Capturing The Journey

Children raised by their birth families will have their lives recorded in the memories of those around them, by their family, by those who love them. A consistent caregiver not only provides a stable foundation for children to spread their roots and grow, they also provide a stable external narrative. Children and young people in care will also have their lives recorded by those around them but the difference is that for many children in care, especially those on long term care orders, those around them are constantly changing and so that external narrative comes from a huge list of authors, all carrying different opinions and motives. This external narrative can paint an unfair and unbalanced picture of a child. The lives of children and young people in care are narrated on paper and on electronic systems such as CHARMS. Although foster carers will record a child’s journey in their memory, when a child moves on from them, those memories stay in the minds of the foster carer, whilst their paper narrative sticks with them. This course will explore how children are portrayed on paper with a focus on the power of blankets statements and labels, encouraging caregivers and professionals to narrate a child’s life positively rather than focussing on what a child has said or done wrong. Scott will also pull on his own life experiences, presenting some of his own files, reflecting on the way he was written about as a child.