Life Story Work – Provision and Practice

Who this is for

Adoption practitioners and managers (Voluntary Adoption Agencies, Regional Adoption Agencies, Local Authorities, and independent social workers), children’s social care services, children and family social workers, foster carers, kinship carers, designated teachers, and other professionals working with children and families.

Details

ARC Adoption North East is a voluntary adoption agency based in Sunderland.

ARC Adoption NE are passionate about understanding the child’s journey through adoption and ensuring children and young people have access to good quality information about their history up to the present day. In addition, we hope professionals can be equipped with tools and resources to deliver information in a compassionate and sensitive manner, in line with individual need.

The aims of the session:

1. To share good practice around life story work and how to engage children and young people to explore their identity. Support participants working with families to help children and young people understand their own timeline of their adoption journey, including their birth history and meaningful relationships along the way. To include reflections on the agenda for change and the report published by the PLWG around maintaining significant relationships.

2. Exploration around life story and staying connected being one continuum for children and young people and how can we achieve this?

Learning outcomes

• To understand the reason why life story work is crucial in supporting children’s identity, self-esteem and family heritage.
• To consider practical tools in line with the evidence-based research, including tools used within the Ricard Rose model of Therapeutic Life Story work.
• To understand the importance of key relationships, in line with the culture for change initiative and findings from the Public Law Working Group.
• The importance of the connection between good quality Life story work and Staying Connected (Maintaining significant relationships)
• Hearing from a guest speaker, sharing lived experience and exploring the feelings around this.
• Opportunity within breakout rooms to explore and share good practice.
• To introduce ARCBOX, a safe digital life story and communication management Application.

About the trainers

Donna Mease

Donna has been a qualified Social Worker since June 2010. She obtained a BSc in Social Work at the University of Northumbria, following secondment by North Tyneside Council Children’s Services. She is registered with Social Work England. Ms. Mease joined ARC Adoption North East as Adoption Support Co-Ordinator on August 10th, 2015. Prior to this, she worked as a Social Worker in North Tyneside’s Looked After Children’s team for five years. She obtained the Post Qualifying consolidation module at the University of Northumbria in March 2013, while working for the authority.  She also holds a BA Joint Honors Degree in Childhood Studies and Professional Practice, which she obtained in June 2004 from the University of Northumbria, and a BTEC National Diploma in Caring Services (Nursery Nursing) from Newcastle College, obtained in June 1999.

Since joining ARC Adoption NE, she has undertaken a Diploma in Therapeutic Life Story Work (Richard Rose model), Level 1 Theraplay informed practice, Level 1 DDP, and Level 1 & 2 BUSS model training.

Lynn Applegarth

Lynn qualified as an NNEB nursery nurse in 1992. She is also trained in Level 1 Theraplay informed practice, Level 1 in DDP, and holds a professional Diploma in Therapeutic Life Story Work (Richard Rose). She has worked with children and families for over 40 years, offering individual support and group training around alternative parenting strategies.

She has been at the forefront of developing high-quality life story books for children who have been adopted. She coordinates ARCBOX, a digital life story and Communication Management Application created and developed by ARC Adoption, which houses and promotes maintaining significant relationships in a safe digital space.

Instructions

A member of staff will be in touch with attendees one week prior to the event to share a pre-event delegate pack. If you have any questions regarding this webinar, please contact us at info@cvaa.org.uk. We will aim to answer your query within two working days.

CVAA accept online payments only. In case you do not have instant access to your company card, we suggest using your personal card instead to book a training event and claim it back with your agency in your expenses. Requesting an invoice to pay for our standard practice events is not possible.