- Appropriate for households with a mixture of birth and foster or adopted children.
- Designed so that birth children can participate in Lifebook work, alongside foster or adopted children.
- This Lifebook does not mention foster care or adoption.
Uncategorized
Lifebook for Children Adopted from Foster Care
My Awesome Life, customized for children adopted from foster care, includes an additional section, My Adoption.
Adjust to Life with a New Family
- Pages like “My Adoption Plan” provide a safe way to share alternative perspectives on why the child is being adopted.
- Children can learn about their adoptive families through pages like “My Adoptive Family Tree.”
- Pages like “Being Adopted” offer a way to express feelings about adoption.
Remember and Celebrate Strengths of the Birth Family
- Pages like “My Mother”, “My Father”, and “My Brothers and Sisters” offer a way for the child to record details about his or her birth family.
- Pages like “Health History” offer a central place for children to record information that will be important later in life.
Build Self-Esteem
- Children discover their strengths through pages like “I am Special.”
- Pages like “My Firsts” celebrate the child’s achievements.
Lifebook for Children in Foster Care
This Lifebook is appropriate for children currently in foster care. Once the child’s permanency plan is decided, easily add a new chapter by purchasing our Going Home section or My Adoption section.
Keep Track of Important Memories
- Fill-in-the-blank format makes it easy for children to complete.
- Record placement history with the “Path of My Life” section.
- Attach photos and write down memories of birth and foster families.
- An extra envelope is included to store items that don’t fit anywhere else.
Answer Questions About Birth Family
- Pages like “Why I Don’t Live With My Mother or Father” offer the opportunity for children to explore questions and reasons why they are in foster care.
- Pages like “What Others Say” provide a safe way to share alternative perspectives on why the child is in foster care.
Build Self-Esteem
- Children discover their strengths through pages like “I am Special.”
- Pages like “My Firsts” celebrate the child’s achievements.
Lifebook for Children Returning Home from Foster Care
My Awesome Life, customized for children returning home from foster care, includes an additional section, Going Home.
Answer Questions About Returning Home
- Pages like “Going Home Plan” provide a safe way to share alternative perspectives on why the child is returning home.
- Children explore how home will be different through pages like “When I Think About Living with Mom/Dad.”
Keep Track of Important Friends and Memories
- Pages like “Staying in Touch” offers a central place to store contact information for important bonds made during foster care.
- Fill-in-the-blank format makes it easy for children to complete.
- Attach photos and write down memories for birth and foster families.
Build Self-Esteem
- Children discover their strengths through pages like “I am Special.”
- Pages like “My Firsts” celebrate the child’s achievements.
Training
The Most Comprehensive Lifebook Training Packed in 5 Modules, or 6.5 Hours
- The training is set up in 5 modules, totaling 6.5 hours. It can be delivered as a 1-day training or on 2+ separate training dates.
- The curriculum includes a script for 1 or more trainers and suggestions for delivering the content, including a section on the impact of trauma on children and how Lifebooks help children heal.
- In addition to the video segments, the curriculum includes mini-lectures, skill-building activities, and discussions to help participants understand the benefits of Lifebooks for children and learn practical “how-tos.”
- Participant hand-outs include all the activities needed for the training, plus sample Lifebook pages from actual children in foster care.
Get Tips from the Experts
The curriculum incorporates video clips from LSSI’s Lifebook DVD, a documentary-style video presentation developed in conjunction with Dr. Jeanne Howard of the Center for Adoption Studies at Illinois State University. In the DVD, you will meet foster and/or adoptive parents, therapists, child welfare, and adoption professionals. This wide variety of professionals provide instruction on how to do Lifebook work with children, including practical tips for getting started, what to include and how to respond to children’s questions as they complete their Lifebooks.