Life story
The importance of a life diary
Our sense of self is formed from our experiences and memories of the past. Children who live with their families have the opportunity to know about their past. Memories and events are regularly retold through sharing and storytelling amongst family members.
A child in care typically has less opportunities for these experiences, particularly where they have have limited contact with family or experience interruptions in care arrangements. They, like any child, are entitled to have an accurate knowledge of their past and to have access to records, such as photographs, memorabilia and keepsakes. When a child loses track of their past they may have additional challenges in developing their sense of identity and this can hinder emotional and social development.
Information to put in a life diary
A life diary is an account of the child’s life in words, pictures and documents. As the child’s carer, you can help the child form a healthy sense of self by keeping a life diary. This is not an official file, it is a personal memoir of the child growing up, and is theirs to keep.
It could include:
- birth family details
- letters and photographs from family and siblings
- a family genogram describing who is in their family and how everyone is connected
- foster or kinship family information, which may include a genogram of your family
- their medical history
- milestones and achievements
- school souvenirs such as class photographs, certificates and school reports
- their artwork, stories or poems
- details of special events or occasions such as outings, holidays, and Christmas
- special rituals the child liked at particular ages
- favourite likes and dislikes at particular ages
- information about pets
- developmental milestones reached
- special achievements
- sports, hobbies and activities of interest
- prized possessions
- religious and cultural information.
How to present a life diary
Life diaries do not need to be fancy, expensive or time-consuming and is a great way to harness your creative side. Try scrapbooking or create a photo book. Search the Internet or ask friends for suggestions, ideas and scrapbooking suppliers. A photo album with notes on the back of photos (for example, date, who is in the photo, where it was taken) is also sufficient. Your foster and kinship care service may have Life Story resources you can access.
Make sure you involve the child. Depending on the child’s age and interest, it may be a fun activity you can do together. You can also give copies of special photos to the Child Safety Officer to put in their file.
kicbox
kicbox is an app that can be accessed on a mobile phone or via a web browser, by a young person from anywhere. It provides a safe and secure place to store information, documentation and memories.
It also allows for deeper engagement between young people and their safety and support network by providing more convenient and contemporary ways of communicating and sharing information by direct messaging.
How you can help:
- encourage your young person to talk to their Child Safety team member about kicbox
- remind your young person that kicbox is their safe place, somewhere to store documents and memories that they will be able to look back on over time
- send any photos or documents (certificates, awards) of significance for a child’s life story to their Child Safety Officer to be stored in their kicbox account.
Find out more about kicbox and how to get started.