Kendra Morris Jacobson oversees the Oregon Post Adoption Resource Centre (ORPARC) In this interview Kendra talks about the history and state of the research around Lifebooks and Lifestory Work, and how this framework can be more accessible for integration into child welfare practice. Click the link below to listen to the podcast…
CASCW Podcast Channel – Center for Advanced Studies in Child Welfare (umn.edu)
The start of February has brought with it some very positive and much needed news! It has now been confirmed from the Department for Education that the Adoption Support Fund (ASF) will continue until March 2025. See press release below.
This fund is absolutely critical for children and young people being cared for through adoption or special guardianship arrangements. Without it, a vast number of children and families would not be able to access the therapeutic interventions that assist in achieving the following positive outcomes:
The ASF has 2 fair access limits which are £2,500 per child per year for specialist assessment and £5,000 per child per year for therapy. The fund was introduced in 2015 and since then the Government has invested more than £200m and approximately 61,000 families have benefitted.
There are a wide and varied range of therapies that can be funded including; ‘extensive therapeutic life story work’ and ‘life story work with a therapeutic intervention where therapy is used to help the young person understand and cope with the trauma and difficulties that their life story work might revisit’.
This is absolutely key to our work when very often local services and regional adoption agencies do not have the local funds to ensure that children and young people receive quality life story work. So all in all a big relief and some positive news for us as therapeutic life story work practitioners but most importantly for children, young people and their families and supporters
Article by Nadine Jay, Child Centred Therapy, on behalf of TLSWi
The Adoption Support Fund (ASF) has been secured until March 2025, the Department for Education has confirmed.
This will take the ASF to its tenth year of funding. No details have yet been announced about the size of the fund or any changes to the way it operates, following a review last year.
The ASF funds therapeutic support for families whose children left care through adoption or special guardianship arrangements. These children are likely to have experienced severe trauma prior to coming into care and many need therapeutic support to help them thrive.
Press release source: www.politics.co.uk
Blue Cabin
Funding has been awarded to roll out a new approach to working with care-experienced children and young people across three local authorities in the North East.
The Creative Life Story Work project uses creative activities facilitated by professional artists, combined with therapeutic life story work, to help children and young people better understand their own life stories, and improve their lives at home and school.
The project builds on earlier work carried out in South Tyneside and will now be rolled out across Darlington Borough Council and Gateshead Council, thanks to funding awarded by What Works for Children’s Social Care (WWCSC).
Blue Cabin has been working with South Tyneside Council, a team of Associate Artists and Professor Richard Rose (TLSWi), to develop this new way of helping children and young people talk about and understand their life stories.
To read the full article and listen to Podcasts please click on the following links…
Blue Cabin – Creative Life Story Work
Creative Life Story Work — blue cabin (wearebluecabin.com)
Creative Life Story Work Podcasts
Dr Cassie Jackson from the Suffolk based Centre for FASD has shared the news that the centre will sadly close, please see the link below to a letter issued by them on 8th February 2022.
We know that there are a number of us who have worked alongside the Centre for FASD with Cassie and her team, where they have supported with a much-needed FASD diagnosis for children.
As we know there is a very significant prevalence of FASD in the population of children and young people who we support due to the individual life stories of birth mothers. The closure of the centre is a definite loss to families and those who support and provide services nationally.
Article by Nadine Jay, Child Centred Therapy, on behalf of TLSWi
Statement of Closure FASD Feb 2022