parents explaining what life story work is and how they can contribute to it. Click here to view/download
Lifebooks: Creating a Treasure for the Adopted Child: This bestseller delivers tips, insights and ideas to help you create a lifebook. In this adoption classic, Beth ( who is both an adoptee and adoptive parent) guides you step-by-step and page-by-page just as if she were right there with you. It’s all explained in full detail with a light touch of humor. Would an actual sample help? That’s covered too, with three full- length examples include: Domestic/Infant, Foster-Adopt, and International. Purchase now
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The ultimate resource for FREE downloadable, lifebook templates, recommended versions to purchase and guides for parents and workers on creating lifestory books.
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