1. Guidance for using this template to complete Part 2 of a Life Story Book
Read this together with Life Story Practice Guidance 1: Creating a life story book for children placed with permanent families.
Completing this template can be done as soon as you know permanence is the plan for the child. To cut down on time, here are some pointers.
Try to get as many photos as possible. Scan hard copies or get photos sent to you digitally. Place them on the page and do not be concerned about how they look. One of the Life Story social workers can help you with this.
Show a image of the teddy bear to the child/permanent carer. If they like it ask them to name it and use this name throughout.
The parts highlighted in red need to be replaced with information appropriate to your child.
If you become stuck with explanations insert a note on that page and ask a Life Story social worker for help.
Delete pages which are not appropriate to your child. Try to avoid changing the graphics in this template e.g. design/colours/ images, as this can interfere with the carefully structured narrative and then also take time to rework.
You will find guidance notes at the bottom of most pages.
For further support and advice about completing this section of your child’s Life Story Book contact Life Story social workers Sandra Garner x 5225 or Cathy Turner x 5191.
You are on your way to creating a life long gift for a looked after child.

2. Insert photo of child as a baby.
Season graphics can be changed at a later date. Baby photos are very important to looked after children and their permanent families. Do all you can to get hold of at least one.
Boris is asking if you know who this most beautiful and precious baby is?
Yes, it’s baby Xxxxx!
Xxxxx was born on a beautiful Autumn day on Friday 23rd October 2009 when the leaves were falling from the trees.

3. Insert photo of appropriate hospital.
If the child was not born in hospital say so. If the child’s birth was a difficult story, discuss this with a Life Story SW. Check out google for images of hospitals.
Like lots of babies Xxxxx was born in a hospital.
Boris is pointing at a picture of the XXXXXXX Hospital which is where
Xxxxx was born. .

4. The Royal London Hospital looks very different now
The Royal London Hospital looks very different now. The new hospital building is on the left and the old one is on the right. Edith Cavell was a brave and very famous nurse who once worked here
The Royal London Hospital is a very busy hospital with ambulances coming and going all the time. Sometimes you can hear the ‘choppa, choppa’ noise of a helicopter that lands on the roof bringing people who need help in an emergency. Can you spot tiny baby XXXXX?

5. Xxxxx was born at 2.09pm in the afternoon which
Birth information should be on file but if not, a template letter can be found in ‘Resources for life story’ on the intranet under Life Story Practice Guidance 1. An interactive clock dial will be added so no need to get the clock hands right.
Xxxxx was born at 2.09pm in the afternoon which
is when most children in London were at school.

6. At birth Xxxxx weighed 3.09 kg which is the same as saying he weighed
Cans of food are weighed in kgs. Include the correct number of cans. To help with your conversion look online to convert kgs to pounds and ounces. Depending on the child you may choose to do something else other than canned baked beans e.g. chick peas, bags of sugar – see next page
At birth Xxxxx weighed 3.09 kg which is the same as saying he weighed
6 pounds and 6 ounces.
So Xxxxx weighed almost the same as 8 cans of baked beans! Don’t eat all those beans Boris, you’ll go pop!

7. At birth xxxxx weighed xxxxxx grams which is the same as saying he weighed just a little over xxx pounds.
So xxxxxx weighed almost the same as seven 400g cans of chick peas!
Don’t eat all those chick peas Boris, you’ll go pop!

8. The name Xxxxxx is of Arabic origin and it is a common Bangladeshi name.
Some people say the name
Xxxxxx means:
‘intelligent’
Boris thinks Xxxx certainly
looks like an intelligent
little boy!
Include photo of child.
Check out the meaning of the child’s name on google and say something positive about it relating to the child

9. Boris says all babies have a birth mother and birth father.
Xxxxx’s birth mother is
XXXXX
and his/her
birth father is
XXXXXXX
Xxxx’s birth mother chose his name.
Boris knows much more about xxxx’s
birth parents. What else can you tell us Boris?
Safety issues - consider children’s individual stories and decide if it is appropriate to include the full names of birth parents.

10. Include picture of original birth certificate.
Boris says all babies get a birth certificate which gives important information about a baby’s birth.
This is a copy of Xxxxx’s first birth certificate. Look closely and you can see that Xxxx’s last name was Bloggs which is the same as Xxxx’s birth father.
Include picture of original birth certificate.
We all need to be aware of children & young people having easy access to social media. Before using this page think about the child’s individual case and if there is a risk to the child (now or in the future) having such identifying information i.e. full names and addresses.

11. Insert appropriate images.
Insert photo of birth mother.
You may want to use flags to represent a birth parents cultural background.
This is Xxxxx who is XXXXX’s birth mother. She is from Bangladesh and here are some pictures about Bangladesh.

12. Debbie was almost age 34 when Aingeal was born
xxxxx is 5 feet and 4 inches tall & she has black hair and hazel eyes
Xxxxx was almost age 34 when xxxxx was born
Xxxxxxx’s favourite food is curried chicken
xxxxxx enjoys swimming, reading, listening to music and going to the cinema.
Boris is juggling some balls that show some things to know about child’s name birth mother birth mother’s name
Xxxxxxx mother’s name is xxxxxxx and her father’s name
Is xxxxx (both have passed away)
To help you with the information for this page, see ‘Questions for birth parents’ on the intranet under Life Story Practice Guidance 1
Including (child’s name), xxxxxxx gave birth to 3 children -(put children’s first names here)
xxxxxx has two brothers (xxxx & xxxxx) and two sisters (xxxxx & xxxxxx).

13. Insert appropriate images.
Insert photo of Birth father.
This is Xxxxx who is Xxxx’s birth father.
He is also from Bangladesh.

14. Xxxx supports Arsenal football team.
Xxxx wanted to be a mechanic.
Xxxx’s favourite colour is blue.
Xxxx has a sister
called xxxx and a
brother called
xxxx
Xxxx came to live in the
UK in 2005
Xxxxx has worked in a restaurant in Cardiff, Wales
Xxxx’s first language
is Sylheti
Insert information in bubbles. You can add more bubbles.
Boris has blown some bubbles that show some things to know about Birth Father’s Name. 14 14 14 14

15. Boris is juggling more balls but is unhappy he can’t show child’s name anything about his birth father because birth mother’s name would not tell anyone anything about him, not even his name. Boris imagines child’s name may feel sad or disappointed about this and says it is often helpful to talk about such feelings with a trusted adult.
If you don’t know anything about the birth father you could use a page like this.

16. Insert photos of birth family members
Boris says these are some photos of some members of Xxxxx’s birth family.

17. (birth paternal uncle)
Bell
(birth sister)
Alf
(birth sister)
Toby
(birth brother)
Leslie
(birth paternal uncle)
Sue
(birth paternal
aunt)
Shola
( birth sister)
Sheila
(birth sister)
Henry
(Birth brother)
Joanne
(birth mother)
Joseph
(birth father)
Fill in names. Leaves can be added or taken away.
Xxxxxx
Take a look at some of the names in Xxxx’s birth family tree.

18. ‘Parenting’ is the thing that parents are
All babies and children need a grown-up to keep them happy, healthy and safe. This is called ‘Parenting’.
‘Parenting’ is the thing that parents are
expected to do all of the time.
Look after us when we are ill
Teach us what is right
and what is wrong
Keep us safe from
any hurt or harm
Keep us warm when it’s cold
Give us a clean and safe home to live in
Love us no matter what we say or do
Give us good food
to help us grow
Give us hugs and cuddles
Here are just some of the many things parents are expected to do all of the time……..
Here are just some of the many things parents are expected to do all of the time…….. 18 18

19. And here are some more! Show us how to look after ourselves
Help us feel good
about ourselves
Help us through problems or troubles
Take us to the
doctors and dentist
Help us with our school work
Take us to nursery or school
Help us learn how to do new things
Show us how to care
and look after others
Keep our bodies and clothes clean

20. Well! that can’t be easy, what a lot of things to do!

21. Example story
Child’s name went to a nursery and when she was age 3 and a half, social workers discovered that while xxxxx and xxxxx found it easier to look after her, they struggled to give child’s name the right clothes to keep her warm; the right amount of rules, playtimes, healthy food and routine. Xxxx was not growing as she was expected to.
Before child’s name was born, social workers found out that birth parents names were good at parenting their children some of the time, but there was far too much arguing between them and they didn’t seem to understand how scary and unsafe this was for their children. Neighbours, health visitors, the police and social workers were worried.
Write an explanation as to why the child was unable to stay with birth family. For help with more specific scenarios such as drugs or domestic violence, please speak to a Life Story social worker
A social worker is someone who tries to help children and their families when they are unhappy; they also try to find new families for children who need them.

22. Example
Birth parents names certainly loved their children and wanted to look after them but
they found it difficult to learn new things and did not understand how to keep their children safe and help them grow into strong healthy grown-ups.
Boris is looking at something very important about love.
Most people who have children love them and want to keep them.
Love is a feeling but it also includes some ACTION
For parents, the action part of love involves giving children what they need.
The feeling
part of love on its own
is just not enough to
keep children
Happy, Healthy
and
Safe

23. Boris says that Xxx and Xxx were unable to do all the things a parent has to do all the time to keep their children happy, healthy and safe.

24. A social worker arranged for Xxxx to be cared for by a foster carer.
Foster carers look after children who cannot live with their birth family. Sometimes they look after children for a short time and sometimes they look after them for a long time.
When xxxx was 4 years old she went to stay with a foster carer called, insert name.
Insert appropriate photos of foster carer and child

25. Insert a collage of photos of the child doing various things with her/his foster family.
Insert names of foster carers gave Xxxx lots of cuddles and care and kept him/her healthy and safe.
Xxxxx grew stronger and stronger each day and learnt lots of things for the very first time like ……..

26. Insert any photos of child eating in placement
Insert any photos of child eating in placement. Food graphics can be added.
Foster carer name said Xxxxx liked fruits and his/her favourites were grapes, bananas, strawberries and pears. Xxxx also liked vegetables, fish, chicken, yoghurt and dahl. Yummy!

27. Insert relevant photos of child
Insert relevant photos of child. Write about the child’s favourite toys and activities. Graphics will be inserted to reflect these interests.
Foster Carer name said xxxx enjoyed playing with lego bricks, toy cars, lorries and trains.
Xxxx also loved playing football indoors; hide and seek; visiting parks and going on shopping trips.

28. Insert photos of any contact sessions.
While living with her foster carers, Birth parents/family members /siblings names would sometimes meet him at different places. Social Workers call this meeting ‘contact’.
This is called ‘contact’.

29. The Social Workers were very pleased to see how well Xxxxx was doing.
There were lots of meetings and long talks about xxxxx. Everyone wanted what was best for xxxxxxx’s future. They all agreed to go to Court to see the Judge.
Insert photo of child’s social worker
Boris is waving to Xxxx. Xxxx was Xxxx’s social worker in the Children Looked After Team at London Borough of Tower Hamlets.

30. Boris has painted a fantastic picture of a Judge
Boris has painted a fantastic picture of a Judge. Be careful Boris, you’re getting paint all over you! Boris says Judges are very clever and very wise and they are good at listening to everyone.
The judge decided that Xxxxx should live with a family that would know just how to look after him/her and keep him/her safe, happy and healthy for a very, very long time, until he/she was all grown up (and beyond)! 30

31. xxxxx found a family- Xxxxx and Xxxxx.
A Social Worker from the London Borough of Tower Hamlets Adoption Team called Xxxx, started to look for a family who could adopt Xxxxx.
Family Finder and LAC SW thought
Xxxxx and Xxxxx were just the right family for Xxxxx because ….
Insert photo of Family finding social worker
xxxxx found a family- Xxxxx and Xxxxx.

32. ….. Xxxx and Xxxx knew just what to do to help Xxxx grow into a healthy, strong boy/girl.
They knew that children need lots of love and cuddles, plenty of sleep and good food, a warm house, clean clothes, lots of fun, games and playtimes, and just the right number of rules to make sure that they are safe and secure.
They were just the right grownups to be Xxxx’s forever mummy and daddy.
Insert photo of adopters/
permanent carers

33. Insert photos of first meetings
On Tuesday 16th August 2011, when xxxx was age 4 and a bit, he met his mummy and daddy for the first time when they visited him at his foster home. Xxxxxxx’s mummy and daddy were so so happy and excited to meet him and felt absolutely blessed.
Xxxxxxxx enjoyed playing together with his mummy and daddy and instantly sat on his daddy’s lap. Xxxxx’s mummy and daddy have lots more to tell him about the time before he went to live with them.

34. How excited he became when he knew he was
Boris knows that Foster carer name loved caring for Xxxx but she knew that she could only care for him/her until his/her forever family was found. When she met permanent carers names, she was very pleased they would be Xxxx’s mummy and daddy forever.
After meeting each other for one week, on 4th February 2011 when XXXX was age ….. he went to live with his mummy and daddy
Foster Carer s name said she will always remember Xxxx, especially …...
His cheeky smile.
How excited he became when he knew he was
going out.
His happy baby noises.
Insert photos of foster carer and amend memory bubbles
You may want to add photos of the foster carers goodbye party instead and say something about this.

35. Amend text below to explain contact arrangements
Amend text below to explain contact arrangements. An envelope will be stuck to the page with text below printed as a letter.
Boris says that Xxxx will not lose touch with his/her birth family.
The social workers and the judge all agreed that Xxxx’s parents would send a letter to Xxxx once a year to let her know how Xxxx is doing.