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Policy
Manual
ADOPTIONS
Preparing The Child For Placement
48-13-4
Procedures
for Creating and Utilizing a Life Book
| Life Book |
An often used tool in the preparation of children for
adoptive placement is the Life Book. A Life Book depicts major events in a child's life in
writing, pictures and drawings. The book is usually put together jointly by the worker
and the child, along with participation by other significant persons when appropriate. |
| Benefits |
The process of creating a chronicle of the child's life not
only connects his or her past and presents their life experience, but also helps develop a
more positive self-image. Making a Life Book can promote a sense of history for a child,
facilitate a developing sense of identity, and provide an arena for reviewing past events.
In addition to providing factual information, it offers children the opportunity to
remember how they felt when certain events were occurring. |
| Preparation of the Life Book |
The process of preparing the book can take a long time,
perhaps months, and should proceed at a pace that is comfortable for the child. The book
should be accurate in its explanation of events that have transpired. Any misconceptions
can be corrected in the process.
Workers should phrase things in as objective a manner as possible. For example, the
book could state the child's mother's age when the child was born, but not that the mother
was too young. It might note that the parents were divorced because they had a lot of
fights, but no judgement about the blame would be included. |
| Information About Birth Parents |
The book should incorporate information about parents that is
neutral and positive. For children who are not returning home, a physical description of
the parents should be included, with pictures if possible. The interests, talents and
occupations of parents can be listed and children can be encouraged to take pride in the
positive attributes of their parents. |
| Information About Placements |
When children have lived in many places, each one can be
identified with a date and related pictures of houses, schools, foster parents,
significant child caretakers, acquaintances, and important neighborhood places. All of
this assists the child in understanding what the past has been, and gives the worker the
opportunity to convey appreciation of how difficult it can be to have lived in so many
places. |
| Detailed Information |
Because children are not apt to have accurate information
themselves, the worker needs to collect many details from various sources in order to
assist the child with the book. Parents can be supported to involve themselves by giving
information, providing pictures, or describing what some events were like, thus
participating in the child's development in a substantial way. |
| Child(ren)'s Participation |
Children can benefit from going back and revisiting former
places where they have lived. This can help make their memories more real and also
facilitate their ability to move on to new settings. When photographs of significant
people are not available, children can be invited to draw people as they remember them, or
write or dictate a description. Their active participation in making the book is important
by facilitating a child's perception of the past so that a sense of continuity is
established and the present can be better understood and accepted. |
| The Life Book Process |
The Life Book technique can be used effectively by all
placement workers. The following are some of the major points in the process.
•Life Book binders are available through the Department. Other materials the
worker may find helpful are crayons, drawing paper, felt-tip pens and glue.
•The book records the events of a child's life. The process of creating the book
explores the child's perceptions and feelings regarding the events. The Social Worker
provides accurate information to clear up any erroneous views of past separations
including birth family and foster family separations.
•The information needed can be found in the Uniform Case Record. No matter how
painful, information is to be presented simply and factually, without value judgements.
There must be a trusting relationship between the child and the worker sharing the data.
•The worker should gather pictures of birth parents, former foster parents and the
children in their home, current foster parents and children in their home, former
caretakers, siblings, all of whom can contribute to the child's sense of self. If pictures
are not available, the child might be asked to draw pictures. Contact with previous
caretakers might be necessary to obtain photographs and mementos such as report cards and
examples of school work.
•The Life Book process affords the child the opportunity to be part of the
planning process, understand what adoption means, encourage the child to ask questions and
allows the child to express their fears about moving to a new placement (whether it be
adoption, birth family or residential).
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| The Life Book Used for All Ages |
The Life Book process can be used with children from
pre-school through adolescence. It is a visible, concrete tool and provides each child
with a permanent visual record of his/her life in care and those who shared it with the
child. It can be used equally with those children who are returning to birth parents,
those children who are joining adoptive parents and those who are leaving foster care due
to their becoming an adult. All children in care outside their own family should have
access to their own history. |
Connecticut Department of Children and Families Issued: March 1,
1994
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