What is Life Story Work? How defining approaches can bring clarity to research, training, and practice
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 10898501 |
|---|---|
| Authors | Laura Neal (0000-0003-3703-3482, The Behaviour Clinic , Cardiff, CF24 5PJ, corresponding author), Kimberley Matthews (The Behaviour Clinic , Cardiff, CF24 5PJ) |
| Year | 2025 |
| Volume | 55 |
| Issue | 3 |
| Pages | 1041-1059 |
| Publication date | 2025-04-01 |
| Open Access | Yes |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | The British Journal of Social Work (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 0045-3102 • E-ISSN: 1468-263X |
| Publisher | Oxford University Press (PUBLISHER • GB) |
| DOI | 10.1093/bjsw/bcae168 |
| OpenAlex | W4403702936 |
| Language | EN |
| References cited | 13 |
Within health and social care settings, Life Story Work (LSW) for care-experienced children and young people is a social intervention that includes using a biographical or narrative approach. LSW is cited in policy, practice guidance and literature as important in helping young people develop their identity, increase placement stability and in supporting mental health and well-being. In this article, we explore the potential benefits of LSW to care-experienced young people and the barriers to research, training, and practice, and suggest that clearly defined approaches could provide clarity for carers, practitioners and researchers. We introduce five defined approaches to LSW that are informed by literature and current practice. We provide examples of how they might be incorporated into research, training, and practice, then discuss how use of the five approaches could meet practice guidance requirements, and increase the emotional and psychological well-being of care-experienced young people. We conclude by suggesting how the approaches may be used within LSW research to develop an international evidence base for best practice
CLARITY · Engineering ethics · Geography · Training (meteorology) · Work (physics) · Child Welfare and Adoption · Computer Science · Engineering · Identity, Memory, and Therapy · Mechanical Engineering · Psychology · Youth Education and Societal Dynamics
Psychiatric disorder among British children looked after by local authorities
The Psychology of Life Stories
‘Remember when…’
Recordkeeping and the life‐long memory and identity needs of care‐experienced children and young people
I wish someone would explain why I am in care”
Why am I in care? A model for communicating with children about entry to care that promotes psychological safety and adjustment
Telling Different Stories
Life story work with looked after and adopted children
In, out and after care
The Storying Spiral
| Highly cited | No |
|---|