Life Story Work: Reflections on the Experience by Looked after Young People

Abstract

Rachel Willis and Sally Holland report on a qualitative study of young people's experiences of life story work. Semi-structured interviews were carried out with 12 young people aged 11–18 and looked after by one local authority in South Wales. They had experienced a wide range of styles and content of life story work. The young people reflected on both the emotional aspects of the work and the new information they had gained about their own histories. Life story work invoked a range of emotions among participants, including tedium, pleasure, anger and sadness. It also appeared to have a function in helping young people to work out aspects of their identity. All were positive about the experience, although a small number had found the process tedious at times or intrusive to their everyday lives. Most envisaged a future role for the life story books in their lives, expecting to return to the work for their own reflection or to show it to others. The article concludes that both the process of life story work and the material record produced are important to looked after young people. The paucity of empirical studies in this area is noted and suggestions for future research are made.

Adopted children and young people's views on their life storybooks: The role of narrative in the formation of identities

“…Of the few that have reported children's views (Gallagher & Green, 2012;Neil, 2012;Selwyn, Meakings & Wijedasa, 2015;Willis & Holland, 2009) only one focused specifically on children's reflections on life story work (Willis & Holland, 2009). The study by Willis and Holland (2009) involved interviews with 12 looked after young people aged 11-18 years in one local authority in South Wales about their experiences of life story work, which included the production of the book. Overall, the authors reported the importance and value that young people afforded the life story work, although it provoked strong emotional reactions including tedium, boredom, anger, sadness and pleasure; feelings that contributed to one young person completely destroying her work (Willis & Holland, 2009).…”

“…The study by Willis and Holland (2009) involved interviews with 12 looked after young people aged 11-18 years in one local authority in South Wales about their experiences of life story work, which included the production of the book. Overall, the authors reported the importance and value that young people afforded the life story work, although it provoked strong emotional reactions including tedium, boredom, anger, sadness and pleasure; feelings that contributed to one young person completely destroying her work (Willis & Holland, 2009). The importance of photographs to enable participants to explore aspects of their identity such as physical appearance and familial likenesses were also highly regarded by the young people.…”

“…What is also clear is that, as Willis and Holland (2009) note, there is a need for more research with wider samples of children and young people in order that we can better understand their perceptions and experiences of this intervention. This paper aims to provide more information to contribute to addressing this gap.…”

“…Social work interest in life storybooks emerged in the 1980s in the UK with the seminal work of Ryan and Walker (Ryan & Walker, 1985) and practice interest and guidance materials have since proliferated (Hammond & Cooper, 2013;Harrison, 1998;May, Nichols, Lacher, & Nichols, 2011;Rees, 2009;Rose & Philpot, 2005;Ryan & Walker, 2007). Whilst there is a substantial amount of practice guidance, there is a dearth of research that supports the use of life storybooks (Gallagher & Green, 2012, 2013Livingston Smith, 2014;Shotton, 2010;Willis & Holland, 2009) particularly related to perceived efficacy of the intervention (Baynes, 2008;Quinton, Rushton, Dance, & Mayes, 1998;Rushton, 2004). The centrality of narrative in children's biographical meaning-making and the role of life storybooks in facilitating identity development are the focus of this paper which reports interview data collected with 20 adopted children and young people.…”

In, out and after care: Young adults' views on their lives, as children, in a therapeutic residential establishment

“…It is also evident from the literature that the problems confronting LSW may be more extensive than is suggested in our work. Willis and Holland (2009), for example, remark that LAC may find this work tedious. Rushton Quinton, Dance, and Mayes (1998) point out that the issues may be broader than just organisation.…”