Our local authority specialist, Joanne Stoddart, has examined more than 150 Ofsted reports for local authority Children’s Care Services across the UK. Here, she shares what the reports reveal about life story work provision across the UK.
The only time it is a legal requirement to provide life story work is for children who have a plan of adoption. For those children who have a permanence plan other than adoption (for example, long-term fostering) there is no such equivalent requirement. However, it is acknowledged as good practice by the many professionals involved with children and young people, and more importantly by care-experienced young people themselves, to ensure life story work is facilitated and progressed for all.
Where a child has a plan of adoption the local authority must provide a life story book and later life letter and you can read more about these, and the guidance around them, here.
Read Joanne’s blog post on later life letters and life story books>>
Throughout my research, it became evident that not every Ofsted report refers to life story work, and that some reports refer only to life story books and later life letters for children with a plan of adoption.
As I explain above, life story work is only a statutory requirement for children and young people with a plan of adoption, which may explain why it’s not always mentioned.
Nevertheless, given the importance of life story work to support children and young people to help process the trauma they have experienced, and to understand the memories, emotions and feelings they have, it is arguably one of the most important activities that should be progressed whether statutory or not.
When Ofsted identifies an action for a local authority regarding life story work, it is accepted that local authorities will work hard to address this. Equally, when Ofsted highlights excellent practice in this area it can serve as a good practice model to be aspired to by other local authorities who are aware they need to strengthen this practice in their services.
If Ofsted do not highlight life story work for children with a plan of adoption and children in care with a plan other than adoption, this is a missed opportunity.
The research showed that local authorities who had been graded as ‘outstanding’ for their children in care service gave high priority to helping children understand their life story.
Words Ofsted inspectors used to describe the provision of life story work in these local authorities include ‘sensitive’, ‘continuous and evolving’, ‘purposeful’, ‘creative’, and ‘high quality’.
Practitioners evidenced they were skillful, proactive, passionate in their approach, insightful, attuned, and also ensured participation by parents.
Most importantly these local authorities were able to ensure children had consistency of trusting and enduring relationships with their social workers.
Conversely, those local authorities graded as ‘requires improvement to be good’ for their children in care service had the following overriding themes:
For those local authorities graded as ‘inadequate’ for their children in care service it was evident that in some areas life story work was not given any priority. This means that children are not being supported to understand their journeys, and a turnover of social workers was inevitably impacting.
It was interesting to read about a small number of local authorities where Ofsted reports referenced life story work in relation to care experienced young people (care leavers) and their personal advisers. It was evident that life story work is given high priority and that practice was embedded across services to continue and build on this work even after a young person had formally ‘left care.’
As a social work practitioner, it continues to surprise me that life story work for children and young people in care, other than those with a plan of adoption, is not given sufficient weight across the majority of local authorities. The research undertaken clearly evidences that when local authorities prioritise life story work for children in care, the outcome for children is positive.
Life story work for children in care is not a regulatory requirement other than adoption, and this is clearly a key reason why so many children are not being supported to process their experiences and in turn be helped to move forward positively in their lives.
When I first carried out this research in 2022, it was apparent that not all local authorities had developed policies, procedures, and guidance regarding life story work for children in care (you can see my guidance on this here). It was also clear that many local authorities struggle with the embedding of life story work across their services.
As a social work practitioner, I am aware this can seem a mammoth task and one to be put off for another day. However, my advice is to start small, be kind to yourselves and tackle it in bite size pieces.
Joanne has written guidance for local authorities and life story work practitioners on:
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Joanne Stoddart is Creative Life Story Work’s local authority specialist. She is an experienced children’s social worker and manager, with over 25 years’ experience working in local authorities. She has held various roles from children’s social worker to head of service, all within statutory children’s services, with significant direct experience of working with care-experienced children and young people. She also holds a role in a regional adoption agency.
